When I resurfaced this blog in lockdown, I had a sigh of relief. It had been a while since I wrote a full blog and I had started by writing about a few holidays. I started reading this morning and decided to share it again because it was a spectacular time and I'm itching to go again Honestly, 2017, I was another level of adorable. Now it's just cringe but that's how I feel about half of my writing anyway so it's fine. Monday 9th October, 2017.
I was not prepared for this. At all. Only five minutes into the airport and I'm already learning that being prepared is a must. My partner and I had brushed up on some of the best sites of Berlin, one of them being the Berlin Wall. A marvel we had to see, already Mario checked into our hotel which luck have it, was located directly opposite the wall! There's almost too much excitement but quite frankly, our flight was at 8am so we (I mean I, it was ME!) made the horrendous decision to stay up all night. Breaking off for a power-nap at 1am I recall pacing myself back and forth wondering what I could paint, see, do, write while in Berlin - this wasn't the time to plan ahead because lesson 2, although being prepared is key, spontaneity is just as important. No one ever plans how they'll craft their work, I envy those who can!
It was smooth sails as we arrived to Airport Schönefeld and the blast of cool air rushed through our sleep-deprived bodies. Having thought I managed my insomnia from the first years of Uni, our drive to the hotel was just a green blur, my mum always said when you wake up in the morning look at something green. She says it helps with your well-being and you feel afresh with the vitamins the colour gives off, she also advises me to wake up at sunrise and throw a cup of water outside as this will give you luck throughout the day - unfortunately we left our cup of water at customs.
Reaching East Side and passing a fabulous billboard of Ruby Rose, WE HAVE ARRIVED! Without a minute to spare, we change and head up to the East Side wall. The sun glazed the art, the river and the wall. There was so much for the eye to see, colours, history, humour, courage... There's a mix of emotions on our first day here, the wind broke through my glasses and filled my eyes with tears, then I started to read off the wall. Not sure whether it was the quietness of the day, but we were in awe.
No picture can do justice.
Covering miles and miles of crisp land, the creativity intoxicated us. With intoxication comes a strong appetite too and being tourists we wanted to try a traditional taste. No, not a kebab or fish & chips, our bouncy bellies longed for a schiztnil and newly discovered for us, currywurst!
Skipping down Warschauer Str. and of course, unfolding some fantastic art pieces, we searched long until we came across Curry & Beer, the glowing gates of currywurst heaven!
I ain't afraid to say it, the BEST intro into the delicacy, the BEST service and the best setting to begin our taste bud adventure. The barn-bar style gave us all sorts of cowboy vibes and the magicians behind the bar were sublime. I ordered the tofu meal and Mario ordered the standard meal, as we waited we couldn't help but eye up the sauces on the table.
Should point out that we love the taste of heat. One of the soppy dreams is to be on Hot Ones and we'll be eager to buy the hot sauce this Christmas! Working my way from 2 stars to 6, I completely woke up (yep we were still working on no sleep at all). The owner applauded our efforts and served our delicious meal, detailing how there's two different ways to cook the sausage so he went with skin on, he also mentioned how the tofu was home-made, intriguing! He also whipped up a quick spice sauce that was vegan-friendly. I apologise if I'm starting to sound like one of those vegan or die folk, but I do dabble into meats, I'm not a full vegan or whatever, I just love food. All food apart from cows. So if there's tofu on the tables and it's home-made AND it's merged into a currywurst, I'm all up for it and I wasn't let down. Taking a snap of Mario's portion as I destroyed mine in minutes.
& that is how day one is done.
Tuesday 10th
Out to beat yesterday's step counting success, we thought a walk to Alexandar Platz was in order.
Reaching Alexa, what we confused the Mall of Berlin for but there wasn't any disappointment. Waltzing once again across the smooth floors we reach the Platz are and are quite keen on our new adventure. There were three sights on the list, the mall, the platz and Museumsinsel. We stocked up on some coffee and discovered a secret trampoline fused into the floor. I tried to jump as high as I could like a fool because I was smashing my feet into the tarmac underneath so yeah, not the best idea I've ever had.
We chuckle along and discover one of the shopping districts and choose this as the perfect opportunity to catch another coffee. I feel like we were in Mitte but as we were walking so much it all seems to be like a new dimension - city/art/art/sale/coffee/snacks/fashion/art/art/art.
Then there's this sweet gem to add to the mix.
Nestled on Rosenthaler Str. we are welcomed by an Eden of veggie goodness. I probably changed my mind on cakes four times before I settled for a moist banana bread cake. I fucking love banana bread, let it be known! Not only was the treat a hell of a treat, Mario ordered a medium coffee machiatto and it arrived in a tall glass so I called it a fancy top. We then walked a few paces up to find the cafe cinema so we spoiled ourselves with an espresso to go and you won't blame us once you see the treasures. The walls are licked with graffiti, sketches, posters and murals.
