This has to be one of the best neighborhoods in Berlin. It’s snowing heavily enough to keep most indoors, but we headed out for some Sunday afternoon vintage record/clothes browsing and ended up in 2 fantastic places – places worth noting should you ever be in Berlin.
The first has to be on a must-see list of some sort, but we just sort of wandered into it – The Clärchens Ballhaus.
The doorman are well into their 70′s, waiters in bow-ties sit you down and take your order before you either join, or watch with nostalgic envy, the middle of the wooden-floored room moves with ballroom dancing. Old and young alike. Simple, unpretentious fun with a historic flair – amazing place.
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We walked holding hands with both fritte and Fruh Kolsch (the German equivalent of my new favorite snack of Red Stripe + Florida oranges) to the industrial artist commune of Tacheles…
Bleak during the Winter, but have heard from a few friends that in warmer-weather, this is the place to be. 6-7 levels of living/working space set all in a shopping space from 1909. Decent bar on top, but, as stated, come back around May and in the back is an open air spot, complete with an old bus modified to a bar and you’re looking at the place to be. Inside was exactly what you’d want your East German scene to be – lots of darkened hallways leading to tiny rooms housing everything from a life size horse made out of a shopping cart and an ‘erotic’ section that even made Alonso & I blush – and we don’t blush.
All of this in 3 hours.
you’ll probably like the “Weinerei” a wine bar where you can drink as much wine as you wan’t and … pay what you want
http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2009/feb/11/berlin-honesty-bars-restaurants
Aric, is that mayo on the fritte? Our youngest son picked up the mayo topping habit when in Holland so his friends are always poking fun at him here. I remember Chu and I stopping in a french fry shop in Haarlem where they had different vats of oil and the fries went from one to another and were served in a big paper cone. The taste was very light.
Do you prefer East Berlin to West Berlin, or is it just where you are staying on this trip? Besides the buildings, are there other very noticeable differences between the two?
I didn’t think you were capable of blushing.
seb – nice link! we’ll check it out.
sd steve – oh, you betcha. got hooked on that in holland as well. place we got it from is famous, hang on, let me see if I can find the link….okay, no, I can’t, but it’s amazing. 15 different kinds of sauce and oh-so-tasty.
I’m more of an east Berlin kindofguy – it’s rougher, rawer and still has a hint of madness to it. but then again, I’d take eastern europe over the rest any day as well – fewer Starbucks, I suppose.
Great words, and the first and last picture in this post just rock the Kasbah.
Do they still put little white lights in the trees?
they do – actually! will try and get a snap when I’m back.