Kaffee in Berlin series: #4 Ampelmann Shop

AMPELMANN SHOP UNTER DEN LINDEN

Amidst the building works currently disguising Unter den Linden at the intersection of Friedrichstrasse now stands yet another Ampelmann Shop. To describe what that is and why it is signifcant to Berlin I will leave for another blogpost. However I do wish to make mention of the coffee that is now available at this particular location.

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Firstly it should be known that Unter den Linden is a tourist hotspot, being the boulevard linking two of Berlin's iconic landmarks - the TV tower at Alexanderplatz, with the Brandenburg Gate at the entrance to the Tiergarten. As such, most of the shops and restaurants in this vicinity cater to a tourist market and so prices are often inflated. 

One of the biggest reliefs when the renovated Ampelmann Shop opened on this particular corner, was that their prices remained consistent with their other shops, and that the coffee is not only good value, but actually quite nice. 

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Within the shop itself they have a coffee wagon, with benches and tables nearby where you can rest while drinking your coffee (although, I doubt you would linger, as one is still inside the ampelmann shop...) and it has an interesting indoor/outdoor feel with the fake cobblestones and crossing lights. 

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It was curiosity that initially drew me in to sample their "introductory rate" of coffee (at the time, only €1 for an espresso - what it really should be anywhere in Europe!) and not only was I pleasantly surprised, but I was shocked that a "non-coffee" chain in a densely tourist populated area could  produce such a satisfying espresso. The prices have since risen 50 cents, which brings the Espresso to €1,50 and the cappuccino to €2,50 - however those are quite standard prices in Berlin. And cheaper compared to many other options on Unter den Linden.

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So if travelling-by on your Berlin sight-seeing tour, be assured that this is a reasonable coffee pit stop, and most likely you will then be encouraged to pick up some truly Berlin souvenirs in the Ampelmann Shop itself. Corner of Friedrichstrasse and Unter den Linden (Part of the Westin Grand building) (Directions here)

And for the history of the Ampelmann and the cult that has grown out of it, check out their website here: http://ampelmann.de/

Finally, they also offer a loyalty card with stamps - 10th coffee free!

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In summary, the Ampelmann Shop Coffee comes in at a good recommendation, particularly given the location being a tourist area:

Coffee: ★★★☆

Service: ★★★★ 

Atmosphere: ★★☆
Recommended Drink: Espresso or Cappuccino
Price: €1,50 or €2,50
Best quality: The effort in creating the store and the coffee wagon.

Berlin Craft Bier Fest 2014

BERLIN CRAFT BIER FEST 2014

Quite by chance we found ourselves at the weekend at a beer festival - promoting local craft or micro-breweries.

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It was held at the RAW-Gelände, Revaler Strasse in Friedrichshein, which we immediately recognised as one of berlin's famous nightclub and dance areas, which we hadn't ever visited during the day... It is located in a discarded Tram Depot near S-Bahnhof Berlin Warschauer Strasse, address Revaler Strasse 99 (Google Maps here)

Unfortunately the beer festival was only two days 30-31 May, however they have a website www.craftbierfest.berlin and I assume this festival takes place more often than once a year.

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We only sampled a couple of beers with lunch, mainly because the wind and pollen was causing our hayfever to spiral out of control. But we tried a pale ale quite similar to an Australian wheat beer, and two local Potsdamer beers from Braumanufaktor.

Of the two Braumanufaktor beers we drank, I preferred the Hell (meaning light, as in colour clarity - don't be fooled, the alcohol content is the same as the weizen 4.8%).

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However the best discovery of the day was actually a Londoner Pie maker (wow, that sounds dangerously close to Sweeney Todd) with a selection of meat and vegetarian pies. We all decided on the wild mushroom pies, which were delicious.

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Obviously catering to expats, this company is suitably named "hello good pie" and their website www.hellogoodpie-Berlin.de They only started operating in 2013, and as they proclaim on their website, the flavours cater to a German pallet and naturally to the longing expat community. 

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We will be looking out for Matthew Minch (chef) and his pies everywhere we go in Berlin now. Absolutely delicious!!

Leben? Oder Theater? Ein Singspiel

LEBEN? ODER THEATER? EIN SINGSPIEL
(Life? Or Theatre? A Song-Play)

Charlotte Salomon was a German-Jewish artist originally from Berlin, who created a series of autobiographical paintings while she was hiding from Nazi persecution in Southern France 1941-1943. Tragically she was deported to Auschwitz in 1943, where both she and her unborn child were executed. 

Self Portrait 1940. Charlotte Salomon - care of Wikipedia.

Marie Pohl and her father Klaus Pohl have developed Salomon's "wagnerian" work of gouaches into a libretto, which will be presented as a semi-staged reading with music at the Komische Oper Berlin this coming Monday late evening.

Care of Joods Historisch Museum, www.jhm.nl

There is a real eclectic mix of international artists involved with this project, including writers, actors, directors, musicians, singers, etc from America, Cuba, Australia, England and Germany. 

The performance will take place in the foyer of the Komische Oper Berlin, Behrenstrasse 55-57 on Monday night 2 June 2014 starting at 22.15. Tickets are only €15 and the performance should last 75 minutes.

Further details are available in German on the Komische Oper website here: and more history of Charlotte on wikipedia.

Berlin getaway series: #1.1 SZCZECIN - COLOMBUS COFFEE

SZCZECIN - COLOMBUS COFFEE

Since many of my blog posts revolve around coffee, it is perhaps apt that I start with an awesome cafe that we found in the middle of the street....

COLOMBUS COFFEE

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Granted this is a chain coffee store (I discovered that it was founded in 1999, and appears to only be in Poland), but the architecture of this particular café is SO cool.

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Located in the middle of an intersection between two discarded tram lines (now transformed into a paved narrow parkland), the use of the narrow space is compensated by numerous levels and an amazing open plan glass structure. A word to the wise however, the top level, where we made our regular table, is the warmest area - being a fully glassed enclosure with no windows to open - and in warm, summer temperatures I suspect the heat becomes overwhelming. 

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Nevertheless it is a very relaxing view looking out onto the Park towards the river.

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Otherwise the downstairs floor (beneath the service area) has very comfortable arm chairs, which provide secluded areas for private conversations. 

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As for the coffee itself, we only tried the "poco cappuccino". It was a great relief to find a decent coffee. The price equated to around 2€. The array of African references, pictures and dedicated time-zone clocks suggests that is where their beans come from. So the coffee was good, even if it did remind me a little of Starbucks...

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The selection of panini, salads and doughnuts were very good for picking up a cheap and quick lunch. And the staff were extremely friendly, courteous and spoke English surprisingly well.

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Obviously Colombus Coffee is a reliable place to pick up a coffee, yet this particular café is a definite stop if visiting Szczecin. They even have a facebook page, named "szczecin meeting point" - visit it here: www.facebook.com/szczecinmeetingpoint and for finding it on googlemaps here:

Oh, and if you are likely to be there for more than 6 visits, it is worth getting the loyalty card, so that you get a free coffee...!

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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.

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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".

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

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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.

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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)

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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.

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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!

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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.

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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.

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).

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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

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.

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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

Care of www.bravomitte.de

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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. 

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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/

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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