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We reach the museum centre and what a glorious treat it was. It was fairly quiet and easy to get to, we even noticed just from my left at the end of the square is the Platz. Meaning getting from here to there should be a 15min walk. Better yet more secrets were yet to emerge during our visit. We saw a booth set up just a few feet away from us detailing the event 'Festival of Light'. For a brief second, I thought they meant Diwali but this is an art instalment showcasing all major areas of the city to display a phenomenon.
Yes, it felt like Diwali and Holi - pretty much all of my celebrations are colourful! The festival started just over a year ago, showcasing sensational stories through the art of light. Drawing crowds in to sit and admire the show, the artistic event invites you to leave the shadows and discover a modern telling of historical events or stories. There's no video to do any justice and every year there are new championships, themes and artists to come together and share with the world the hard work they put into each installation. It was so up-lifting and gave me a new sense of direction. We sat under light rain and watched each building glow up. Coming together and seeing people from all backgrounds enjoy this impressive display, this was one of the kicks up the backside for anyone whose hit a wall in their creative life. The festival is showcased every October of the year so make sure you don't miss the next one, also boat and bus tours will get you from A-B where all the monuments but hey, walking was my go too and we did plenty of it...
Wednesday 11th.
We've kept a promise that whenever we go abroad, we'll visit the Dali Exhibition and go from there, so here comes another trek to our next destination. Just before we hit the train, we stop by a quaint bakery, 'East Side Bakery' which welcomed us with a tremendous display of goodies. And let's the portions are achingly generous...
Now, to find the Dali Exhibition. After two days in Berlin, walking around and taking the bus in the eve, you'll start to realise that everything really is a stone's throw away. The Dali Exhibition is just around the corner from the Mall of Berlin with a short walk to the freedom memorial which is next to the jewish memorial & homosexual memorial by the park allowing a 20 minute narrow walk to museumisland across from Alaxander Platz opposite Alexa Mall close to The East Side Berlin Wall next to the river.
We are greeted by the happiest man we've ever met at the Dali Exhibition, just as enthusiastic as each other he welcomed us in. A note to remember is they don't allow photography nor do the all bags which is fair enough, they have a dependant cloak room system so you'll be served in not time.
The Dali Exhibition, forming in 2010, takes you back to the fine and elusive detail of Dali's early works and first drafts. Echoing throughout his pieces are some of the familiar works from the tiger and the wardrobe body, I say this only as those are the characters that are reborn into each project with each step you take throughout the exhibit.
'Have no fear of perfection - you'll never reach it." - Salvador Dali
We left with an itch for art. No, we weren't going to buy some spray cans and draw robust scriptures on whatever blank wall we saw, unfortunately we don't have the skill for graffiti art. We weren't allowed pictures inside of course but I managed to find a moment to pose again.
Along our way through the centre, we passed the chrome gates of the Volkswagen Exhibition Centre appeared, with an array of sculptures, the cars of course and installations.
Thursday 12th.
Today is my birthday, the other reason we came to Berlin.
We spent the morning searching for Checkpoint Charlie which was trickier than we thought and adding to the earlier list of how close it is to Mall of Berlin etc. The streets always seem to grow with modern visuals, marrying the old with new.
After a power nap, it was time to visit Kleine Nachtrevue Burlesque located in Kurfürstenstraße 116 was the best way to end my birthday. Hoping onto the train and heading towards a total parallel to where we were based, felt more homely and sort of reminded me of East London. We stopped for a quick glass of red, forgetting completely how the percentages of alcohol here are very generous, so we got another rather generous bottle from the bar.
The secrets that flow within Kleine are enough to make you cheer, clap and laugh out loud. Burlesque and Cabaret formed from taking the tensions of the outside world and give them a flamboyant twist for the audience to loose themselves in. Burlesque has always been an important influence in my life, its the perfect escapism so I can laugh and with all the different shapes and cultures that are brought into the performance, I feel right at home!
For Kleine, you'll certainly get a surprise and for those who are itching for a good night out, this should be your first stop. There are some of the best performers here and seeing the costumes and heels, those ones with no heel, I was spellbound. Every performance grew in showing me wonderful, stunning dances and moves that kept my eyebrows raised. So kudos to these burlesque beauties.
Friday 13th.
The superstitious day affected us, we were painfully hungover!
For our last day in the beautiful city, we decided to revisit all of our favourite spots one last time and, of course, end the night with a trip to Curry & Beer for a lip-smacking currywurst. We took a long stroll through the backstreets in search for the Computermuseum. At first we think this is just a small gallery showcasing the growth of technology. So it was an even greater surprise when we walked in, it wasn't just a telling of age story of computers - it was a gamers paradise! It took a long time for us to leave. Which probably deserves its own little tribute blog soon. ------------
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