If you are like us and have discovered your love for whiskey pretty late in life, you hopefully have friends that quickly point you into the right direction when it comes to finding the perfect place for you new craving. If not. Listen up. Keith Bar is a rusty little bar in Neukölln, specilaizing in – and we quote „good whisky. And good music. And good food pop-ups. And good performances. And good art. And good cocktails. And good times with friends. And good beers…“. The bar is cozy and dark (the lighting mainly comes from candle light, as is common for so many bars in Berlin) with vintage wood furniture. Prices are quite reasonable and we never had to fight for a table – yet.
Whenever one comes back to the Berlinische Galerie, one could wonder: “have I ever been in this neighborhood before”? This comes as no surpirse, since the Galerie is randomly located in a very quiet residential area, away from Berlin’s usual hussle and bussle. It was built in the eighties as part of the Internationale Bauausstellung (IBA), the International Building Exhibition. The Berlinische Galerie is one of the newest museums in Germany (founded in 1975) and showcases art from 1870 to the present day from both local and international artists. It features painting, graphics, sculpture, multimedia – photography and architecture. There is a permanent exhibition (“Art in Berlin 1880-1980”) on the first floor and regularly changing exhibitions on the ground floor. My favorite room is the first one, which usually holds a big spatial art installation.
Where? Alte Jakobstraße 124–128, 10969 Berlin Germany
Opening Hours: Wednesday–Monday 10am–6 pm, closed on Tuesdays
Admission: 10€ (reduced 7€)
(This account is written by a former „Weddinger“) The Volkspark Humboldthain (named after explorer and scientist Alexander von Humboldt) was one of my favorite spots when I was living in Wedding a couple of years ago. It is a cute little park opposite the U- and S-Bahn station ‚Gesundbrunnen‘. There is a rose garden and several spots to chill and hang out (including a swimming pool that is open in the summer months), but the highlight is the climb up to the Flak Tower. You can chose between walking or mastering the narrow stairs (also a perfect training spot for runners). Up there you have a great panorama view of Berlin. The Flak Tower is a seven story bunker originally built under Hitler’s orders to protect Berlin from aerial attacks during the Second World War (tours are provided by the Berlin Underground Association).
Where? Brunnenstraße 100, 13357Berlin. Opposite the S-Bahn station ‚Gesundbrunnen‘
This account is written by a real Freiburg lover: Freiburg – situated in the south-west of Germany between the mountains of the Black Forest and one of Germany’s finest wine regions, the Kaiserstuhl, is not only one of Germany’s oldest university towns, but also very dear to my heart. When I was 9 years old my dad relocated from Berlin to Freiburg. Ever since, I spent nearly all my school holidays down there. Having grown up in Berlin, Freiburg has always been a good counterpart to Berlin and a perfect holiday destination – an amazing blend of nature, cultural events and deeelicious food!
„Schauinsland“
What it has to offer
The marvelous panorama of the Black Forest and the option to spontaneously take the lift up the mountains and go for an afternoon skiing adventure, while winter in the city hasn’t even arrived yet. You can also just hop on the Breisgau S-Bahn and take a trip to and around the beautiful wine region Kaiserstuhl where you can find delicious wines, all locally grown and produced. If you are up for a once-in-a-lifetime adventure, why not try a 24h hike?! For more information check out this website: http://schwarzwälder-genussmanufaktur.de/
Black Forest
As one of Germany’s most southern cities, Freiburg is famous for its amazing weather, with more days of sunshine than any other place in the country. Moreover, since Freiburg is such a university town, it does not lack the buzzling life that students bring along – lots of bars, cafés and cultural events.
Kaiserstuhl
When in Freiburg you have to pay a visit to one of the famous “Strausse” of the region. A typical Strausse is a small family-run restaurant that is usually situated at a vineyard and only opens during the wine picking season. Their menu offers all the local specialities that one could wish for – Bibiliskäse (a light quark with fresh herbs) with Brägele (sauteed potatoes), Flammkuchen (onions and speck with crème fraiche on a thin pizza base) and of course wineeeee!
What I also love about Freiburg is its focus on sustainability. Not only was it voted greenest city of Germany, but it also has the best-planned bike paths in Germany and whole neighborhoods with houses that are completely self-sufficient.
