Four Seasons of the Maybachufer

November 2011

February 2012

May 2012

September 2012

I've been waiting eagerly to post this number of one of my favorite spots in town. Now that I just passed the 10 month mark in Berlin, and it has very much started to feel like the onset of fall, it was finally time. Anyone who's visited me in Berlin (and was around on a Tuesday or Friday) knows this spot, too. It's home to - what else - the bi-weekly Turkish market and my favorite Goezleme. Let's just say I left work a little early yesterday to take my Dad who's in town, and snapped my final shot.

Life at Night

As much as I like to go out and dance, as a girl who likes (no, needs) her 8 hours a night, Berlin's nightlife can be overwhelming. Clubs stay open all night and I have friends who have been known to stay out until 10 or 11am before they hobble home and collapse. Or show up at my place for brunch covered in glitter.

This past weekend, I managed to muster up the energy to attend social engagements both Friday and Saturday evenings. On Friday, our office had our very first company outing to a "beach bar" along the Halensee, one of Berlin's many... lakes? ponds? mini-seas? I don't know but you can swim there. We took over a lounge area like the one you see below and sipped some cocktails before half of us (me included) hopped in for a quick dip. We snuck up and splashed the land dwellers who were still nice enough to pass down our drinks so we could simultaneously sip and swim.

Ku'damm Beach Bar

The next night I met friends for a monthly event called Soul Inn at a club in Kreuzberg. We were the first to arrive at midnight (literally, the first) but quickly swarmed the dance floor. The music is soul, funk, blues, etc., and it's a refreshing change to the usual electro and house that pervade the club scene in Berlin. Plus there are fun(ny) extras like a disco ball, old video clips of people who dance way better than we do, and a fog machine.

Soul Inn at Lido

The rest of my weekend was mostly spent recovering, watching movies, and devouring pad thai from the friendly neighborhood Thai Park (one day I'll explain what that is). Tomorrow it's off to Tel Aviv for a couple days of meetings. Back by the weekend to tell you all about my first Iftar (Ramadan dinner) experience yesterday and complain about Israeli airport security.

My Green Berlin Weekend

View from the Holocaust Memorial

Gay Pride Parade

Kreuzberg Fountain

Kumpir: A Poor Man's Paradise

Slowly but surely this is morphing into a food blog. I am well aware of this fact but not prepared to stop myself any time soon. On that note, today's meal I've deemed worthy of discussion is one I find very successfully blends the German and Turkish food cultures. It's not Gözleme, it's not even Döner Kebab. It's Kumpir: a baked potato like you. have. never. seen.

To make Kumpir, the potato is first baked in an oven where it gets nice and hot. Then the insides are mixed with lots of cheese and butter that melts and gets all gooey. Mmmmm. This step takes time... they really mix it up well.  After the mixing, the expert Kumpir maker nods that he or she is ready for you and you race to the counter to choose your toppings. Common toppings are olives, corn, creamy noodle salads, pickles, tomato sauce, garlic sauce, quark (sour cream), jalapenos, and kisir, a Turkish couscous that is reddened with tomato or red pepper paste. Mmmmmm again.

I've only had Kumpir twice, but I think I have my toppings down. Kisir, tomato sauce, quark, and a vat of jalapenos. I told the woman making mine that I wanted a lot of them, and her eyes widened as I encouraged her to add a second and then third spoonful. Mmmmm spice-ay.

This is what Sophia's Kumpir looks like:

I like mine all mixed together so I get a bit of everything in each bite, so I spend a couple minutes trying to incorporate it all. When you have as many jalapenos as I do, this isn't the easiest task. It's also difficult to be patient and methodical with your stirring when all you want to do is stuff it into your mouth.

Why a poor man's paradise? Because I can't think of anything that gives you more bang for your buck. This thing is loaded with calories- a Kalorienbombe (calorie bomb) as one friend called it- and you can get as many toppings as you want for the same set price. Plus it's truly a monstrosity of a meal. I wasn't able to finish mine either time, so this could easily be shared with a friend, should your topping tastes align. And all for under 5 euros!

Not Your Mama's Labor Day

Wow. Yesterday was something. I was really not up to speed on what goes on in Berlin on the Erster Mai, or first of May, or Tag der Arbeit, or Labor Day, or Maifeiertag, or May Holiday, or however else you want to call it, because apparently this holiday deserves multiple names, purposes, and celebrations.

