Daily Discoveries

As Mondays are my weekly day off, I've decided that I will spend every Monday exploring a new neighborhood of Berlin. Today's district was the trendy, hip eastern neighborhood of Prenzlauer Berg. I did a little research beforehand but mostly just oriented myself and started wandering. It only took me about ten minutes and three blocks to decide that Prenzlauer Berg is my new favorite Berlin district. As one of my favorite authors, Bill Bryson, aptly puts it, I spent the afternoon "wandering around in my own private astonishment". P-berg as it is affectionately known is a vibrant collection of tree lined streets jam packed with fun little cafes and interesting boutiques. I of course stopped for my daily cappuccino at a placed called Bonanza Coffee Heroes.

Not only was I rewarded with a beautiful cappuccino but I also finally found a shop that sells good coffee beans, a rarity in a city that prefers really acidic coffee. I therefore carried with me the perfume of newly ground coffee beans for the rest of day and this coffee-addicted Seattlite couldn't have been happier!

After hitting up a bunch of fun boutiques that I vowed to return to once I actually have money, I stumbled across the Mauer Park. It is a park centered around a preserved section of the Berlin wall. 

Even though I've been in Berlin almost a month now, I am still amazed when I come across remnants of the wall.  How amazing that within my lifetime this very city was actually divided in two completely separate entities. 

This stone line runs the path of the former wall through the city as a reminded of the previous division.

I try to imagine what it was like to wake up on August 13th, 1961 and find that your city had a wall running through it. One of my co-workers at school told me that her aunt and uncle lived on the west side of Berlin and suddenly she went from seeing them weekly to not being able to see them for over ten years. Subjects that I studied at university are now literally standing before me and my inner history geek is pretty darn enthralled!

Finally, the last stop on my exploration of Prenzlauer Berg was a hummus restaurant. I have been absolutely craving it and the Germans simply haven't caught on yet so none of the groceries stores carry it. There were rumors on Berlin food blogs of a restaurant completely devoted to hummus in Prenzlauer Berg which I was determined to find....and HOORAY, I am happy to report that I found Zula Hommus Restaurant! It is an adorable little restaurant run by two Israeli brothers who told me over my pita and hummus sandwich that they were literally one of couple places in Berlin to buy hummus. Anyone who comes to visit Berlin has an obligatory visit to Zula in store for them. No if's, and's or but's!