I'm travel editor of the UK's biggest and best lesbian magazine Diva, which means when I'm not hunting down Deutschland's hot spots, I'm exploring the great and the glamorous gay scenes around the world.I've been pretty suprised by the diversity of Germany and just like my idol Marlene Dietricht, now 'I always keep a suitcase in Berlin'.
Happy reading!
Lotte Jeffs gets her glad rags on for five nights of hedonism in lesbian Berlin.
You know those nights that start out as a quick drink and end with you staggering bleary-eyed and a bit baffled into the early morning light, not knowing quite what just happened but being pretty sure, whatever it was, rocked?I just had one of those nights. In fact I had a whole five of them in a row. Because, well, because I was in Berlin and that’s just kind of what happens.
The dyke scene in the German Capital is like nothing I’ve ever experienced before and the music, fashion, décor and clientele all made me feel like I’d at last stumbled upon the pot of gold at the end of Europe’s lacklustre lesbian rainbow.
For a start the girl bars and club nights are as good, if not better, than the gay guy scene which makes a welcome change from all things lesbian usually being the trendy boys’ ugly sister.
Women don’t leave the club at 11pm because they have to feed their cats. They wouldn’t dream of even arriving until past midnight….
….They don’t wear practical shoes for the walk home – they get their limited edition Nikes or glam girly points on for a night of non-stop dancing….
…And far from the usual lesbian cliqueness, women actually talk to you. Yep, you’re at the bar and instead of elbowing you out the way, the hot girl next to you says ‘hallo’!
It’s a breath of fresh air. Heck, it’s a whole bloody oxygen tank of the stuff.
I started my first night at Drama www.dramabar.de, a fab kitsch little bar with a great mix of boys, babes and butches. Here I met queen of the Berlin lesbian scene Angela Schmerfeld who runs some of the cities most popular girl nights. Checkout http://www.megadyke.de/ for more info.
The main queer spots in Berlin are Kreuzberg, Schöneberg, Mitte and Prenzlauer Berg. But to really be in the know I’d recommend picking up a copy of free lesbian rag L-Mag for all the latest listings.
Since the pre-war years, when the Berlin nightlife attracted the likes of Josephine Baker and Greta Garbo to its ‘divine decadence’ and risqué cabaret clubs, the city has been known as a hotbed of hedonism. Head out after-dark today and you won’t be disappointed.
Angela took me to Schwuz club (schwuz.de) where the “Search and Destroy” night plays dirty indie rock that puts London’s ‘alternative’ scene to shame.
During my whirlwind week in the city I also managed to check out these incredible parties:
Barbie Deinhoff's – artsy, queer with heavy electro and gender-bending fierceness.
Girls Town (2nd Saturday of the month, every 2 months at Kino International) – good mix of music, a bit less achingly hip than Barbie Deinhoff's but quirky and cool nonetheless. The covered patio is lovely on a balmy late-summer night.
Gold Lion Parties – Ok, now I like to think I’m kinda trendy, kinda cool and up to date on what’s hot in the lesbian demimonde but my god did this party make me feel like the slightly dowdy out-of-towner – and I loved it! Offering up "indie, electro, fag'n'roll and punk" this occasional, lesbian-run knees-up puts the A-mazing into A-lternative.
Mermaids – one word: INSANE. Get a special shuttle bus to the island Insel der Jugend in the Spree river that runs through Berlin, or if you’re really daring – swim-up for free entry! Expect hot and sweaty girls in vest-tops dancing to everything from Pink to post-punk.
www.myspace.com/mermaids_berlin
This is a mere snapshot of my five nights in the party capital. There’s way more to explore and whether you’re looking to shoot some pool in an old-school dyke dive or wear Vivienne Westwood and dance to Telepathe (www.myspace.com/telepathe) you’re guaranteed to have a gay old time in the city that never, ever sleeps.
Your shout – leave a comment!
Let me know if you have any top tips for places I can visit next time!
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