Berlin Take 2 - continued

Good Morning Berlin!

We started the day in what seemed to be the Turkish quarter (or at least one of them) of Kreuzberg with a glass of a fresh ginger infusion for myself and fresh peppermint for my mother.

When the Berlin Wall was erected in 1961 nearly 60,000 people were put out of work because they psychically couldn't get to where they needed to go as there was a stonking great wall blocking the way. The city therefore decided to invite foreign workers from around Southern Europe in to fill in their spaces. Lots of council housing sprung up around the city yet like the English ‘pre-fabs’ these houses were put up as a temporary solution and were therefore never intended to last. 

The owners of these houses took it upon themselves to pay for their own repairs and home improvements and therefore considered their places of resident as being their own.

Rents in the area had always generally been quite reasonable as can be expected of social housing yet with privatisation of these properties rents have significantly increased as private investors demand increasingly more money. Residents are being priced out of their own homes and this has sparked much controversy and rioting. 

Indeed the elderly Frau Rosemarie F. was evicted from her home and died only 2 days later. 

I learnt all this and a whole lot more at FHXB Museum on Adalbert Str. 

As we walked out of the museum a crowded restaurant caught our eye and it would be silly not to go and investigate further: 

Maroush , a traditional Lebanese restaurant serves a variety of mezzo plates including falafel, hummus and even donner kebabs. All of which are delicious! 

Kaffee und Kuchen is a German  past time that I can really get my teeth into. (a bit like the ritual of Afternoon Tea) For our K&K stop we took a trip to the Five Elephant cafe on Reichberger Str. 

The small, quaint cafe is slightly tucked away from the hustle and bustle but it would seem that this little gem has got itself quite a reputation. 

Whilst my mother drank a chai tea latte  and ate the blueberry oat cake (both totally divine) I meanwhile supped on Rwandan coffee which had a fruity (somewhat berry like) undertones and ate the devilishly good toffee and peanut butter tart.  

For dinner we wondered to Markthalle Neun for ‘Street Food Thursday.’ Every week the market hall is over run with street food trucks offering all kinds of cuisines from dim sum to vegan burgers, fresh kässpatzle and pulled pork sandwiches. Street Food Thursday offers a totally delicious selection that has something for everyone. We would recommend the kässpatzle from Heisser Hobel or the pulled pork. 

Matcha Tea, the newest super-food on the block was also in abundance as we spotted no less than three stalls selling containing matcha including Vietnamese waffles, cheesecake and even doughnuts. 

Berlin Take 2

Following a band round on their tour is no doubt on everybody’s bucket list….and if it isn’t…then it should be. I’m only actually going to two dates though so I’m not really sure if that counts. 

When I first visited Berlin back in 2012 when I was young and I innocent, I visited many of the tourist hot-spots such as the Brandenburger Tor and Checkpoint Charlie but now that I’m older and wiser (fat chance) I took it upon myself to tread off the beaten track and explore the lesser known areas of the city. 

We arrived in Berlin (and by we i mean my mother and myself) after a long and strenuous journey via Hamburg that comprised of five different varieties of transport. I was all but ready to collapse in the hotel room but the call of food was too great so we headed out along the Spree (that’s the name of the river in case you were wondering) in search of nourishment. 

On route back to the hotel  we walked along the ‘East Side Gallery’ or as it is better known the ‘Berlin Wall.’ What remains of the once dividing structure- and I was surprised to see just how much of it still stands- has been transformed into a gallery of street art and graffiti.  These thought provoking art works have a political undercurrent and were created during the months that followed the destruction of the wall.

The images offer messages of freedom and tolerance and just as relevant today as they ever were.

The last day 03.08.12

The plan for today was to go and visit churches, lots and lots of churches. But after 2 days of non-stop museum going. Oh God please save me!!  So in a change of heart it was decided to go shopping, a fool proof plan. Or at least I thought so. 

The Guardian's list of top ten cafes in Berlin (obviously it would be slightly problematic if it had been a list for elsewhere) told me that I had to go Oliv on Münzstrasse (in case you are wondering) which I did…twice.  For no sooner had I left the premises than the heavens opened.  Oh well I’ll just have to get some cake then till it blows over.

Whenever I get excited or slightly panicky about something I always end up getting there really early. For example in the case of parties I can pretty  much guarantee that I will be ready and waiting to go at least two hours before it even starts, forget fashionably late, I prefer fashionably early. So you can imagine that in the case of flying home, naturally I was at the airport 3 hours before my flight and it wasn’t even a big airport.

