photos: Amanda Artiaga
When you make your way from Kottbusser Tor down to Hermannplatz, you’ll get Kreuzberg as you imagine it to be: Loud, busy, weird and colorful. You pass Doenershops, Spaetis, and stores that sell so many cheap and unnecessary things you start questioning what they actually make their money with. If you walk straight down Kottbusser Damm, you wouldn’t necessarily guess that one of Kreuzberg’s most beautiful “Kieze” is just to your right. But as usual in Berlin, you can just turn around one corner and the whole scenery turns upside down.
The Graefekiez won’t be your new go-to hotspot for activities after nightfall, due to strict noise regulations after 22h in this neighborhood. However, all its lovely cafes, delicious restaurants, cute little shops and streets where one beautiful old building stands next to the other, make Graefekiez the perfect destination for a relaxed ‘lil Saturday or Sunday afternoon excursion. We picked a few spots that you should definitely check out.
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by Andy | Cafés, City Guide, Kreuzberg, Restaurants, Shops
Berlin has been accused of being many things: shabby yet magical, fairly open dirty-minded, pretentiously unpretentious and being that scene whore while it doesn’t ever truly let you in on where that “scene” actually happens. They say Berlin lets everyone be who they feel they should be, resulting in an open hearted city, that rarely lets people out of its loving but smelly embrace. But what really moves you about Berlin?
Yes, you!
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by Franziska | People
photos: Guney Cuceloglu
In most major cities of the world the activity of simply “hanging out” is pretty much a luxury that only tourists and maybe less ambitious students can enjoy. The rest of the inhabitants have to hustle the entire day either because it’s necessary to make ends meet or because being busy is a status symbol. In Berlin that’s quite different. Here hanging out is a highly valued part of the life style of the people. It’s embedded into the days of the inhabitants in the same way that late hours at work and strict gym schedules are in other cities. Berliners feel no shame in self-indulgence and being laid back. What other city people might consider as laziness is considered a benefit of this wonderful city.
Photographer Guney Cuceloglu who you might remember from the charming portraits of female and male cyclists went to some of the most popular leisure spots in the city to observe and document how Berliners expertly turn hanging out into an art form. Enjoy his collections of photos after the jump.
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by Frank | Photos
Kreuzberg, photo: oktober bay / CC
I love Kreuzberg. Especially the area around Kotti because it is really special and it reminds me of Exarhia, a neighborhood in Athens that I used to live in. At Kotti you can find everything and everyone. It’s like Babel. Sometimes it can be really, really overwhelming, but that’s its beauty. And while everybody seems to mind their own business, it feels that each and every person is more present than ever. That’s how strolling around Kottbusser Tor feels like.
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by Guest Author | Photos, Stories
For those of you who like to hang out at Admiralbrücke and around the riverbanks along the Landwehrkanal we have some good news: No longer do you have to sit on the streets. Right at the popular hang-out spot at the bridge a brand new cafe and restaurant called Milou opened up offering freshly made breakfast, lunch and dinner from healthy and local ingredients.
We checked out the place recently and tried out all their breakfast options which includes a variety of egg dishes, yummy pancakes and oatmeal. Thew quality of the food and coffee was really good and the prices really fair, what more can you ask for? There is of course a lot more, but we needed to save some space for the gorgeous looking cakes (which tasted as just as great as they looked). For lunch and dinner they have a colorful menu plus some daily specials which we yet have to try out. It includes freshly made pasta, fish and meat dishes, salads, soups, Tarte Flambee, Quiche and a lot more. You won’t be missing anything here in this sunny and friendly place. Get some first impressions and the details after the jump.
UPDATE: This place has changed its owners and name to Berlin Soulfood. They still have lunch, dinner and breakfast, but a different menu now. We will check it out shortly and change our review.
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by Frank | Cafés, Kreuzberg, Restaurants
