travel destinations
interiors
30
As most of the world knows, Berlin has a lively gallery scene. The more established Contemporary Fine Arts gallery (across the river from the Museumsinsel) and cutting edge venues maintain a unique intellectual and artistic presence. Every month a new space pops up—just recently the already-notable Isabella Bortolozzi gallery opened its doors to stand proudly among my old favorites, Galerie Neu, Daniel Buchholz, Neugerriemschneider and Capitain Petzel, located in a former department store of the GDR on Karl-Marx-Allee. The intermingling of art and artifice is profound, but when I am at my favorite haunts for a quick bite or coffee and cake, I feel
just as alive. In between my frequent dinners at my three Berlin favorites,
Borchardts, Grill Royal and Paris Bar, I spend every free hour finding a new
sweet or savory. In Berlin, it´s not only haute cuisine or a world-class chef
that offers a tasteful dining experience—it´s the history, special scents and
sounds— that create the dining culture. After collecting my guests from
The Hotel de Rome, sitting on the historic Bebelplatz or the Savoy Hotel in
the former West Berlin—the home away from home of German cultural
heroes such as Thomas Mann, Helmut Newton and Romy Schnieder—I
always usher them to Konnopke. This curry wurst stand (in front of my
home) is where I offer them the signature dish of Berlin, served underneath
the tramway so it feels like the movie set of Der Himmel über Berlin by
Wim Wenders. Behind my house is the Prater, the oldest beer garden in
Berlin. Since 1837 this rustic inn has served fresh German fare, such as
Königsberger Klopse.
But the café I have visited most since my first trip to Berlin in
1974 is the Einstein, on Kurfürstenstraße. Now it´s own legendary
institution, it was once the home of silent movie star Henny Porten
(Babelsberg was the Hollywood of the 1920s). The spacious Berlin
rooms in the 1920s villa are beautiful and the service, coffee and
Apfelstrudel are divine—especially after browsing through its
miles of books to find your new favorite novel at the Bücherbogen
Spangenberg. In the afternoons you can also find me in the tiny
coffee shop Bonanza that sits just around the corner in the hip
and young district of Prenzlauer Berg, were coffee is prepared
to perfection and is sipped sitting on empty lemonade crates
covered with a piece of wood. These intimate spaces are
where I pen letters on hand-made papers and notecards from
the shop R.S.V.P. that are just as unique as my beloved friends.
When I manage to find time to wander, I choose places that
embrace history, such as Chocolatier Erich Hamann. This off-the-track treasure—designed by Bauhaus teacher and architect
Johannes Itten—is still in original condition. But in addition to
the sublime flavor of their chocolates, the package design makes me
swoon—it´s exceptional; very graphic, so a chocolate bar becomes an
exquisite little present. If you are in the former East, Veld Schokoladen, on
the atmospheric Helmholtz Platz, should be your destination. This purveyor
of international treats will win your adoration for their signature goat milk
chocolate with sea salt—a strange, but titillating combination.
My cupboard is filled with porcelain vases designed by Friedrich
Schinkel and manufactured by KPM (Königiche Porzellan Manufaktur),
purchased from their showroom in Tiergarten. Since I am not a big fan
of mainstream fashion, I take my time browsing through every rack at
Andreas Murkudis, who has the best selection of cutting-edge labels such
as Margiela, Lutz, Y´s and Pulver. In the picturesque Mulackstrasse there is
a flurry of great small boutiques, such as Bless, A.P.C., Nicole Hogerzeil and
Lala Berlin, among others.
At every intersection, down every street and out of the corner of your
eye, Berlin never fails to reveal just a bit more of itself. In this place there
is life and boundless wonder—so much that I may just be able to forget
about that time machine n Taschen's Berlin, by Angelika Taschen, Taschen,
taschen.com
