Ted: Hi, and welcome to Speaking of Berlin, a podcast that introduces you to the city we call home, while helping you learn German along the way.

Berlin is a city full of stories, and today, we’re going to hear another one – in German, of course!

I’m Ted, your host and virtual tour guide. I’ll be here to guide you through the episode by giving you info about the German language, cultural and historical context, and background to the story. This is a language learning podcast, but it’s more than that as well! It’s also a way for you to get to know Berlin – with no traveling required!

And did you know that there’s a transcript for this episode so you can read along while you listen? It’s the perfect tool to help you understand the story, so why not check it out by heading over to babbel.com/podcasts?

All set? Then let’s start today’s story, in which my colleague Maren recalls a barbecue she and her family had at her aunt’s garden in East Berlin, and why this story is a family favorite… for everyone except her dad.

Maren: Als Kind liebte ich es, zu Tante Gaby in den Garten zu fahren. Aber es war immer eine halbe Weltreise. Doch eigentlich wohnte Gaby gar nicht so weit weg …

Ich bin in West-Berlin geboren und aufgewachsen. Und Tante Gaby lebte in Ost-Berlin.

Wir waren durch eine Mauer getrennt. Denn “damals” gab es ein geteiltes Deutschland: West und Ost.

Ted: Es war immer eine halbe Weltreise – It was always half a world trip. But why? Maren was born and raised in West Berlin, and her aunt Gaby just lived on the other side of town, right? Well, kind of. This was the 80s, and they were still living in a divided Germany, ein geteiltes Deutschland. Now, a lot of people picture West Berlin as being in West Germany, and East Berlin being in East Germany. But pull up a map of the former GDR, and you’ll see that West Berlin was actually an enclave deep in the heart of East Germany. And the wall didn’t simply run from north to south, dividing the city in half, it actually encircled the entire western part, making an island of neon lights, flashy advertisements, western culture and capitalism behind the iron curtain. Knowing that, it should make more sense why Aunt Gaby’s garden on the other side of town felt like it was a world away.

Maren: Die Menschen in West-Berlin konnten ihre Verwandten im Osten besuchen. Nur in die andere Richtung, vom Osten in den Westen, ging das nicht. Daher sind wir oft zu Gaby gefahren.

Mit dem Auto fährst du heute maximal 45 Minuten. Aber damals mussten wir lange an der Grenze warten. Manchmal bis zu drei Stunden!

— Mama, warum dauert das so lange?

Die Polizei an der Grenze kontrollierte die Autos immer sehr streng. Produkte aus dem Westen waren verboten!

— Einmal den Kofferraum öffnen … Weiterfahrt bitte!

— Endlich …

Aber meine Mutter schaffte es immer, Dinge aus dem Westen mitzubringen. Zum Beispiel Lebensmittel, wie Bananen und guten Kaffee.

Oder praktische Sachen, wie Küchengeräte. Nur eine Sache hat meine Mutter Gaby nie mitgebracht: eine große Schüssel. Zu diesem Problem kommen wir gleich …

Ted: When the wall went up, thousands of German families were separated. But Maren just said, “Die Menschen in West-Berlin konnten ihre Verwandten im Osten besuchen” – The people in West Berlin could visit their relatives in the East. I’d always thought that the Berlin Wall was impossible to cross, no matter who you were, but that was only true for people living in East Germany. West Berliners could freely travel to East Berlin – if they didn’t mind a long and rigorous border crossing. The police at the border always checked the cars very strictly - Die Polizei an der Grenze kontrollierte die Autos immer sehr streng. They wanted to make sure people weren’t smuggling contraband (or sometimes people) across the border. There weren’t as many products available in the East, and of the things that were available, there wasn’t a lot of variety. But, to help out their families in the East, West Berliners like Maren’s mom would try to bring over little things, like bananas, good coffee, or kitchenware. There was only one thing she never managed to bring – a big bowl, eine große Schüssel. But why does that matter? I guess we’ll find out soon!

Maren: Du solltest zuerst wissen: Mein Vater mag es gar nicht, wenn irgendetwas dreckig ist. Oder wenn jemand Schuhe in der Wohnung trägt.

– Maren … bitte … zieh deine Schuhe aus!

Auch in Restaurants prüft er immer, ob das Besteck und der Teller sauber sind. Einmal hat uns Gaby zu einer Grillparty in ihren Garten eingeladen.

