How does a carnival-loving Rhinelander bridge the carnival season while living in exile in Berlin? Quite simply: by bringing his favorite beer straight to the capital! The Gaffelhaus Berlin serves as the Rhineland branch for Cologne carnival revelers. As curious Bavarians, we also wanted to experience this spectacle with our own eyes and marched in after 10 p.m., ready to pay the announced €15 admission fee. But we were welcomed warmly—at no extra cost—and provided with a beer, or rather, several Kölsch beers. We quickly found our place, because 27,000 polonaises through the entire location are naturally part of the experience. I have to say that we quickly made friends and, above all, had a lot of fun. Even on the way home, there were still plenty of funny pranks to discover. Apparently, the snow in Berlin inspires the carnival revelers to come up with particularly creative activities.