What a real Freiburger does
„Blaue Brücke“
As an almost half local Freiburger myself, I have gotten to know a lot of Freiburg traditions. One and probably also my favorite one is when you arrive at the Freiburg Hauptbahnhof, you get yourself a bottled beer and climb on to the Blaue Brücke (the Blue Bridge), one of Freiburg’s most significant features, overlooking the train tracks with a beautiful view of the panoramic Black Forest mountains in the background.
Fun Fact
The Canals or better known as “Bächle”, small water-filled runnels, that run all through the old town of Freiburg, stem from the Middle Age, when they were used to fight fires, provide water for people and animals and of course to cool off during those famously hot summers. These days people still use them to dig their toes into the cold water or play around. There is a Freiburg saying that says if you fall into one of those Bächle unintentionally, you will end up marrying a Freiburger ;-).
How to get there
Take the direct ICE train from Berlin Hbf, which takes you to Freiburg Hbf in 6h and 14 min to be exact (find cheap fares on DB Sparpreisfinder).
For us, Umami finds the perfect balance between traditional asian flavours and slightly more unusual creations. This is not only true for their food, but also for their homemade lemonade and tea offers (our tip for tea fans: order the ‚Herbstlaub‘ tea). Don’t be discouraged by the queue that is forming at peak times. Waiting time is usually not that long and well worth it (we can only speak for the Kreuzberg location though). Try the ‚Buddah Burger‘: a sautéed seitan patty with mango-coleslaw and sweetpotatoe fries or the ‚Dragon Barbeque‘: grilled king prawns with honey, vegetables and sweetpotatoe fries on the side. For a glimpse into Umami’s menu, visit their website here. If you come with a larger group, plan ahead and try to make a reservation for the seating area where you sit – traditional asian style – on the floor.
Lalibela is a cute little place in the heart of Neukölln that serves delicious Ethiopian food. This is the perfect place to come with a small group, not because of the place’s size (au contraire, it’s rather small, so you might want to reserve a seat, if you don’t want to wait -> reservations can be done online), but because of the fact that the typical Ethiopian dish, the injera, is the perfect meal to share. Injera is an Ethiopian flatbread (made out of teff flour) that is served flat on a big iron plate with a variety of toppings, like lentils, salads, vegetables, potatoes, stews, etc., with more injera served on the side. What might need a little getting used to at first is that you will not be served utensils, since this dish is traditionally eaten with your hands, using small pieces of injera to scoop up the toppings. This makes the injera simultaneously a food, an eating utensil and also a plate. We recommend to mix and match the combos to get the full hands on experience.
Where? Herrfurthstraße 32, 12049 Berlin
Opening Hours: Monday – Sunday, 2PM – Open end.
Facebook
The Museumsinsel (Museum Island) right at Hackescher Markt in Berlin Mitte is the perfect place for all museum enthusiasts visiting Berlin (or for those who simply want to cram as many museums into one day as possible, whatever floats your boat). The first addition to the island was the Altes Museum in 1830. Soon thereafter more and more museums were added to the island. Today, it encompasses six buildings (Altes Museum (Old Museum), Neues Museum (New Museum), Alte Nationalgalerie (Old National Gallery), Bode Museum, Pergamonmuseum, and the James-Simon-Galerie), with art that displays six thousand years of history, ranging from the Ancient Egyptians to European art of the 19th century. Due to its incredible number of famous collections, as well as its unique architecture, the Museumsinsel was added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in 1999. Partially because of this, combined with the need for restoration of the museum buildings after the Second World War, the island has been in the process of being reconstructed since the turn of the century. While the Alte Nationalgalerie, the Bode Museum, and the Neues Museum have already been through the process, the Pergamonmuseum is currently being renovated, though visitors can still access parts of the museum in the meantime.
If you’re really into museums, and your legs don’t hurt yet after hours of exploring and admiring everything the island has to offer, you can find many more museums close to it such as the Deutsches Historisches Museum (German historical museum), the Designpanoptikum (small, unique museum for industrial objects), or the Hanfmuseum (Hemp museum).
