qigong in berlin

quite recently, i had the good fortune of taking portraits of my friend gabriele, an artist and qualified qigong teacher. she was practising qigong when i took the pictures - there is such a quietness and beauty, such a flow to these ancient movements.

a one-day workshop with gabriele is likely coming up at the end of the month (31st march), take a look at her blog for more details, which should be up soon. the beautiful room with wooden floors where she's teaching is close to schönhauser allee station (s-bahn, u-bahn and tram). her classes are generally held in german, but by all means, do contact her via her blog if you have any questions.

++++ UPDATE ++++

the qigong workshop will be taking place on 31st march, and address the symptoms of hayfever: how to prevent, and/or support treatments of hayever symptons with excercises and acupressure. the workshop will be held in german. more info here.

++++ UPDATE ++++

bixels

sitting down at bixels' big wooden table with a salad and an apple juice, then a chocolatey chocolate cake with some coffee (oh, the special glasses and oriental looking glass carafes that go with it!) is a very good way to have lunch indeed.

bixels, mulackstr. 38, 10115 berlin, open monday-sat 12-21 h.

p.s.: the oriental style rug caught my eye. like it!

+++ UPDATE: sadly, bixels closed its doors. i'm glad i took the pictures as a memento of a beautiful place. the pace of change is getting ever faster, it seems.  +++

glimpses of berlin

lunch with sylee the other day. s was there as well. what a good time we had! at sgaminegg, of course.

schaedel & sattler

want a hearty stew for lunch, or a risotto? are simple wooden tables your thing? are you ready for the surprise that bare concrete walls can actually feel warm? schaedel & sattler is just that kind of place.

apart from the swiss/alpine-kitchen-inspired lunch dailies - the cooking is unpretentious and earthy -, i am particularly taken with their choice of small sweets to go with your coffee. i had an orange macaron, which was perfection.

bear in mind though that the place is small and has quite a number of regulars, so if you want to try it for lunch, go early, say 12.00 or 12.30. otherwise expect a little wait to get a table or have your lunch at one of their wall-mounted miniature tables, perched on a stool. or go after lunch for a coffee when the place has quietened down to a little hum.

if you are into architecture, read more about the building, designed by bararchitekten berlin, here.

find it here: schaedel & sattler, oderberger str. 56, 10435 berlin, open mon-fri 8-16h (please note this place is closed on weekends and doesn't serve dinner.)

goldhahn & sampson

goldhahn & sampson is a deli in prenzlauer berg that has been around for a few years. ever since then, their selection of dry goods - think spices, salts (all kinds of them - and oh, the packaging!), chocolate, tea and coffee, selected preserves - has grown, as has the impressive selection of wines. also on offer are fresh breads and a small choice of cheeses, some fruit and vegetables of the season and a wide range of cookbooks. if you feel like having a fresh cup of coffee after your shopping's done, there's a tiny seating area in the window and a chesterfield sofa in the back.

probably the most exciting thing is their programme of cooking classes. i've got my heart set on the french course (boeuf and crème brûlée). oh, and they sell vouchers too - a brilliant gift idea for people who've got everything...

find it here: goldhahn & sampson, dunckerstr. 9, 10437 berlin (prenzlauer berg), phone 030 411 98 366, open mo-sat 10-20 h, sun closed

konk (revisited)

konk always seems to me like a peaceful island in the middle of the bustle of mitte. the entire shop is a gesamtkunstwerk, the colours, textures and cuts of the clothes are truly something else, the jewellery is fragile and unusual, sometimes chunky and a statement piece, and the accessories, namely their bags and scarves, are something i'd have a hard time choosing from.

what makes this boutique even more interesting, is the fact that it specialises in berlin fashion labels (check out their website for a list of represented designers) and that owner ettina berrios-negrón is a designer herself and currently working on her own line.

most beautiful are the mobiles floating under the high ceiling and the black chalk drawing of a little wood, covering the walls of the changing room.

