Back in berlin…. lots of new changes… demolition, reconstruction, renovation…
The West has overcome the East.
Alexanderplatz was upside down…and hardly any Palast der Republik left!
What a shame, such a fantastic building!!!
more info on this building: palast_der_republik
Most of the amazing East style buildings on the Karl-Marx allee have been stripped of their geometric patterned fronts.
The East Berlin, once so present, is disappearing fast.
The bullet riddled buildings which had been patched up with white plaster after the war, have now been restored to their pre-1945 smoothness, leaving no trace of conflict.
Dismantling history, erradicating the past… choosing to spare only a few tourist highlights like the check-point Charlie.
But the grand wide roads of Berlin are still there to be riden…
Baron Arnaud, our Berlin host, knows the history of the city inside out….
Summer is perfect to visit Berlin on a bike, as there are lots of cycle lanes and its really flat!
The parks are great to hang out in, and during summer evenings Berliners get bbquing….Volkspark Friedrichshain has often a cloud of smoke over it, its a really nice park with a beautifully restored East style Café.
As you cycle by, catch the smell of sizzling wurst..the parks are sometimes so packed its like being on a festival campsite.
In the park you can find some statues from Grimm’s Fairy Tales.
Spent time at the castle of Peterburgerstrasse….Arnaud has an amazing record collection…
Peterburgers’ kitchen, drawn by Baladi…(february 2005, éditions Groinge)
Did some font spotting…
Drunk lots of Berliner, the East Berlin beer.
Met some old-time London college friends now living in Berlin. 
We really like to have a beer is the Prater biergarten, on the Kastanienallee (Prenzlauer Berg). You sit outside on benches, and can try loads of special beers and enjoy a bretzel with zempf (mustard).
Another favourite spot is The Wild at Heart, on Wienerstrasse (Kreuzberg). Its a rockabilly bar with a great interior, and a concert hall, there are live concerts nearly every evening. You can eat here too.
If you continue down the road, practically opposite, is the Kreuzberg swimming pool, its a great pool with an outside area to sun bathe.
Postcard of Atka depicting her summer swims in various Berlin pools…
Monday nights are bat-cave nights in Berlin…the Duncker, one of our favourite clubs…old school goth! Full-on dressing and very nice cocktail bar.
Dunckerstrasse (Prenzlauer Berg)…….2,50€ entrance.
Shopping……
Favourite record shops:
-Hard Wax: Paul-Lincke-Ufer, 44A (back building, 4th floor) (Kreuzberg) electro-techno-reggae, its the DJ hang-out, this time Riccardo Villalobos was in the store buying loads of records.
-Saturn: Alexanderplatz (Mitte) huge store with hi-fi, computer and music stuff. Good music section with sales and promotions.
-Dense: oderberger straße 34 (prenzlauerberg) – U2 eberswalder str: electronic-xp-noise
-Come-back: Hasenheide 18, near Hermannplatz (Kreuzberg) vintage
July Vinyl Findings!!!
cheap Saturn buys:
– Johnny Cash and June carter: duets…..a bit too smooth
– Johnny Cash at Folsom prison….grand!
– Club hits vol 11 (Zillo)….electro-goth
– awake the machines vol 5….electro-goth
Hard wax:
– DJ Assault: Everybody fuck ep……….fan
– DJ Assault: The take it in the face ep………….fantastic
– DJ Funk: ghetto house anthems 001…..dancefloor
– DJ Funk: ghetto house anthems 002…..bootlegs
– Luciano: Yamoré rx…..niceness
– Beltram: vol1…….old times classic
– Luciano-N-Luciano………
– Human Resource: Dominator…….old times classic
– Monolake: Alaska meeting………yes!
Could have bought loads more……..but $$$$$$$$$ 🙁
Dense:
– Die Welttraumforscher: ohm olunde……..beautiful stories with Swiss German accent…..lush
Here and there some classics:
– Nirvana: Nevermind 🙂
– Beatlles: St Peppers lonely hearts club band……
– Dead Kennedys: Greatest Hits
– Soft Cell: Non stop erotic cabaret
– Pink Floyd: Relics
– The Cramps off the bone…
But trully, the nurse total tune of the month is Junior Boys’ “In the morning”, on domino records….it’s a breath refresher track, soooo slimy! soooooooooooo wet!
juniorboys
Foooooooooooood
Früstück (brunch):
Follow the road on from Come-back, 100m to the right: Wirtshaus, here you can have as much as you can eat Früstück for 2,90€.
(9.00 till 14.00 sharp!)
Another nice, but more xpensive Früstück, is along the Spree, down by Hard Wax record shop.
Döner:
Berlin is one of the best places to eat Döners, its the most eaten food in the city along with wurst!
A fantastic address is Babel on Kastanienallee. Its Libanese and they make the moste delicious vegetarian versions: homemade falaffel and halumi cheese.
On Oranienstrasse, 179 (Kreuzberg) the wicked deli Knofi serves Armenian specialities (vegi friendly),it has a wooden front with benches outside (left side as you walk down street from tube).
Fashion:
Not very keyed up on this topic, but there loats of small designer shops around.
The Alte Schönhauser strasse and around Mitte are good for more bigger brands.
Humana: 2nd hand shops: a huge one in beautiful eastern building with amazing ceiling lighting: Frankfurter Tor (Friedrichshain) and under the railway on Alexander platz.
Trash: army surplus 59, Torstrasse – Mitte
Books:
– Pro QM: Almstadtstraße 48 (Mitte)
Art, Architecture, Design….very good bookshop!
Fabulous Flea-markets:
Mauer park (Prenzlauer Berg): sundays 10.00 – 17.00
Boxhagener platz (Friedrichshain): sundays 10.00 – 17.00