Bits of Berlin

Thursday, May 29, 2014

Berlin getaway series: #1.0 SZCZECIN

BERLIN EXCURSIONS: SZCZECIN
For those based in Berlin but looking for a "getaway" excursion, I can definitely recommend the city of Szczecin, Poland.

Image care of http://www.weather-forecast.com/locations/Szczecin

We were looking around for a cheap, last-minute, relaxing holiday and Szczecin appealed to us, as it is only a two hour train journey from Berlin.

Historical Museum (C) MJT

The city and surrounding area has certainly had an interesting history. It was originally the capital of Pomerania (hence the Pomeranian Dukes' Castle), but came under swedish control until it joined Prussia as the Capital of the Province of Pomerania, becoming an official part of the German Empire in 1870. Since 1945 after World War II it has belonged to Poland and the germanified name of "Stettin" returned to the Polish "Szczecin".

I look forward to writing a number of posts related to Szczecin, since there is so much to mention, but firstly: getting there!

TRAIN is by far the easiest option from Berlin, as there are direct trains or as we did, a single yet convenient transfer in Angermünde. However, DO NOT trust the Deutsche Bahn website, as there is in fact a €10 per person ticket from the VBB (www.vbb.de) which you can buy from the machines at most Berlin train stations. One travels on the Regional Bahn (regional trains) regardless, and for such a short distance it is not uncomfortable and the scenery is very pretty.

Train Station (C) MJT

We stayed in the Novotel HOTEL, which is almost in the centre of the city yet an easy walk from the Bahnhof (Szczecin Glówny). A big deciding factor for choosing the Novotel was their "two-night city-break" deal, which included breakfast, free wifi and the use of the pool, spa, sauna and fitness room. The hotel was extremely satisfactory in all regards. Definitely will be returning to the Novotel!(Novotel Szczecin Hotel Website here)

(C)MJT

In regards to navigating around the city, there is an extremely good Public Transport system of trams and busses (in fact, Berliners will recognise the yellow BVG trams instantly). However we didn't need to use any, as the city is very walkable and mostly flat. There are some major roads and freeways intersecting the city and the river, and we did see some full-on rush hour traffic (in case anyone is considering driving there). Generally though the drivers seemed very aware of pedestrians, and throughout the city there are zebra crossings where the drivers always stopped for us.

Unfortunately I only discovered on the last day of our visit, sitting in a coffee shop, that there is an app available for your smartphone, which gives you a great overview of what-to-do and where-to-go in Szczecin. Very simple to remember: "Visit Szczecin" - duh! Luckily though, we had already discovered many of the app's recommendations!

Get the app! (C) MJT

Finally our initial impressions of the city were very positive, and there is a real vibe for progress within the city. Walking around was very manageable, however places of interest are spread far and wide. There seem to be real pockets where restaurants (particularly) are concentrated, yet walking one street away you could miss it (as we did). Architecturally there is a real mix of historical Pomeranian fortresses, to Prussian grandeur, through to dilapidated Soviet apartments all the way to very contemporary design influenced eye-catching buildings. And so this eclectic mix appears to be feeding a real entrepreneurial vibe and progressiveness to the city. Everyone whom we met spoke English extremely well, and many seemed to also speak German.

Katedra (C) MJT

Berlin Biennale

8th BERLIN BIENNALE for CONTEMPORARY ART

The Berlin Biennale opened today (29 May 2014) and runs until the third of August.

We were aware of it particularly because Café BRAVO is located at KW 69 - Institute for Contemporary Art / Crash Pad (August Strasse), which is one of the centres of the exhibition.

Other locations are Haus am Waldsee and Museen Dahlem - Staatliche Museen zu Berlin.

If you are in Berlin for any of this time, check it out - Tickets are 16€ (10€ for Students/concessions) which gets you into each exhibition - however only once per venue!

There are also special events / concerts / readings associated with the Biennale at each venue throughout the two months.

For more information on which artists are being presented, check out the official event website: www.berlinbiennale.de

Please leave a comment if you went to it already and what you found particularly interesting.

M.

Saturday, May 24, 2014

Kaffee in Berlin series: #3 Café BRAVO

CAFÈ BRAVO

Located on the very hip street of August Strasse in Mitte, Café BRAVO is situated in the courtyard of KW 69 - an art exhibition space (Kunst Werk).

We particularly enjoy coming to this cafe for many reasons.