Additionally, next to hosting museums, this little island and its surrounding area are a popular meeting place for people when the weather is nice . So after a long, fun, art-filled day, you can walk across the bridge leading from the island and sit in Monbijoupark right by the Spree, listen to the street musicians that frequent this popular spot, or go to one of the several bars along the river to have a drink (or just buy a Späti beer) and people-watch.
View of the Museumsinsel from across the Spree during the yearly Festival of Lights.
Where? Bodestr. 3, 10178 Berlin (S Hackescher Markt, U Klosterstraße)
Opening Hours:
Monday: closed
Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday: 10AM – 6PM
Thursday: 10AM – 8PM
Admission: free with your Museum Pass!
Dumplings – who doesn’t love these cute little wonders of dough full of delicious sweet or savory fillings? One place that does them especially well is Momos (named after the South Asian version of dumplings) in Mitte, a small restaurant that specializes in dumplings of all kinds. Here, you can choose between six kinds of dumplings (all vegetarian or vegan), such as spinach and cream cheese, pumpkin and chickpea, or broccoli, mushroom and tofu, pick your dips, and decide if you want them steamed or fried. For the indecisive ones, mix and match plates are available, which are great for sharing (or trying them all by yourself if you’re greedy like we are and don’t like to share your dumplings). And if your plate is empty and you still have room for some dessert, try the sweet momos filled with banana, cinnamon, and maple sirup! In addition to their delicious food, Momos is a business worth supporting because they only use organic ingredients, they care about sustainability (all their to-go containers are compostable and they use green electricity), and they are active in sustainability organizations.
Where? Chausseestraße 2, 10115 Berlin (U Oranienburger Tor)
Opening Hours: Monday – Saturday 12PM – 10PM
Instagram
One of our favorite spots in Berlin is Tempelhofer Feld, a former airport that has been transformed into a green recreational area, where Berliners come together to do sports, have a picnic, go for a walk or enjoy amazing sunsets. Additionally, it provides space for up to 7000 migrants and has become one of Germany’s largest refugee camps.
As winter is approaching, obviously, it is too chilly to lie in the grass, but this doesn’t mean that the Feld should be ignored during the winter months. Here are some activities that are definitely winterproof.
1) As long as the Feld is not fully covered in snow, you can still do sports: go for a run (there are special markings on the ground for runners and skaters to train), play basketball, soccer or table tennis.
4) Put on a warm hat, rent a longboard and head down the former airport’s runway (straight into the sunset).
5) …whilst on the topic: dress warmly and watch the sunset.
6) Enjoy wildlife: Tempelhofer Feld is quite the bird sanctuary and 2 nature reservation areas have been created to help wildlife.
6) Book a guided tour and explore the area’s rich history: Tempelhof Airport is one of only two Nazi-built buildings to survive in Berlin (the second is Olympiastadion).
Where? Main entrance Tempelhofer Damm/S,U-Bahn Tempelhof, side entrance Tempelhofer Damm/U-Bahn Paradestraße; main entrance Clumbiadamm/Lilienthalstraße, side entrance Columbiadamm/Golßenstraße; main entrance Oderstraße/Herrfurthstraße, 5 more side entrances at Oderstraße
Opening Hours: January and December: 7:30am - 5pm
February and November: 7am - 6pm
March: 6am - 7pm
April and September: 6am - 8:30pm
May and August: 6am - 9:30pm
June and July: 6am - 10:30pm
October: 7am - 7pm
[After closing hours the park can be exited via revolving doors at the main entrances].
For all poetry enthusiasts, Berlin offers a number of different poetry slams that take place regularly in different locations throughout the city. If you want to attend Germany’s oldest slam, Bastard Poetry Slam, taking place since 1993, you can do so every third Friday of the month at Ritter Butzke in Kreuzberg. Other fun poetry slams include Bubble Slam in Oberschöneweide, Kreuzberg Slam or Inselslam at Insel Berlin. Most slams take place monthly and admission is between 3 and 7 Euro.
One of our favorite spots in Berlin is Tempelhofer Feld, a former airport that has been transformed into a green recreational area, where Berliners come together to do sports, have a picnic, go for a walk or enjoy amazing sunsets. Additionally, it provides space for up to 7000 migrants and has become one of Germany’s largest refugee camps.
et.