Slörm Update - Part 3: This is Berlin

Some of you might think the Sloerm is only special to us! That is not true! The truth is the Sloerm actually is really popular. In 2011, the local newspaper `Berliner Morgenpost`, started a campaign showing the special character and the diversity of the city. The people were true Berliners and the photos were taken where those people live, work, have fun. The photos were so good that they won a prize given by the Art Director Club in Germany.  

This alone is already a great story. It is even greater as our Sloerm was part of it! 

Stefan and Michele have even given us a Sloerm-Postcard of this campaign. This postcard has a special place now on our fridge. Thus the Sloerm feeling is even in our apartment… 

Slörm Update - Part 2: Moka Only

When I wrote for the first time we were wondering if this rapper whose picture was displayed in the Sloerm would ever come to Berlin. After just a couple of years of waiting he finally came to the Sloerm in November. Moka Only gave a private concert in our favorite coffee bar before he had his main event and the big stage later in the evening. And we were invited to it! Stefan told us about it couple of days in advance and gave us the code word `Zebra` so that we could enter the show on Saturday at 4 pm. Of course we had to go there. We took our friends Anne and Christian with us and were waiting for the superstar. He came with Stefan and his DJ. And after a quick `Hello` he started performing. Thus the counter of the coffee bar became the stage and the Sloerm a club. 

It was obvious that the rapper was well prepared for this gig in Germany: he was wearing the same outfit as on the painting in the Sloerm. How cool was that! 

For Stefan this was not the most important part, he had shinny eyes and a big smile for the rest of the night just listening to the music. 

Btw: the music can be found here: Check it out:  http://sloerm.net/medien/musik/19-moka-only

Slörm Update - Part 1: Regulars

Our favorite coffee bar Sloerm – you might recall our long journey to find the best one – is by now an important part of our lives in Berlin. Every morning at 8 am – Stefan and Michele have just opened their bar we get our Latte in our cups. Every day we start with a nice chat and then we go to work.

However at the beginning of the year something had changed. When I entered the Sloerm, I could not grasp it right away what it was. My brain gave me the signal that the music had changed classic instead of Hip-Hop and the face behind the bar was different. Normally this face would sit in a chair and look into a laptop or you see it standing outside smoking. It was `Uncle Uwe` a very friendly regular visitor who just had returned from a long journey shortly before X-mas.

For the first time we talked as I gave him my order. I asked him about his journey and why he was working here. I found out that he was on a bike tour along the pilgrim route to Santiago in Spain. And he gave Stefan and Michele as a X-mas present a 2 weeks’ vacation -  their first vacation in five years. And while they were on vacation he would take care of the bar.  

I really liked this guy. We talked every day and found out that Uwe was astonished how exhausting the job of a barista was. At 7 am you need to go shopping, then open the bar from 8am – 8 pm and then you need to finish the administrative work including accounting. Moreover, he told me that he writes on a concept for a TV documentary about an expedition through Tajikistan. I volunteered to be part of the expedition – no clue if that is more or less stressful than a job as a barista.