A Postcard From Achingly Cool Berlin

Brandenburg Gate

I want to start off by saying that this is definitely not an achingly cool photo of myself in Berlin BUT you cannot open a piece about Berlin without the Brandenburg Gate.  The cool bit I cover later. The Brandenburg gate now epitomises German reunification and is the all time famous backdrop of Berlin events and tourist photos.  The last time I was here, many moons ago, I had to take that spooky ride to communist East Berlin and it felt straight out of a Le Carré novel. How it has changed!

Reichstag Dome

 Before going through my trip, just a word of advise to travellers to Berlin.  Book the places you want to see and eat in.

One thing I didn't realise is you need to prebook some of the top sights....sooooo...I didn't manage to go inside Normal Foster's Reichstag Dome (booking for one-two weeks prior to visit, depending on the time of year). It wasn't built yet the last time I was here, so it was very frustrating not to go in it.  It supposedly has amazing views of the city.

In the government area, I heard Angela Merkel was with Theresa May, whilst I was walking along the Bundeskanzleramt, discussing Brexit and maybe even how to wear the most, ummm, "statement" necklaces possible. Please, may I give my advise as a jewellery designer?

Sammlung Boros

Another gallery which I failed to see (again a two week minimum booking time) and wanted to go to is the Sammlung Boros, which is housed in a Nazi-era bunker shelter. Christian Boros has housed his art collection here which is one of Berlin's finest private collections of contemporary art. It was works of Ai Wei Wei, Olafur Eliasson amongst other famous artists.

Now that's out of the way, this is what I experienced....

Checkpoint Charlie

The last time I was here, Checkpoint Charlie was a serious business, soldiers controlling the flow between East and West Berlin.  Now, for 4 Euros a photo, you can pay some unemployed actors standing at the checkpoint to ham it up for a photo! McDonalds must have so much free advertising, since you really cannot take this photo without their franchise as a backdrop!

Holocaust Memorial

The Holocaust Memorial by Peter Eisenman, the Holocaust Museum and Exhibition are, of course, must sees. You'll see the remnants of the Berlin Wall there, too.  

If you have a free day, go out of town (half an hour or so from the central station/Hauptbahnhoft) to the the Sachsenhausen Memorial and Museum. I didn't take any photos there since it's not really the thing you do, but do join a group tour and see the concentration camp.  It's hard to believe than human beings can be so cruel. 

Queen Nefertiti

There are many museums notably the Pergamonmuseum (full of antiquities, but book an early slot or you'll queue) on Museum island and dotted around the capital.   Do not miss seeing Queen Nefertiti at the Neues Museum.  She is simply exquisite.

Frank Gehry's Atrium

Whilst at Pariser Platz (since you'll probably be there if you want to take a photo of the Brandenburg Gate) you might want to go into the DZ Bank's foyer and see the Frank Gehry's atrium.  That sculpture is actually a conference room.

Akaedemie der Künste

Also on the Pariser Platz is the Akademie der Künste, one of Berlin's oldest cultural institutions and designed by Günter Behnisch,  which houses numerous changing exhibitions and workshops. 

Lunch at Hotel Adlon

Once you've seen the sights in Pariser Platz, go have lunch at Hotel Adlon, where they offer a very reasonable set lunch.  This hotel is supposedly inspired by the Grand Hotel, starring Greta Garbo, and is reputed to be Berlin's poshest hotel, rebuilt from it's original 1907 model.  It is the hotel where Michael Jackson dangled his baby out of the window!

A Hearty German Meal

Continuing on the subject of food, have a hearty German meal at Augustiner am Gendarmenmarkt (though really, it's a Bavarian beer hall in Mitte, where tourists and foodies go). Have the very large roasted pig's knuckle, sausage and pork platter with a side of weiner schnitzel (even if it's Austrian) and potato salad.  Highly advisable to take some antacid before going to bed after the meal.

Dottir

A restaurant that really impressed me was Dottir.  With Icelandic chef Victoria Eliasdóttir (sister of artist Olafur Eliasson) at the helm, the set four or five course is truly memorable.  Not surprisingly, she worked at Alice Water's Chez Panisse in Berkley (Waters inspired River Cafe and Sally Clarke, amongst others). The building in Mitte also has a story, it's an abandoned Stassi surveillance center. Reserve and have a meal in one of the top and cooler restaurants in Berlin.

On the subject of cool.... Berlin is a vibrant, young city, full of creatives, perennial students and artists.  For hip go no further than the Kreuzberg and Neulkölln neighbourhoods.  These areas are filled with bars, galleries, and cafes, not unlike the upper West Side of Manhattan and Greenwich Village of the 70's and early 80's, before serious gentrification and name brands transformed them. 

Filled with Turkish markets and produce, (lots of döner), international cafes, vintage clothing, trendy clothing stores like VooStore, experimental ice cream parlours, and tons of grafitti, it is THE place for the young neo-Berliners to hang out. Hang around the Weserstrasse at bars like Tier and the beach/rooftop/carpark bar called the Klunkerkranich (difficult to find since you need to go up and through a car park!).  Remember bohemian and hip can sometimes appear chaotic and scuzzy but don't let it put you off, this is where it's at, if you are young and hip (or maybe just hip).

Bars, restaurants, cafes...loads of them.

Klunkerkranich

Tier Bar

And where to eat? Experiment with the various cafes, go to Burgermeister (it used to be a toilet beneath the raised U-Bahn tracks) to have a huge, messy but delicious burger, German classics at Max und Moritz,  Korean at Kimchi Princess (eat outside to minimise garlic infused clothing) And of course, life in Berlin is not complete without having a döner kebab at Imren, an institution for two decades. I opted for something called "Döner Teller" which was a döner over rice.  I took a photo below of the small (klein) version, it's not pretty, but quite greasy and delicious. Görlitzer is the train stop.

Lastly, for a snack, why not try the croissant with a frankfurter, available at bakeries. Sounds odd, but again, delicious, so enjoy each calorific bite! (I didn't try the currywurst so cannot comment).  If you are in Berlin, you might as well go (and consume) the whole hog!

           Croissant with frankfurter