Berlin Impressions

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1. The coat of arms of Berlin is a bear. You see this symbol all over the city, plastered onto various walls and gizmos. I have an antique powder compact (from the 40s, I believe), which adorns the Berlin bear. I am totally in love with the various coats of arms of our world - they say so much about cultures and it's fun to decode their meaning. This one especially came to my liking... The slightly comical yet barbaric appearance of the bear itself, the lines and shapes as well as the colours. Perfect!

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2. I wonder if he really worked at Check Point Charlie? He HAS got a lot of badges for his age...

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3. I love the old cars from DDR times. I'm not sure this Mercedes really fits into that category, but hey! - it's old and lovely! What else could you want of a car?

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4. At another S-bahn station in Berlin. We did all our traveling on trains and trams - not so fun when your last minute hostel is in the ass of the world and several lines are broken. Lots of changing and waiting... sigh! Fortunately there are a lot of interesting people in the trains and on platforms: trendy hipsters, punks, drunks (oh how I wish I could have taken portraits of them, but I dare not!), musicians and cute Berlin boys. The bahn sure is a perfect place for an innocent little flirt!

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5. This city is full of black dogs! Can someone please tell me whats up with that?

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6. Me in front of the Brandenburger Tor on the 9th of November. Thats the day when the whole of Berlin (and Germany, and the rest of the world) celebrated 20 years gone by since the falling of the Berlin wall. The highlights of the evening were recreating the wall out of people and knocking over about a thousand huge domino bricks symbolizing the fall.

But a friend of mine put it best "For us Berliners who have experienced the separation the greatest celebration is our every day life. We can do what we like, where we like, and that is the greatest gift of all!" He is so right, indeed! It's hard for us who haven't lived through it to imagine how different life was in those times. But the 9th of November 20 years ago still remains a miracle to all of us - I hope other regions which suffer under similar repression today can find freedom just as peacefully.

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7. I was slightly nervous about going to Berlin around the time of this great festivity, as there have been numerous threats of terrorist attacks against Germany as of late. The thought of blowing up mid-celebration didn't seem too appealing to me. But in the end I decided I was not going to live my life in fear of idiots (it's exactly what they want) and that if I happened to die, at least I'd do it while having a blast!

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8. Are you as much in love with these little fellows as I am? I thought there was something so utterly ridiculous and morbid about these figures when I saw them that I just couldn't help but be charmed. Only thing is that I have no idea who they are made by. They were just sitting there peacefully in a display window - no shop or anything. Next time I'm in Friedrichshain I have to find out what the story behind them is and take one (or two...) home!

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9. Note to self: don't go to KaDeWe anymore in the future. Will avoid getting very upset over not being able to afford that Miu Miu bag or those Chanel heels and crying a bit afterwards.

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10. This warmed my soul so! Incase you didn't kow: CHARLIEEEE!

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11. Just like the real thing, no?

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12. This bag deserves a mention! I used it practically every day in Berlin. It's so great with a faux fur and a little tea dress or to spice up a simple jeans outfit. I'm amazed that my life fits into such a small clutch, though. (O.K. my pockets were pretty full too, but still!!) I bought this bag on sale at Accessorize in Dubai during my holiday there in summer 2008.

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13. This is what christmas should be like: warm and excessive and sparkly and fluffy. Oh goodness, yes! KaDeWe did it right.

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14. Louisaaaaaa! My dear travel companion and the best friend one could imagine. We are so different yet so alike. I couldn't have wished for anyone better to discover Berlin with and to have as my packhorse! Muah!

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15. At this point I must reveal something: I am opening an online vintage/jewelry/furniture store sooooon and was in Berlin to dig for treasures for the shop. I've been keeping this information from you all along because I have been proceeding in baby steps and so far it's all been paperwork and other blahs. On Tuesday I have an appointment to go present my business plan and seek for a government grant, though! I am so excited and am bursting with ideas and new energy & inspiration after this trip. Things are moving fast now and soon you'll be able to buy all the lovely things I find around the world! Iiiek!

Also, I will be doing a separate post about all the vintage hot spots of Berlin in the next few days.

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16. I don't know what exactly happened to me during this trip, but I suddenly became very fond of toys for some reason. I found the sweetest shop, Big Robot in Friedrichshain. It's a mixture of street style clothes, toys and awesome books (I could have bought all of them!). Especially these little Japanese head shaking Tomy fellows made my heart melt. They were just so kawaii!

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17. Possibly the best place of all in Berlin was Cupcake Berlin in Friedrichshain. It's the sweetest little cupcake shop in all pastels and candy colours. Their cupcakes were amazing, too! I had "The King," a deep dark chocolate creation covered in peanut butter cream and a banana chip. The perfect tribute to the one and only Elvis Presley and by far the best cupcake I have EVER eaten. Now thats pretty good! Check out their site for more delicious flavors, yummy pictures and more!