Dear audience!
This time I have something very special for you and I'm taking you on a short trip to the capital, to Spree-Athens, to the German Babylon. A city that couldn't be more exciting and controversial: It is loved by some, hated by others, feared by some, but above all it is celebrated like no other - Berlin!
Off I go on the train. On the way I'm reading Curt Moreck's Ein Führer durch das lasterhafte Berlin* (can be translated to: A Guide to Vicious Berlin*), which has plenty of entertaining bon mots like: Every city has an official side and an unofficial side, and needless to say, the latter is the more interesting and more revealing for understanding a city's essence**. Moreck's descriptions are more of a milieu study than a traditional travel guide; it's about discovering the real Berlin, beyond the well-trodden tourist paths, for which you even have to dive into the underworld:
Travelling, however, means experiencing the present in its intensity. Its intensity can only be experienced in the places of life, where its poles meet, where its opposites become one, where humanity mingles like a savoury ragout, where the big world is at home and the half-world is a guest, or where the half-world is at home and the big world is a guest, and finally where the underworld is.***
Inspired by this, the five-hour train journey flies by. After a short stopover at the hotel, I am on my way to my first stop in the early afternoon: Kleemann Hüte in Schönhauser Allee, a traditional shop that has been in business since 1905. The interior is well stocked with a wide variety of hat types, depending on the style and season, so that everyone is sure to find the right headgear here. After some friendly advice, I decide on a very unusual black cloche hat, which I can proudly wear on the street a short time later.
Exhibition Romanisches Café
On to the next item on the program: the exhibition on the legendary Romanisches Café, which can be seen at the original location on Tauentzienstraße (admission free!). The exhibition is very lovingly designed and rich in detail and even though everything is confined to one room, there is plenty to see, read and even listen to, such as the contemporary hit song Auf der Terrasse vom Romanischen Café by Luigi Bernauer. In display cases and on large panels, there is information about everyday business as well as the who's who of coffee house celebrities, and there are plenty of them! I can only recommend a visit to the exhibition, so if you happen to be in Berlin before 30 June, don't miss it!
Joseph-Roth-Diele
Hungry from so much culture, we now continue in style: to the Joseph-Roth-Diele on Potsdamer Straße, diagonally opposite the famous Wintergarten variety theatre. Although it only opened in 2002 in honour of the Austrian writer, who found his second home in Berlin during the brief interwar period, the restaurant feels as if it has been around for much longer. On entering the restaurant, the first thing you notice is the menu, which looks like a film advertisement in the form of a large wooden board illuminated by small light bulbs. The bar's beautiful façade is reminiscent of an old enamel oven and there are countless framed pictures of the writer and other contemporaries on the walls. If you don't want to browse through one of the Berlin daily newspapers on display here, you can read Roth's works, which are also on display and available for purchase. Overall, the atmosphere in the Joseph-Roth-Diele is very cosy and homely, the food is good and well-priced and if you're lucky (as I was that evening), you can even listen to musicians playing one or two lively tunes.
Museum for Natural History
I start the second day of my trip to Berlin with a visit to the Natural History Museum in Invalidenstraße. Opened in 1889 by Kaiser Wilhelm II, the museum displays a selection of real dinosaur skeletons that were found in Tanzania in the early 1900s. Particularly impressive is Oskar, a Brachiosaurus brancai, which is the largest mounted dinosaur skeleton in the world at 13.27 metres in the museum's central atrium.
Kafka exhibition in the State Library
The cultural excitement continues with the exhibition The Kafka Family Photo Album in the beautiful Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin building. To mark the 100th anniversary of Franz Kafka's death, 130 original photographs of his family are on display, accompanied by quotes from the writer's diaries, letters and works. Although there are not many photographs of the rather photo-shy Franz Kafka, I was able to admire some previously unknown pictures, which also show a different side to the author (especially in connection with the quotes mentioned). You can see the smiling Kafka on holiday on the beach or on excursions with friends (for example in the Vienna Prater). The photos of his family and the biographical descriptions, which can also be read, paint a comprehensive picture of life at the turn of the century. A highly recommended exhibition, which can be seen until 2 June (admission is also free here!).
Madame Tussaud's
Next on the program is the legendary Madame Tussaud's, which is located on Unter den Linden, just a few minutes' walk from the State Library. Since September last year, there has been a Babylon Berlin room to admire, equipped with a bar where you can get cocktails and other drinks. But the other exhibits are also well worth seeing. Thematically appropriate, you can marvel at the images of Josephine Baker, Marlene Dietrich, Max Schmeling or Charlie Chaplin, but other tastes are also catered for, making a visit worthwhile in any case.