Es war ein typischer Schrebergarten. Schrebergärten gab es viele im Osten. In Gabys Garten gab es eine kleine Wiese, Blumen und Beeren … und ein kleines Haus.

Es gab auch eine Küche. Nur warmes Wasser gab es nicht. Aber das war OK.

Ted: Ok, so Maren’s dad really doesn’t like it when anything is dirty, dreckig. Wearing shoes in the house is a big no-no for him, and he even checks to make sure the silverware in restaurants is clean, sauber, before he eats. But why is Maren talking about this? Well, just keep it in mind for later. So, one summer, Gaby invited Maren’s family over for a barbecue, or Grillparty, in her Schrebergarten. And what is a Schrebergarten? Well, they’re small areas of land in the city that are set aside and divided into plots. People can rent these plots and use them to grow flowers, veggies, or to just hang out close to nature in the summer. They were really typical in East Berlin, and they’re still very popular today. If you ever make it to Berlin, you’re bound to see at least one – there are almost 850 Schrebergarten complexes all over the city! In Gaby’s garden there was a little lawn, flowers, berries, and a tiny little house with a kitchen, but… no hot water.

Maren: Die Würstchen und Steaks lagen schon auf dem Grill.

Meine Mutter deckte den Tisch und Tante Gaby brachte das Brot und die Salate nach draußen. Es gab eine riesige Schüssel mit Kartoffelsalat. Ich habe sie genau vor Augen, diese große blaue Schüssel.

Ted: Mmmmm… I love a good barbecue! And it looks like Gaby was able to source a bowl even without the help of Maren’s mom. Es gab eine riesige Schüssel mit Kartoffelsalat – There was a giant bowl with potato salad! A big, blue bowl. Wonder where she found it…

Maren: Mein Vater liebt Essen!

– Hab ich Hunger!

Er isst sehr gerne und sehr viel. Also nahm er sich eine große Portion vom Kartoffelsalat. Meine Mutter schaute die Schüssel an und sagte: "Wow! Das ist aber eine riesige Schüssel!"

Gabys Antwort darauf war: “Ja, in dieser Schüssel wasche ich immer meine Füße. Es ist die größte, die ich habe. Sie ist perfekt für einen Salat!”

Ted: Yuck! Maren’s dad took himself a big portion of potato salad – Er nahm sich eine große Portion vom Kartoffelsalat. Unfortunately for him, the origin of this big, blue bowl was revealed just as he was enjoying a big mouthful. Maren’s mom asked about the bowl, and Gaby nonchalantly replied, “Yup, I always wash my feet in this bowl.”

Maren: Der Kartoffelsalat fiel meinem Vater aus dem Mund.

Ich konnte die Panik auf seinem Gesicht sehen! Eine Schüssel für Füße und Salat? Leider hatte ich damals kein Smartphone! Ich hätte so gerne ein Foto von ihm gemacht!

Er sagte: “Hier gibt es aber kein warmes Wasser! Wie hast du diese Schüssel sauber gemacht?”

Alle haben laut gelacht, nur mein Vater nicht. Seitdem macht mein Vater den Kartoffelsalat selbst!

Ted: The potato salad fell out of her dad’s mouth onto the table. Too bad there were no smartphones back then, otherwise Maren would have snapped a picture of him at that exact moment. The panic on his face was clear to see. And then he had another important realization – How did Gaby wash this bowl if there’s no hot water in the garden? I think if I were him, I’d prefer to just not think about it.

Well, that’s our story for today. Hope you got as good of a laugh out of it as I did! Before I let you go, it’s time for our quick language tip. In Maren’s story we heard her use a lot of indefinite articles, or unbestimmte Artikel. In English, we only have one indefinite article (ok, maybe two), 'a' and 'an'. In German, there are quite a few more. In this story, you’ll find ein, eine, einer, and einem. Why don’t you go back through the story again, listening for phrases like eine große Schüssel, or ein typischer Schrebergarten. Pay attention to the noun that goes with the article, and see if you can find the pattern for the endings. If you need a bit more of a review, you can always check out our courses in the Babbel app! If you’re looking for more of a challenge, check out our monolingual version, with everything auf Deutsch!

And finally, we’d love to hear what you think of the podcast! Send us an email at podcasting@babbel.com, or write a review in your podcast app. Thanks for listening, don’t forget to wash your feet, and see you for the next episode of Speaking of Berlin!