Cliché and Addiction: January 2012

Goodbye to Berlin.

Goodbye to Berlin by trinel

Summer in Berlin is unlike anywhere else. It's a must see experience.

Take a visit to the Bauhaus Archiv, explaining the art movement's social, political, and cultural rise, as well as the engineering expertise which even today marks Germany out as the powerhouse of Europe. The museum shop is worth a look as well, to pick up beautifully simple quality designs or a poster glorifying the classics of Bauhaus movement.

A more contemporary artistic outing is the Tacheles arts centre, a decaying graffiti scarred building which is home to a collective of artists showcasing their art, much of which is available to buy. Original pieces are often very Berlin focused, so make ideal alternative souvenirs. Do make a donation and pick up a I Support Tacheles flyer or sticker.

Around the same Orangienburgerstrasse area, go for a falafel teller at Dada's, in summer you can sit on the large street tables with cushion covered benches to enjoy surely the best falafel in Berlin, piled with hummous, borek, baba ghanoush, fragrant tabbouleh, fried halloumi and much

more!

From Middle eastern to Mexican cuisine, head to Dolores just off Alexanderplatz. Massive portions of tasty build it yourself Burritos, with vegan and vegetarian options, made it a favourite of mine. The tofu mole is to die for. Seriously I have dreams about that stuff. Wash it down with some Augustiner Bier, the oldest brewery in Munich I am led to believe. The staff are nice and friendly too. And usually quite nice to look at as well, which is always a bonus I think.

Voener, near Ostkreuz, is another culinary treat. Vegan currywurst is the main attraction here, but my personal favourite was the Wagenburger, which inspired in me a longlasting love of gherkin. Personally I'd give the egg-less mayonnaise a wide berth though, Tippex like bailworthy. The chips were the best in Berlin I think though. Keep an eye out for the random horse motif.

I'd also recommend a run (or a cycle or a inline skate or a kite flying sesh!) at the former airport in Tempelhof, which was used during the Berlin Airlift. (A level history thankyouplease). On the runway its a bit of a surreal experience. Running around the exterior circuit takes some guts, as it gets super hot as the sun hits the tarmac, so I'd recommend the course straight over and back.

Long lazy weekend breakfasts are the Berlin speciality, and my favourite place was the many cafes along the Bergmannstrasse in Kreuzberg. Cold meat, cheeses, eggs, breads and rolls, muesli, pancakes, fruit salad, juices and coffees, its quite easy to spend the whole day eating at one of these cafes. In the summer they spill out onto the street and make ideal people watching posts.

Turkish shops in nearby Schoenberg are worth a look, especially the supermarket with the delicatessen. The flatbread is especially good, for a hot summers day you can be transported to far away lands!

Any description of life in Berlin is incomplete without a mention of the various fleamarkets in the city. Boxhagener Platz in F'hain (Friedrichshain) is a particularly delightful one, and manageable in size but of course the masses go to Mauerpark, where the stone amphitheatre holds karaoke. Get there early!

A few minor things that piss me off about Berlin:

1. Transport is expensive.

2. Transport is often disrupted due to works.

3. A map of the bus network seems to be impossible to procure.

4. Strassenbahn I always thought was a tram, but the S bahn is more like the RER in Paris. very confusing.

5. I am allergic to some tree in Berlin, which made my eyes sore and itchy for the whole summer.

6. You can't buy hummus in a normal supermarket. Weird for a country with high Turkish population.