Neon Enlightenment

Summer officially started a while ago and you all know what summer means: holidays! Yes sir. From the 28th of June till the 5th of July me and Hermine were in Berlin and we had a blast. We didn’t go to clubs till late (we’re wussies and don’t like house music) but we did get to meet some wonderful people, saw some good gigs, had some amazing foods and enjoyed the sights.

So let’s start off with the Neon Enlightenment guide to BERLIN, baby. First up is travel & food, as stated in the title.

TRAVEL:

Go CouchSurfing! It’s not always easy to find hosts because people living in big cities get a lot of requests but we managed to find two lovely girls who taught us some German, showed us around and let us stay at their place.

Take the train! Yes, planes are a lot cheaper so I wouldn’t blame  you for doing it but I hate planes/flying so the train was a good option. It’s really comfortable, there’s airco and you have lots of time to listen to music. I just really love trains a lot.

Check Unlike! I found lots of Berlin tips on this website, highly recommended.

FOOD:

(Luigi Zuckermann)

Luigi Zuckermann: I had the best sandwich I’ve ever had in my life here (the goat’s cheese one yum). They’re on the pricey side but you get a lot for what you pay: seeing hipsters passing by, fresh, tasty quality ingredients & nice staff + a menu in English.
Rosenthaler Strasse 67

Eins: the name of this place simply comes from the number (eins is German for one) they’re on in the street. Here you’ll find simple, honest Italian dishes with fresh ingredients.
Eichendorffstrasse 1

Nest: if you want a nice salad lunch then you’re good to go with Nest Café. It’s in a nice area and the interior is really beautiful (we sat on the terrace though as it was really hot). The staff are a little slow but maybe that was because of the weather (heatwave). Also: try Fritz Limo, German lemonade with a great name and bottle.
Götlitzer Strasse 52

(Hans Wurst, we were actually sitting on that red couch!)

Hans Wurst: this vegan restaurant is really, really awesome. They played Radiohead’s The Bends when we were there and the menu changes daily. The place looks nice and the food is delicious. Seriously, don’t be scared by the fact that it’s vegan. It’s a healthy alternative for all the gross currywurst stands. And they have a wide range of delicious juices (try maracuja!!).
Dunckerstrasse 2a

Teigwaren Anja Gmelin: if you’re a fan of pasta like me, then this is the place to go. All pasta is made by hand and as fresh as possible. Take a salad to go with it and don’t forget to try the ravioli (stuffed with unique combinations).
Oderberger Strasse 41

Germany has a tradition of drinking coffee and having a pastry in the afternoon but it was far too hot for that so here are some of my favourite ice cream places:

Yoli Frozen Yoghurt: found this on some blog before we started our travels and the interior just looked so delicious I couldn’t resist going. Frozen yoghurt to be combined with toppings of your choice (lots of fruit, m&m’s, cookie crumbles etc.). YUM.
Invalidenstrasse 112

(Napoljonska)

Napoljonska: came across this ice cream/waffle/pastry place on a stroll through Prenzlauer Berg and we were immediately sold: homemade ice cream (try the banana or the chocolate!) in a place that looked like candy itself: pastel colours and pretty patterns.
Kastanienallee 43

Tanne B: we were meeting here with our CouchSurfing host Juliane before going to the Beach House show. They had a whole range of ice cream flavours (all home made and several vegan ones) but we went for a waffle (vegan ones also available) with strawberries. Deelish!
On corner between Lausitzer Platz and Eisenbahnstrasse

Eis Manufaktur: I had the most divine sorbet in this place: passionfruit. Really fresh and fruity, not as sticky and creamy as normal ice cream. This was probably my favourite. Lovely neighbourhood too.
Auguststrasse 63

Wish I could have some of that ice cream now. Next part: music & venues!
Gerlin