Brick Lane

Brick Lane in East London was once associated with poor slums and prostitution. It's known as the area where Jack the Ripper (also called 'The Whitechapel Murderer') was up to mischief. Nowadays nothing in this vibrant and colourful neighbourhood reminds you of its old, dark days.
In my opinion Brick Lane stands for street art, galleries, markets and vintage stores. Oh, and it's also called "Banglatown" due to its large Bangladeshi-Sylheti community. If you wanna have a real Indian curry, you should go to Brick Lane.

The first time I became really interested in Brick Lane was when I watched a documentary called "Graffiti Wars" that featured Banksy and Robo - 2 rival Londoner graffiti artists. I found out that Brick Lane is very famous for its graffiti which features artists like Banksy and D*Face. This is one of my favourites:

Graffiti belongs to pop culture and pop culture has always been influenced by popular TV shows such as Sesame Street. For instance, The Simpsons and Family Guy have spoofed Sesame Street. And since Brick Lane is full of pop culture it kind of makes sense to have Sesame St E1 right in the beginning of this street in East London. Brick Lane has also been used in music videos such as "All these things that I have done" by The Killers:

As I've mentioned before, Brick Lane is furthermore famous for its vintage stores and food. Here is a culinary tip (no, no Indian curry): You should go to Brick Lane Beigel Bakery which is a local institution. It's rated by some as the freshest  and most delicious bagel you will ever have and is highly recommended by my friends for a post-clubbing snack.

I couldn't really find something weird or unexptected about Brick Lane to be honest. It just reminded me of Berlin with all its graffitis, street markets, vintage clothes and street artists. The East End felt exactly like Prenzlauer Berg or Kreuzberg (with the Indians replacing the Turks).
There is so much to discover, though! At every street corner you can find something worth seeing:

Trials and Tribulations

When you move to a foreign country, you have to meet some challenges, like finding a room/ apartment, a job, friends, a favourite place, moving all your stuff, changing phone provider etc.
One of my toughest challenges so far has been getting a bank account!

I think I had about 7 or 8 meetings at several British banks. They all requested lots of different documents. But not all documents at one time - no, every time I went there they asked for something else. It already became a running gag at work.
In the end they even gave me a questionnaire that included questions, like "How much money do you spend on clothes per month?", "How much money do you spend on entertainment per month?"

Wow! I had no idea how hard it can be for a foreigner to get a British bank account. All in all it took me 2 months to open up a simple account and when I finally accomplished this mission, I received each document in a separate letter and had another meeting with the bank employee to make sure that everything has arrived!

Culture Clash

I've been to Berlin last week and had quite a hard time to readjust to the German culture. I've discovered a couple of differences I haven't consciously noticed before or have already become used to. 

First of all, I tried to pay with £. I arrived at 6pm and it was still 30°C. We went to a nice German beer garden that night. But in my wallet were only £.

The next morning I had to take the tube and almost missed it, because I was waiting for the doors to open up automatically. But in Berlin you still have to push the button. At least you can use your phone during your journey, because the underground is not as deep as in London.

I really like the concept of standing on the right, walking on the left when using an escalator in Britain. And I know some friends of mine get really angry if tourists stand on the left and block their path. But in Berlin this concept doesn't really exist. Everyone is standing and walking wherever they want.

In most restaurants in London the tip is already included in the bill, so you don't have to bother about tipping your waiter. So, sometimes I just forgot to tip in Berlin and was very embarrassed about it afterwards.
Oh, that reminds me of another British habit I have adapted. When someone passes me, I've started to apologise - even though I didn't even touch them.
Last but not least, if you need to buy groceries or anything else, you should think of it already on Saturday, because unlike in London all shops are closed on Sundays in Germany. 

The day before I left, it rained all day and I was already looking forward to going back to England!