Exploring Kreuzberg

We had not done much research on Berlin prior to our arrival (okay, none!) so once we finally left the house we pretty much followed the course that Luscias had driven us the night before in his car. We walked across the Reine river to the East Side Gallery; a section of the Berlin wall that has been turned into an open-air gallery where artists have painted murals on each remaining section. This one above is one of the most famous, and apparently is based on an actual photograph of two politicians.  We then enjoyed a beer on a floating hostel before we headed into our local “trendy” neighborhood, Kreuzberg.

The neighborhood was not as close as our Airbnb host had indicated, but it definitely was a happening spot. Tons of shops, bars and restaurants lined the streets filled with hipster kids wearing their black jackets, ripped jeans and unsymmetrical haircuts. We first stopped for some pho (soup) at Buddha Kitchen, and then wandered further in the neighborhood to stop at a beautiful restaurant called Mirchi Singapore Restaurant. This was one of the most beautiful and Zen restaurants I have ever seen. By contrast, we later wandered into a bar called Roses which took the term “kitch” to a whole new level. There was a terrarium landscape comprised of koosh balls, red fur lining the walls, disco balls, black lights silver streamers, and I’m pretty sure there was a velvet Elvis somewhere. We also treated ourselves to a Belgian waffles covered in Nutella at a wonderful little bakery called Cassonade - simply heavenly! Given that Robert had developed a cold we cut our evening early, but it was clear that our midnight quitting time was just when many of the Berlin kids were getting started!