Hotel Adlon
I round off the day in style with a cocktail at the bar of the famous Hotel Adlon. I order the Adlon Special | Adlon Lobby Bar 1930, a creation of fine spirits, blackberry puree and sparkling wine. The whole thing is topped off with a blackberry powdered in gold dust and served with a small selection of nibbles. While I enjoy my drink (which is really excellent), I watch the hustle and bustle in the lobby of this historic hotel, the elephant fountain splashing in the centre and the gentle sounds of someone playing the piano wafting in the background. It's easy to forget the hectic hubbub outside and immerse yourself in this special world, where you would love to stay a little bit longer.
Vintage-Shopping
The next day (Saturday) I take it easy with a hearty breakfast at Café Bilderbuch (a real recommendation!) followed by a vintage shopping tour that takes me to Mimi - Textile Antquitäten (Goltzstraße 5), Spitze (Suarezstraße 53) and Glencheck (Joachim-Friedrich-Straße 34). In the first ones, I buy two pretty bags and a pair of lace gloves. Looking at my watch, I realise that I won't make it to my next planned stop, the Berliner Modeinstitut (Gabriel-Max-Straße 13), due to the considerable distance, as I have an appointment with hairdresser Ute Jacobs at 4 p.m., who will be doing my hair for the Bohème Sauvage, which I will be attending that evening.
Bohème Sauvage
Equipped with a flapper dress and a perfectly fitting water wave, I make my way to the Ballhaus in Chausseestraße later that evening. Entering the establishment feels like travelling back in time. The mirrored ballroom with its chandelier and parquet floor radiates the splendour of past decades, the first glamorously dressed ladies and gentlemen dance and stroll around to the right music. The in-house photographer shoots souvenir photos, the cigarette lady offers pleasant and useful items from her vendor's tray. A wrought-iron spiral staircase leads to the gallery on the first floor, which offers seating for those who have grown tired of dancing. What's special here are the telephones at each table, from which you can discreetly contact the dapper lady or gallant gentleman at the other end of the room.
As the hour progresses, the ballroom fills up and the evening program begins. First of all, there is a quick Charleston course so that you know how to shake your legs to the sounds of the music. Afterwards, there is plenty of opportunity to practise what you have just learnt, as the sensational group The Jungle Jazz Band gets the audience so fired up with their fast-paced sounds that your legs move to the rapid beat as if by magic. The guests of Bohème Sauvage are then presented with further entertainment highlights, such as the performance of burlesque dancer Madame Midnight and contortionist Jade Lee, who writhes from one breathtaking contortion to the next to the sound of fantastic music. If you need a little relaxation between these exciting performances, you can try your luck at the roulette table or model for a portrait. At a late hour, with tired feet but very happy, it's time to head back to the hotel with my thoughts already on the next Bohème Sauvage!
Max Liebermann Villa
I thought of something special for the last day: A trip to the Wannsee and Max Liebermann's villa! The one-hour journey by bus and train flies by as one passes gardens in bloom and the lake, and the pleasantly warm spring weather puts me in an even better mood.
When I arrive at the villa, I am lucky enough to take part in a guided tour straight away, during which I learn lots of fascinating facts about the artist's life. During the tour, we get to see the entire property, which is beautifully laid out, everything is blooming and the scent of lilacs hangs in the air. People are sitting on the terrace, drinking coffee and eating cake and enjoying the peaceful Sunday atmosphere. It's easy to imagine how Liebermann might have sat there with his guests 100 years ago (see here). After the tour, which ends in the villa, where some of the artist's paintings can be seen, I also take a coffee break and round off the afternoon with a view of the glistening Wannsee. On the way out, I buy a jar of the villa's own honey and a few other nice souvenirs before setting off on my journey home.
An exciting, culturally rich and eventful trip to the capital lies behind me, but it will certainly not be the last. Berlin is constantly changing, there is always something new to discover, or the old shows itself in a new splendour and also wants to be admired. I would like to end this report with the words of Curt Moreck, with which I am only too happy to agree:
Berlin is a city of contrasts, and it is a pleasure to discover it.****
*Curt Moreck: Ein Führer durch das lasterhafte Berlin, Berlin 2018
**ibid., p. 11
***ibid., p. 12
****ibid., p. 12
Comments