KZ in Berlin

A daily documentation of my 3-week trip to Berlin & the places I've been, the things I've seen and the stuff I've learned.

[kzberlin]

Day 16: Work from Home Wednesday

It’s winding down to my final days here in Berlin. I decided to work from our apartment today to have a proper parting from our lovely flat. It allowed me to work from the large desk in my room overlooking our quaint street and to enjoy my last lunch in my neighborhood,*cough* Schiller Burger *cough*. I love the neighborhood I’m in. Here’s one of my final afternoon shoots in Neukölln on one of my last days in the hood. I will sorely miss the “Bushwick of Berlin” and it’s cute little shops, old men chatting and drinking coffee all day, döner stands, great restaurants, beautiful cemeteries that look like manicured parks, and most of all, Tempelhof Feld.

Photos © Kristina Zmaic

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Berlin Learnings: Döner

Döner was introduced to Berlin in the 70s by Turkish immigrants and now can be found everywhere in the city —you can’t seem to walk half a block without seeing this magical street food. Döner is traditionally made with lamb, but you can also get them with chicken or veal, nestled between a toasted roll and topped with lettuce (or as they say “salad”), onions, tomatoes and a spicy yogurt sauce. There’s even a thing called a “Döner Box”, which takes a deconstructed version of the sandwich, puts it in a Chinese takeaway box, and tops it with french fries... your hungover DREAM. Let’s just say we all became addicted and used this meal as our automatic default. You will be sorely missed, Döner!

[kzberlin]

Only when we are no longer afraid do we begin to live.

DOROTHY THOMPSON

[kzberlin]

Day 15: Green Thumbs & Red Eyes

Today I woke up with a MAJOR eye infection. Can’t seem to not get sick when I travel. I put on my glasses and went to work at Betahaus.

After my daily meetings, I tried to find some English speaking optician here, but my Google search + translate left me feeling let down. Luckily, I told my boss, Mattan, that I needed to get to a doctor and he walked me to the Apotheke so we could get a recommendation. The woman there was really nice and gave us a rec to an eye doctor around the corner. 

Between my German-speaking, seeing eye Sherpa (Mattan) and some solid gesturing, I was able to be seen by the doctor who looked at my eye, said “Oh my WOW,” and sent me on my way to recovery with a prescription for some eye drops. My eye was the most swollen, disgusting and painful thing you’ve probably seen in a long time and couldn’t even imagine waiting the rest of the week to see a doctor in the States. I felt so incredibly lucky and grateful — especially since it only set me back 30 Euro for the visit and medicine.

Instead of posting a swollen eyeball, I decided to post all the beautiful plants that kept me company in my room while I made a makeshift eyepatch out of a sleep mask and tried to recoup.

Photos © Kristina Zmaic

[kzberlin]

Berlin Learnings: Finding a Doctor

I was in need of an eye doctor really bad on my trip when I got an infection. My boss told me the best thing to do was to go to an Apotheke and ask one of the pharmacists. Unlike in the States, German pharmacists have a lot of general knowledge of medical conditions, allowing them to aid you in the hunt for the right medicine AND the right physician. Sure enough, the pharmacist recommended an optician nearby for my eye infection and saved the day.

[kzberlin]

Life is an improvisation. You have no idea what's going to happen next and you are mostly just making things up as you go along.

STEPHEN COLBERT

[kzberlin]

The most wasted of all days is one without laughter.

E.E. CUMMINGS

[kzberlin]

Day 13: Sunday Brunch & the Mega Migraine

Today I woke up with so much energy from taking the day off yesterday to decompress. I decided to see if my loft-mate and co-worker, Sarah, wanted to go get some brunch. After going through a bunch of options, we decided to stay close and grab brunch at Schiller Bar. Sarah threw an invite out to our Berlin crew and we ended up getting together a really great group.

On Sundays, most places in Berlin abandon their regular menus and do a huge brunch buffet filled with fresh eggs, meats, cheeses, yogurts, pancakes —seriously name it and they’ll have it. Unlike most buffets you might think of in the States, Berlin buffets are fresh and inviting... everything was hot, crisp and delicious. After Schiller Bar, we wandered to Tempelhof and then went and got some ice cream at Lauter Eis.

I got a really horrible migraine and felt pretty bad. Spent the rest of the day resting up on a cocktail of Advil and Benadryl. 