find it on: kleine hamburger str. 15, 10117 berlin (mitte), phone 030-28 09 78 39, open mon-fri 12.00-20.00 h, sat 12.00-18.00h, sun closed

victoria met albert

you know how rare it is to find a shop that could be your one-stop place, don't you? i think this one could be it. victoria met albert is run by a brit/german couple and sells not only super nice gift items and decorative things, but also carries brands like sessún, french connection, lee jeans - you get the idea. a huge bonus is that they offer both women's and men's clothes and shoes. i really fell for some of the knitted jumpers, some shoes, the scrabble mugs and their most precious selection of jewellery. santa, will you bring me a victoria met albert voucher, please?

go, go, go.

find it here: victoria met albert, dunckerstr. 81, 10437 berlin (prenzlauer berg/on helmholtzplatz), phone:+49 30 4467 4772, open mo-sat 11-20 h.

sgaminegg (revisited)

about high time to revisit sgaminegg, easily one of the nicest cafés in prenzlauer berg if you ask me. you may remember my first post about them, over a year ago. since then, the opening times have changed slightly, a small farmers' market has been initiated just outside its front door (every saturday, 10-16 h). oh, and i had the chance of trying some of their excellent white wines, which they don't just offer by the glass but also sell by the bottle in their small deli section. if you're curious about german and austrian whites (and you should! - don't think sweetly spaetlese or sickly rieslings, but crisp dry whites), you should definitely try them. if you've got more of a sweet tooth, why not try a coffee and some cake or a soft italian macaron, wrapped ever so nicely in white tissue paper.

last time i went, i took my pentax with me and took so many photos i had a hard time choosing. if you like them, find more on my flickr.

oh, and apart from their website, sgaminegg is also represented on facebook.

find it here: seelower straße 2, 10439 berlin (prenzlauer berg), open mon-fri 8.30-18.00h, sat 9.30.00-18.00h, sun closed.

apartamento launches new book series

have you heard? apartamento magazine is about to launch a new book series, called 'everyday life books'. tomorrow afternoon (16 oct 2010), the first book from the series, 'the story of a mug: greetings from the factory' will be launched at do you read me?! in berlin. the weather has turned decidedly autumnal here - rainy, cold, with wet leaves lining the pavements - so what better thing to do than sit down with a good book and officially start candle season?

find it here: apartamento book launch @ do you read me?!, auguststr. 28, berlin mitte, saturday, 16 oct 2010, 5 pm-8 pm.

mario velardi (apartamento) and byggstudio will be there. mugs of tea and coffee will be served.

(by the way: should you have good book tips up your sleeves, let me know, i'm looking for more good reads - haven't read a good novel in ages!)

glimpses of berlin (and some news)

some random berlin news for you: from october 31, 2010, easyjet flies direct from amsterdam to berlin (for a low-CO2 alternative, there's also a direct train connection). yay!

this saturday, september 25, 2010, the lomo store on friedrichstrasse hosts a lomo discovery tour. you can rent a camera with film, including a boat ticket, all for 15 euro. how cool is that. hop on over to berlin reified for more info and links.

the second issue of the gentlewoman is out and available at do you read me?! please leave a copy for me, will you?

pictures taken on sredzkistrasse in prenzlauer berg and on augustrasse in mitte.

farmers' market seelower strasse

to whoever had the idea of having a farmers' market on seelower strasse: thank you! that certainly was an inspired move and a real alternative to the crowded market on kollwitzplatz.

i love strolling down the - still tiny - market, buying organic heirloom tomatoes, red chard, apples, jam and flowers. have a chat with the stall holders and round it all up with an armful of beautiful flowers and a coffee at sgaminegg, right next to the stalls, marvelling at my finds.

if you happen to live in the neighbourhood or visit prenzlauer berg: do come here. every customer is appreciated and we need markets like this!

oh, and before i forget - there are also stalls selling fresh fish, others for meat or for cheese. at sgaminegg, you can also have lunch, and buy fresh bread and wine.

famers' market on seelower strasse, sat 10.00-16.00 h

find it here: seelower strasse (between daenenstrasse and schivelbeiner strasse), prenzlauer berg, 10439 berlin. public transport: schoenhauser allee, walk into daenenstrasse, take the first street to the right and you're there. less than 5 mins walk from the station.

café oliv (revisited)

last week, when marion was in berlin, we took the chance to pay a little visit to café oliv. i thought you might like to come along, it's a place worth (re)visiting.

read more here

p.s.: i really like their white porcelain dishes with the black napkins.