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.
