Berlin gallery

Goodbye Berlin

Our last couple days in Berlin were a blur. Food seems to be the overriding theme. Our expat friends hosted a dinner party. The food was delicious Thai, our friend is a very talented cook. The guest list comprised of Aussies and Germans. The conversation was lively, and as it often does when you get a room full of Australians together, the conversation turned to tales of living and traveling abroad, anecdotes coming funny and fast, everyone with a story to tell. Eating and drinking was also a popular topic, as many of the guests were also keen foodies. Our host was responsible for many a good meal had in Berlin, and for that we owe him our thanks. Our last meal in town was shared with them, at our favourite local spot in Shoneberg, Renger-Patzsch. Predictably, the food was terrific. It was the perfect end to our stint in Berlin.

We loved all the little shops in Berlin. In our little neighborhood street alone there was a cycle shop, an electric guitar maker/restorer with guitar bodies in various stages of progress hanging in the window, and a lovely small pottery studio called tontonton, manned by the lively and friendly potter Maria.

We found quite a few mid-century design shops selling new/re-issue and used objects and furniture at reasonable prices. This was practically torture, considering the huge asking prices and limited availability of these items in Australia.

Gestalten is a design shop and gallery we found located in one of the 'hofes', (hidden internal courtyard and garden spaces). The space was light-filled and open, a perfect venue for art and covetable design objects.

Slow Travel and onto Potsdam

We have really enjoyed our experiences using slow travel as our inspiration. Basically slow travel is an opportunity to spend more time making connections with the community you are in and in undertaking experiences similar to those around you. We have mixed our time staying in relatively tourist free areas and of course visiting the major institutions such as galleries and museums-but having a smaller more intimate area to return to. Slow travel is a response to speed and its association with success. Even then we have only scratched the surface of what is available in Berlin. For those musically minded the Specials, the Jezebals and Suede all played in Kreuzberg over the last week or so. There are some superb private galleries. Wandering through Orianerbergerstrasse we found the Hofs-German courtyards -full of small shops and artists studios. As well as Tacheles, an artist cooperative based in one of Berlin’s most grand department stores of yesteryear. Here in the misting rain we found shelter in a small brown bar and drank 15 year old malt whisky. Journeys are, as Alain de Botton aptly reminds us, the midwives of thought. Alain de Botton wrote the wonderful book “ The Art of Travel “ that everyone who enjoys life’s travel experiences should read. By traveling slower our perceptions are enhanced and we can discover the subtle differences between places. We have been fortunate to have access to bikes and this has been a wonderful time allowing us freedom to explore local areas at street level. And staying in apartments rather than hotels is private, comfortable and homely. We have been able to have some enlightening discussions and to get an idea of contemporary life amongst the immense history of Europe. It has also enabled us to catch up with old friends and make new friends. 


"So may Potsdam rise and call out: I shall not
give way, even to those cities hailed as the most beautiful." - Bellamintes

On our trip to Potsdam we took our bikes onto the S Bahn no 7-bikes get their own ticket and arrived about 30 minutes later. Having a bike gave us a fantastic freedom to explore and to escape the crowds whenever you wanted. It also allowed us to cover lots of space quickly. Potsdam and the gardens and palaces surrounding it are spread over quite a large area. Potsdam is a beautiful town separately from the grandeur of the palaces. The Dutch quarter is more reminiscent of the Netherlands than Germany with the distinctive architecture. And we have fortunate that the days we have decided to visit were warm, with gentle winds and free from rain. Over two days we transversed Potsdam and visited the World Heritage listed sites: Sanssouci, New Palace, Charlottenhof, New Garden, Babelsberg Park, Sacrow Estate, Linstedt, Chinese Haus.

One of the areas we found rather remarkable was the Dutch settlement on the lake. Built in 1906 it is in the most idyllic of locations situated inside the park and is impossibly picturesque. Red brick buildings with gables and large gardens. Further along is the luxurious suburb of Berlin-large beautiful homes on sweeping lawns with towering oak trees overlooking the lake. As we rode we kept coming upon groups of nude sunbathers loading up on vitamin d before the onset of winter. The main thrust of most people’s visits is Sanssouci-which is spectacular after all-but once you leave here and explore the areas further afield the crowds quickly dissipate. Many times we found ourselves alone at the most intriguing of places. A truly delightful experience.