Firstly the location is very central to the heart of Berlin's Mitte. Close to the intersection of Tucholsky Strasse, near S-Bahn Station Oranienburger Strasse, and only 5 minutes walk to the Northern part of Friedrichstrasse. (Directions here)

Care of KW

Secondly, the Hof (courtyard) is extremely pleasant to sit and enjoy the quiet (off the main street) and on a sunny day, the umbrellas and trees still provide enough relief from the fierce sun.

The traditional 19th Century architecture of Kunst-Werk is artfully contrasted by Café BRAVO's modern glass structure - perfect for those winter days in Berlin, fully equipped with magazines for your leisure time.

Care of www.bravomitte.de

And above all we visit for the coffee itself - a smooth, well rounded blend with just the right amount of frothed milk for a cappuccino. Particularly well suited to Melbourne tastes.

An ideal space to visit for an afternoon Kaffee und Kuchen, or a midday soup, panini - or a stop between visiting all the exhibitions at KW. More information of which you can find here:
http://www.kw-berlin.de and for the Café itself: http://www.bravomitte.de/

In summary, Café BRAVO comes in at a very, very high recommendation:
Coffee: ★★★★☆
Service: ★★★★☆
Atmosphere: ★★★★★
Recommended Drink: Cappuccino
Price: €2,30
Best Quality: Atmosphere and Peacefulness

Leave a comment if you have visited KW also!
M

Monday, May 19, 2014

Kaffee in Berlin series: #2 The Barn

THE BARN (ORIGINAL)

Situated in the backstreets behind Hackescher Markt in the trendy streets of Koppenplatz and Auguststrasse is the original Barn.
(Directions here)

Care of http://barn.bigcartel.com

I say the original Barn, because they opened a larger roasting plus tasting shop on Schönhauser Allee, however I deliberately recommend the original.

Care of http://barn.bigcartel.com - Photographer not legible

Only a very small shop, which unfortunately does not allow dogs or prams inside, the footpath accommodates a surprisingly decent number of customers on any given day - however if the sun is shining (a rarity as it is in Berlin), it makes for a very pleasant coffee stop.

A small selection of fresh cakes, biscuits and small lunches are available (at the newer Barn they even make Australian ANZAC Biscuits!!) and as for the coffee, it is very Melbourne style - full flavour but not too strong.

While there are tradition Espresso, Cappucino, etc - my recommendation is for the Cortado - similar to a Melbourne-style Caffee Latte but served in a different glass and slightly smaller. But for €2,20 is stronger than the cappuccino (less milk) and cheaper.

In summary, the Barn comes in at a very high recommendation:
Coffee: ★★★★
Service: ★★★★
Recommended Drink: Cortado
Price: €2,20

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Kaffee in Berlin Series: #1

KAFFEE IN BERLIN SERIES

After a recently being able to list to a fellow Antipodean (Australia/New Zealand) most of the acceptable coffee drinking locations in Berlin including what prices and what best beverage to drink, I have decided to dedicate the next few blogs (and perhaps beyond) to some of the best places to get coffee in Berlin.

As you may have already seen in previous posts, Antipodes on Fehrbellinerstrasse comes in at #1 - go to the post directly here: Best Coffee - however, since we frequent many locations during our week, and that many Antipodeans visiting Berlin search for decent watering holes, I hope the following suggestions will prove useful.

Feel free to drop a line, make a suggestion, or ask questions about the specific Coffee Houses.

Cheers,
M

Thursday, January 9, 2014

The Hobbit at Sony Centre

ORIGINAL LANGUAGE FILMS AT POTSDAMER PLATZ SONY CENTRE

When the Berlin Wall fell in 1989 Potsdamer Platz was in the middle of No-Man's-Land and nothing remained of the 1920's bustling hotel, cabaret and film epicenter of Berlin. By the turn of the millennium, construction was a full 360 degrees of cranes, excavation and new architecture.

Potsdamer Platz 1900 - Image care of http://potsdamerplatz-office.de/

During divided Berlin - Image care of http://www.treffpunkt-berlin.eu/bilder/


During 2000 construction - Image care of http://potsdamerplatz-office.de/

Today the Sony Centre (the giant tent like roof) houses one of the biggest cinema complexes, presenting the films in original language. (Usually Hollywood/Blockbuster, but also independent and British films). Like most western cinemas now, they also show films in 3D.