Schiller Bar Map  |  Lauter Eis Map

Photos © Kristina Zmaic

[kzberlin]

Berlin Learnings: Sundays

Sundays in Berlin are complete days of rest. Most boutiques, department stores, shops and grocery stores are closed for the day, so make sure to take care of your errands on Saturday or earlier in the week. The only things that tend to be open are restaurants.

The Good News: Sundays are known for their brunch buffets! Most bars or restaurants will disregard their regular menus on Sundays and only serve a really fresh, all-you-can-eat brunch buffet. If you’re from the States, forget about what you know as a buffet, these places serve fresh fruit, eggs, meats, cheeses —you name it, and it’s never cold or stale. 

[kzberlin]

If you don't go after what you want, you'll never have it. If you don't ask, the answer is always no. If you don't step forward, you're always in the same place.

NORA ROBERTS

[kzberlin]

Day 12: Lazy Saturday in a Cozy Berlin Apartment

Every day this week I’ve tried to make sure to go, do and see and it’s taken a bit out of me. I’m the kind of person who cherishes down-time, naps and Netflix and I’ve had yet to do that during this whirlwind trip. Make a great breakfast. Decompress. Watch the entire 3rd season of Orange is the New Black. Nap. These are the things on my to-do list today. 

Every day since I’ve arrived, I’ve made it a point to create a colorful and satisfying breakfast to start my mornings. I decided to take photos of my breakfast ritual in our beautiful apartment in Neukolln. It’s the details that really make a home a home, and this one is so humble, charming and beautiful.

Photos © Kristina Zmaic

[kzberlin]

One of the most responsible things you can do as an adult is to become more of a child.

DR. WAYNE W. DYER

[kzberlin]

Day 11: Half-Day at the Secret Beach

At the beginning of the week, I decided that I’d take a half-day on Friday to go and explore the Grunewald Forest. 

I wanted to hike, but the more research I did, I found that there are quite a few small beaches along the forest, so I packed accordingly. I brought my swimsuit, snacks, water and hiking clothes. It only took 30 minutes by S train to get to the forest. I walked along a few trails until I got to the over pass of a bridge where I found a leathery older man just standing on the bridge in a speedo, drinking a beer... this seemed like a good sign, so I continued on down the path until a few turns later the dirt turned to sand and I knew I was coming upon some sort of beach. 

Through the trees was a tiny oasis of teenagers, nude 60-somethings and a handful of dogs splashing and chasing their owners through the water. There were so many sailboats out that I could barely make out the shore on the other side of the lake. I decided to sit for a bit and read. A bit turned into 3 hours, reading, basking in the sun and enjoying the warm weather — which was nice, since it’s been relatively cool and cloudy since my arrival to Berlin. I finally ran out of water and the bugs were getting a bit unruly, so I decided to head back. The day completely recharged me — maybe it was being able to relax, and maybe it was the vitamin D, either way, I was grateful to have taken some time for myself.

Tiny Beach Map

Photos © Kristina Zmaic

[kzberlin]

Day 10: Ice Cream + Tempelhof Community Garden

After work, my co-worker, Chris, and I went on a journey to go to Pee Pees Katzencafé... except they were closed. We decided to grab ice cream instead and headed to Tempelhofer Feld. We found a little Lost Boys-style bench to sit, chat and enjoy the sunshine. 

My favorite part of Berlin, so far, is the Tempelhof community garden and all of the leashless, well-behaved dogs.

Tempelhof Community Garden Map

Photos © Kristina Zmaic

[kzberlin]

Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.

HELEN KELLER

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Day 9: Small World

I ended up meeting up with friends-of-friends from NYC who are now living in Berlin. Sometimes the world can be so incredibly small. We met up at Beuster Bar in Neukölln and stayed into the evening telling stories, talking about life, and what it’s like living in Berlin. 

Beuster Bar had really incredible cocktails and what looked like amazing food. I had every intention of getting dinner, but time got away from me as we talked into the night. I plan on going back for a cozy meal in the most New York-feeling restaurant I’ve encountered in Berlin. 

Beuster Bar Map

Photos © Kristina Zmaic

[kzberlin]

Berlin Learnings: Illegal Downloading

I learned that the media companies in Berlin (and possibly Germany in general) are really cracking down on illegal downloading. It’s become such an issue, that some landlords are refusing to let tenants have the internet after being left with left with fines between €300 to €1,500. This is something to be aware of, especially if you’re traveling from another country and are potentially accustomed to easily downloading movies, music or *ahem* porn. You don’t want to be the asshole who leaves your Airbnb host with a huge fine.