Culinary delights

When you stay a longer period in one place, you have the luxury of discovery. We’ve seen, admired, eaten and imbibed during our time here in a way that you can only achieve when you’ve plenty of time to spend. Berlin is a rich treasure trove of specialty shops, cafés, restaurants, galleries and interesting nooks and crannies. Along the way we’ve met a wonderful array of people- proprietors, artists, artisans-the cast that make all these places hum along. Meeting and talking to new people enriches your experience in travel, and it’s certainly been the case for us.

The culinary opportunities in Berlin are broad. We’ve eaten Thai, Asian fusion, quite a lot of Italian and Mexican, and have been to several local places serving delicious contemporary fare with German touches. There have been schnitzels and apple strudels, the best doner kabob we’ve encountered anywhere, hand made chocolates and great cocktails, ice-cold German beers, lovely Spanish olives, French wine, champagne and oysters, dense hearty breads and soups and creamy cheeses from all around Europe. Let’s just say, it’s a good thing we’ve got the bikes, and have walked kilometers and kilometers, or else I suspect we’d be 2 sizes bigger by the time we’ve leave here.

We’ve mentioned our favourite coffee shop, Double Eye in Shoneberg in previous posts, but it deserves another mention. It’s become part of our every-day experience in Berlin and we’ve got to know the wonderfully warm and friendly young men and women who produce what we think must be the most excellent coffee in Berlin. We’ve spoken to the owner who generously gave us a look out back at his roaster, and have become quite friendly with one of the baristas, who has recently won a barista competition, and is off to Italy for the finals (good luck!!).

We’ve eaten some great meals in Berlin. Also, we’ve had the pleasure of being able to dine with friends here, which always adds to the experience for us. There’s nothing better than sharing a great meal with good friends. Last night’s dinner was no exception. We went to a lovely local place here in Shoneberg called Renger-Patzsch. The food was really delicious, the ambience and the staff a treat. The night before we had the best Mexican food I’ve encountered outside of Mexico (big call!) at Maria Peligro. Between the six of us, we shared authentic and succulent bits and pieces with 2-for-one Margaritas -a drink I haven’t had since my 20ies- and afterwards went for drinks at a very cool bar nearby. We enjoyed a particularly good meal at +39, an Italian place in Kreuzberg, one of us ordering an impossibly huge calazone. The pizza and pasta were all fresh and delicious, served up by our delightful and funny Florentine waiter.

An afternoon at the Altes Museum

Altes museum is a collection of Greek, Roman and Etruscan antiquities. The museum houses world-renowned, jewelry, sarcophagi and statuary. Enjoyed a visit there one rainy afternoon.

Inspiration at the Neues Museum

Having seen numerous major Egyptian exhibitions, we were probably less than enthusiastic about going to visit the Neues Museum. But it does, after all, house the famous bust of Nefertiti. So we went along thinking we might breeze through in a fairly short amount of time. Well, Nefertiti was magnificent, but the treasures held by this museum along with the beauty of the building kept us occupied the whole afternoon.

Pergamonmuseum revisited

No trip to Berlin is complete without a trek to the Pergamonmuseum. We made our visit with some friends of ours who are also traveling in Europe, and have come to Berlin for a spell. We’ve visited the Pergamonmuseum previously, just after the wall came down in 1989.  At the time, the Pergamon was still in East Berlin and the feel of the place was quite different from our visit this trip. Back then, you paid your entry fee in flimsy East German currency at the front door and you could admire the exhibits unimpeded by crowds, security guards and barriers. Now, you have to go through the ubiquitous entry hall equipped with cloak room, book shop and audio tour headset desk, and have to battle queues, overly officious security guards and barriers to admire the exhibits. All these changes haven’t diminished the experience though. The collection still commands the same response. It is monumental, imposing, inspiring and at times, overwhelming. The museum houses 3 major collections; classical Greek and Roman antiquities, ancient art from the Near East (mainly Assyrian) and Islamic art, but the main attractions are the 3 massive structures which have been meticulously recreated, stone by stone, piece by beautiful piece. The first, and probably the most famous of the 3, is Pergamon Altar. It’s a temple from about 170BC. The Hellenic frieze that adorns the base of the altar is a masterpiece. It depicts a battle scene between giants and gods, and the figures are incredibly fluid, naturalistic, beautifully proportioned and full of movement and grace. The second structure is the grand and ornate Market Gate that stands two levels high, is from the early 2^nd century and physically forms the entry into the room containing the last great structure, the Ishtar Gate. The Ishtar Gate is from the 6^th century BC and is a soaring blue tiled fortification decorated with stone relief animals and mythical creatures.

Every object in this museum is wonderous. After our departure we all agreed that the human capacity to create incredible beauty is practically limitless.