Eastside vs. Westside

Oppression was the dish of the day. Mainly that caused by the Berlin wall that effectively divided East and West Germany as well as that of the poor old Jews. Some people would think that 6 hours spent in museums was a bit oppressive, my feet would definitely agree. My mother would probably be proud of how much I walked today. 

This morning saw a trip to Checkpoint Charlie –The Wall Museum. I tried and failed to stop myself from bursting into tears at the selfless acts of some people to help others escape. Like Franz Walander. Franz was a German officer of some sort, who printed lots of foreign passports to help the Jews escape persecution during the Second World War, Only to get to Sweden (the goal) to be seized himself. 

Another case was much later when Germany was divided by the wall, John (I think his name was John) Ireland converted his car so that he could hide people inside. At the risk of his own life e helped ten people to escape from the East.

I’m all for interactive things in museums but when, in the case of the Jüdisches museum, you get Albert Einstein doing a dance across the screen, is that really a good idea?

Nevertheless, I learnt all about Einstein and the theory of relativity as well as the history of Nivea. The name was taken from the Latin word ‘Nix’ meaning snow.

After all that ‘intake of knowledge’ I was in the need of sustenance (read cake). On the quest for cake I stumbled upon ‘Berlin Lacht’ a sort of fair with a load of street artists. The first ‘comedian’ I saw wasn’t even funny. ‘Lachen’ I did not, especially when he lifted and swung an anchor (an actual ships’ anchor) by his ear lobes.

It’s a bit weird to be sat in a deck chair with a Bratwurst in the middle of a city square at half seven at night. A bit like summer.

A photographic interlude

  Brandenburger Tor

 Reichstag

 Berliner Dom

 Altes Museum

 Checkpoint Charlie

 Juedisches Museum

 Obligatory pictures of cake - yummy cake

Day 1 of getting hopelessly lost without even trying

They say (well my mother does) that the best way to see a city is on foot. Yeah that's the best way if you want to walk in completely the wrong direction on the way out of town.

Everything seemed to be going so well this morning; sleeping through my alarm so instead of getting up at the 'maximum sight-seeing' time of 7.30, I got up at 9, bother.

Going down the wrong street. "Are you sure there's supposed to be a roundabout there? (just to clarify I wasn't talking to a random passer by there but to myself)

And lets not mention the 'walking headlong into a wall' bit

On today's to do list were:

The Brandenburger Tor: It's really just a gate so not really all that much to do there except a photo opportunity.

The Reichstag: Admittance is by appointment only, well it is a government building. Again more photos

The Palace of Tears: but for the life of me I could not find it. This would have resulted in tears of my own if it had not been for the German telly buildings around the riverside. Yet more photos.

And last but not least Museum Insel. For those not familiar with Berlin this last one is not actually on an Island. Gutted I know! But rather a load of museums grouped together.you can buy a  ticket for all of them. 14 Euros for 19 museums challenge accepted. but after 3 of them I was fully out museumed. Too much ancient history if you ask me, although I was rather a fan of the ancient jewellery room. May just have to invest in a Roman necklace.

We're not in Kansas anymore

A word to the wise, You know those sign thingies. It might be a good idea to invest in some to save people some aimless wondering. Like when I wander around the ENTIRE Berlin train station ( put's a whole new meaning to the phrase 'Ich verstehe Bahnhof no?) only to find that the train I wanted as on the same platform that I just left. Fantastic.

A city-break to Berlin? Don't mind if I do. Although I am there on my own and I can't imagine all the fun things I can get up to in a strange city....all by myself (read get hopelessly lost)

I'll spare you the details of the flight, they are all very similar anyway, except for the moment when you think to yourself "Dear god, am I on the right plane."

Luckily the answer to that question was yes.

Having had once stayed at a PLUS establishment I wanted to try out their newest place, having opened in 2010. Housed in Warschauer straße* they assured me that it was only a short walk from the train station. Their foolproof directions were alas not foolproof enough.

Clearly, Wahrschauerstraße is where the cool kids hang out. Bedecked with graffiti and skater dudes, tattoos, piercings and pink mohawks...oh my. Now you may say that I have led a sheltered childhood but Oh dear lord someone get me to my bed quick.

But all things are not so bad because guess who is playing on the 3rd August at the O2? (which happens to be only a stone's throw away) The Beach Boys that's who.

Wait what do you mean I'm leaving that day. Oh crumbs

* For those of you have read Hans Fallada's Alone In Berlin Warschauer Str. is a popular haunt