Potsdamer Platz today - Image care of www.stadtentwicklung.berlin.de/

As such, we continued the Post-Christmas tradition of going to see a Middle-Earth, Peter Jackson film - The Hobbit (2) - The desolation of Smaug. As rarely as I hear or use the word desolation, in German it is apparently EINÖDE - a word I had never come across in my study of german language.

I wont write a review of the movie here, however I will say that we knew we would be buying into the franchise (and there were many moments that you could tell they were stalling for time), but that the scenes with and the animation of Smaug (the dragon) were fantastic.

But the main thing I wanted to share in this blog post is the effort that the Sony Centre go to in the outside/inner court. Currently it is dedicated to the Hobbit film, with Smaug hiding beneath the gold. Looks pretty cool, and was very apt given we were going to see the Hobbit anyway.

As for the Kino (cinema) itself, the link is

www.cinestar.de/de/kino/berlin-cinestar-original-im-sony-center/

I would recommend going on Mondays and Tuesdays, as the prices are cheaper. However new releases are often months late (compared to the USA and Australia) and there aren't always as many viewings or convenient times.

Now to wait for the final installment, but will finish re-reading the book by then easily!

Leave a comment below if you have stopped by. Thanks! M

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Gendarmenmarkt Weihnachtsmarkt

A CLOSER LOOK AT ONE OF OUR FAVOURITE CHRISTMAS MARKETS

In my last blog post I described our general experience leading up to and including Christmas, which didn't give me a chance to explain in greater detail the Christmas markets in Germany.

The Christmas market, or Weihnachtsmarkt, in the centre of Berlin at Gendarmenmarkt is one of our favourite places to visit during December. It is one of the few markets that remain open for the few days after Christmas.

Gendarmenmarkt is in the centre of Berlin on Charlottenstrasse (near Friedrichstrasse) and Franzözischestrasse. The site was originally the area where a number french cavalry defected from Napolean's army and settled. Hence the area of the cuirassier of Gens d'Armes was germanified to Gen-darmen-markt (square/market).

The Huguenot community built their cathedral, now the Franzözischer Dom (French Cathedral), between 1701-1705 and is mirrored by the Deutscher Dom (German Cathedral) on the opposite side of the square, commissioned by the emperor as a gesture of respect.

In the middle of the square between the two Dom-s is the Konzerthaus (Concert House) designed by Schinkel (who was the architect for many buildings in Berlin, including the Altes Museum).

As for the Weihnachtsmarkt itself, it opens in the last week of November and finishes on New Years Eve. Unlike most of the Christmas markets there is an entry fee of €1 (considered outrageous by many Berlin locals), however we consider it worthwhile, as it is a very safe, completely enclosed, and very well presented. If you can't bring yourself to pay the entry fee, Monday to Friday there is free entry 11am to 2pm.


Christmas Market Gendarmenmarkt ⓒ MJT

There are your typical Weihnachtsmarkt foods, such as the compulsory Glühwein (malt wine) - with souvenir mug (or simply €3 deposit), Bratwurst or other sausage delicacies, and sweet crepes (usually with Nutella). However at the Gendarmenmarkt Weihnachtsmarkt one has a selection of wood fired breads, Raclette (melted cheese on toast from Switzerland, but a very common New Years Eve dinner), dried apple crisps, pesto selections and indoor Wine Bars (eg from Lafayette) or Italian restaurants. Quarkbällchen are a common German dessert, and essentially a dougnat-like but cottage-cheese based, deep fried ball covered with powder sugar. Extremely healthy and nutritious of course...

Glühwein ⓒ MJT

Raclette ⓒ MJT

A benefit of the Gendarmenmarkt Weihnachtsmarkt is that a third of the market is actually indoors (ideal for those cold, windy, snowy days in December) and shelters a number of hand made crafts and wares. People are often sitting at their stall making their wares before your eyes, including wood carvings, leather goods, weavers, knitters, wrought iron, art and more.

Back outdoors there is the monument to the philosopher and writer Schiller standing in the centre of the square and the centre of the market, with an outdoor stage on the steps of the Konzerthaus (for both live bands, children's plays and general market entertainment).

The giant Christmas tree stands high above the rest of the market and is donated each year by the mayor of Berlin.

And as in every Christmas market, there should be a nativity scene:


Nativity scene at Gendarmenmarkt ⓒ MJT

So until next year when the Gendarmenmarkt Weihnachtsmarkt returns, wishing you all the best for 2014 and if you have any suggestions of what you would like me to write about in Berlin, please leave a comment below.