Another great day here in Berlin with Visionapartments has come to an end. One thing's for sure though, Berlin is a city that can'r really get boring. Ever! There's something new to discover in every corner, places, shops & restaurants you walk by and immediately want to check out and of course (especially as a typical tourist like me-) the sights like Brandenburger Tor you don't want to miss out on!
Whenever I'm in a new city, I buy a small map, make circles on the map for all the places I wanna see and go to, and walk around with it all day. It actually helps to get a way better orientation in the city. You notice when walk down a street you've walked down before but maybe from the other direction; or you walk around, have no idea where you are, recognise a house you've passed before, check on the map and yap- immediately know where you are! It's like a big circle with thousands of streets that only enlighten once you walk through them. -And whenever you make a new connection and have this "Oh, I know exactly where I am now! or "What, this is the same street?! I was here before!" feeling- it makes you feel like you're starting to get to know the city really well! (even though you've probably only seen about 1/8 of the city :P)
This morning I got up and directly went for a run in a park nearby. I did't expect it to be this nice & green because it's in the middle of the city. And there were lots of people running as well! Back in my Visionapartment I made some coffee and looked up places where to have a good breakfast at. Nadia after a long run= super hungry! I quickly decided to check out the Store Kitchen at the Soho House super close to my apartment. Like the name says it, it really is a store and or in a kitchen. It's basically a place where you can shop clothes, eat something or simply chill with a homemade smoothie or juice from the bar, relax & work a bit. Super artsy & hipster, that's for sure!
The food is- let's say: more or less on the healthy side. But they offer a big variety of food! From salads, roasted veggies & superfood bowls, porridges, chia pudding & homemade granola, to avocado toasts and eggs of any style.. But then they also have burgers, steaks, brownies pancakes etc. on the menu. What I really liked were the dishes they served their food in. I asked if I could buy some plates but they didn't sell them.. For breakfast I got an Almond-Cappuccino, an Orange infused Chia Pudding & Avo on Toast with a Poached Egg on top. I sat down on a couch just by the window where all the people from outside could watch me eat and showing me "hey such a cool places in there. and I want you food!" -faces. ;)
From the Soho House I walked straight through the city, stopping close to Hackeschen Höfe to shop around a bit. I entered a super cool shoe store and saw shoes I instantly fell in love with but: they didn't have my size.. Anyways, I got some cool stuff around there. If you're ever in Berlin, you definitely need to check out that area for some shopping. There's some really cool shops; shops we don't even know in Switzerland. Especially in the side streets! I found some cool pieces around there at an AMAZING store I didn't know before. At least this gives me a reason to come back to Berlin anytime soon!;)
The girls of you reading this probably know how quickly time goes by while shopping! Once my bag started to get way to heavy I decided to check out some more of the foodie-spots I circled on my map. I walked by a super cute little cafe called "The House of Small Wonders". Such an amazing entry with a rotating staircase taking you up to the cafe. I didn't stop for a drink there, simply took some pictures. Just around the corner from there I found an amazing store with handmade leather bags. I've always wanted a big traveling bag and finally got one today! Happy me! :) My dear friend Mr.Belly to get a little hungry because since breakfast about 5 hours have gone by already and lots of walking was done! Close to the House of Small Wonders I got a Mezze platter at "Dada Falafel" to take away. The place was super full, that's always a good sign if you're in need for good food and don't know where to go!;)
From there I walked to the Brandenburger Tor. (Call it the death walk. My bag weighed at least 15 kg. Honestly. With my book, laptop, camera, new shoes & clothes, (bananas & apples haha) and all the other stuff in there..Oh and some more handmade pottery I got. Like 8 pieces. (Call it addiction.) I'm used to carrying a heavy bag but not THAT heavy speaking; my spinal column doesn't like straight lines, she likes angels in all kinds of directions and probably wants me to carry heavy bags all the time arghhhh!
Once I arrived at Brandenburger Tor I took some pictures and sat down on a bench to eat my Mezze platter. The food might not have been very nicely presented but it was delicious! Some of the best falafel I've ever had! Besides the Falafel, there was hummuh, tzatziki, babaganoush, grilled eggplants, tabouleh & a bulgur salad on the platter as well. Good food with a view I'd say! Sitting down felt so good, I (and my spine) really enjoyed it. Until a Chinese guy interrupted my peaceful falafel eating haha and sat down beside me, started talking nonsense and asking me random questions and telling me stories about what he used to eat as a kid.. I can't even remember exactly.. But fried insects were words he definitely used a lot!! haha :P)
From there, it was only about a 2 minute walk to the Holocaust Memorial. A memorial to the jews in Europe who got murdered and were victims of the Holocaust. The place o information on the eastern edge holds the names of approximately 3 million Jewish Holocaust victims, obtained from the Israeli Museum "Yad Vashem". That's almost half of the Swiss population..Crazy! There's over 2700 slabs that vary in height from not even half a meter to almost 5 meters I would say. The architecture is really impressive and precise! And if you consider what it's all built for- a shiver runs through your body..
Next stop was the "Potsdamer Platz", only about 400 meters away from the Holocaust Memorial, in the center of Berlin. It's a public square with skyscrapers, a huge shopping mall, traffic intersections and a lot more. I only grabbed a quick coffee from there and took the Metro to the west to go to the Street Food Hall Market at Markhalle 9. I met up with Giulia, the girl I had dinner with the other night.
It was extremely crowded at the food market but my heart starts jumping whenever I'm at a food market. It's always such a great atmosphere, so much new food to try, new taste experiences and inspiration for own recipes to bring home. And yes, the heavy "let's break my spine" bag was still hanging down on my left shoulder..Auuutsch! But with good food it can be forgotten for some time!;) We walked around in there for quite a bit, tried all sorts of delicious food and left after about 2 hours.
From there it only took me about 20 minutes to get back to my Visionapartment close to Alexanderplatz. And let me tell you- I can't remember the last time I've been this excited to put my bags down and simply lay on the bed, turn on the TV and not do anything.(Other than wishing my mom was there to give me one of her incredibly amazing massages!)
Good thing I have such a great apartment where you immediately feel at home & super comfortable!
My back feels better now but I need to get some sleep. Got an exciting day ahead of me tomorrow!
Sending much love, clouds, rain and fog haha :P (can't really send any sun because the sky has been grey and cloudy for the past few days). But of course I will send some sun to you guys once the sun will hopefully decide to take a trip to Berlin!;)
Good night and hope to see you on here tomorrow,
xx N
Source: EatBetterNotLess.com