It was a madhouse, to say the least. I met up with friends at 1pm and then we ventured into Kreuzberg, where the bulk of the action takes place- beers in hand, cameras in tow, and sunscreen properly slathered. It is an understatement to say the entire city becomes an outdoor party on this day, and the "dreamy" or "heavenly" weather, as the Germans call it, only egged everyone on. People (and police) were everywhere. Bars and restaurants and random people were blasting music from their establishments or corners. Vendors were on the street, selling everything from Turkish snacks to house-made "mojitos" (with vodka and ginger ale?). The parks and squares were bursting with sunbathers, smokers, dancers, musicians, couples, families, and grillers. A MADHOUSE, I tell you!

Some highlights of my first Erster Mai in Berlin included: making all my friends wear (and reapply) sunscreen, giving and receiving cheek kisses to a very enthusiastic vendor, getting rained on during a boat ride along the Spree, listening to Gangsta's Paradise on the street while enjoying some rot-weiss Pommes (fries with ketchup and mayo), spotting really strange police trucks that looked like they had come out of a museum, getting offered a piece of baklava by a random guy on the subway who told Kelly and I he was training to become an OBGYN, watching a German Volksmusik band perform my karaoke staple: "Believe" by Cher, and singing James Brown on the bank of the river with my gal pals.

I doubt I can do this any more justice with pictures than I can with words, but let's be honest, we all prefer pictures. So I'll leave it at that, and enjoy: 

American girls do Erster Mai!

Bus that was lit on fire

Turkish vendors in Kreuzberg

Polizei on patrol

Bank of the Spree

They're on a boat!

On the way to Treptower Park

Performing "Believe" by Cher

Post-rain shower view from the boat

A German, Italian, and Austrian on a boat!

Rave in the park

Smooch for the "Mojito" Man

I feel guilty being the only one in focus!

Sunset in the Park

Carnage

Nighttime Oranienstrasse parties

65 is the new 80

Friday was a big day in Berlin. Our first day of Spring, with temps in the mid 60s and sunshine to boot. People came out in droves and were ready to celebrate. Licking ice cream cones, drinking beers, paddling on the canals, congesting the outdoor markets, swarming the Brandenburger Tor, sitting on every available outdoor cafe seat... it was a beautiful chaos to witness. A few friends and I hightailed it over to a bridge in Kreuzberg for some beers and Turkish snacks and I am not exaggerating when I say it was hard for us to find a place to sit.

Though temps for the rest of the week are looking pretty good I'm still hesitant to say it's officially Spring in these parts. Knowing Berlin we could get snow the day of the half-marathon (which is in just under 2 weeks, by the way!). But man, it is incredible how much a rough winter can do to make you appreciate what comes after. Days like this one are worth waiting for.

Since Sunday

I had brunch in Prenzlauer Berg:

I stumbled into the fanciest movie theater of my life (seriously- we thought we were in a different cinema), replete with assigned seating, reclining leather seats with first-class level leg-room, and free prosecco cocktails:

I saw a band called Giulia y Los Tellarini, known for their songs in the movie Vicky Cristina Barcelona, play a warm-up concert for free:

I took silly pictures with friends:

I ordered a large bottle of red wine (the largest available, in fact) and split it with friends:

I saw very cool birds flying in fascinating formation (yes, those are birds! yes that's alliteration! click on the pic for a better view):

And last, but most certainly not least, I ate a Gözleme:

I think it's safe to say it's been a very good three days.

Kreuzberg Day

I've started a new Tuesday tradition where I spend the majority of the day in Kreuzberg. Kreuzberg is a neighborhood in Berlin that's known for its large Turkish population. It's a really dynamic area filled with bars, restaurants, cafes, and obviously, great Turkish food.

My Kreuzberg day begins with a yoga class taught in English by a lovely instructor from New York who has had the pleasure of correcting my downward dog on many an occasion now. "It's not about having the straightest legs possible, Sophia, it's about elongating the spine..."

After class, I make my way over to the biweekly Turkish market. You know, since I'm in the neighborhood.

After a few minutes taking in the sights and aromas I always end up right at the same stand that sells my favorite Spinat & Käse Gözleme. Sorry to kick you when you're down, Greece, but your Spanikopita is really a poor man's version of Turkey's Gözleme. Even though it contains the same three ingredients (flaky dough, spinach, and cheese), the Gözleme's thinness and extra flakiness makes it undeniably superior. It has a lightness to it which coupled with the flecks of green from the spinach almost give the impression that it's not horribly fattening. Almost. Because then your eyes wander down to the paper which is drenched in grease.

Oh well! I eat a Gözleme once a week for lunch and I think I'm better for it.

After the market, I cross the street to my favorite cafe in the neighborhood. It's usually pretty quiet on a Tuesday afternoon, so perfect for working on job applications or blogging.

Yesterday, I surprised myself by bypassing my usual cappuccino and ordering a fresh mint tea. That yoga must be having a good influence on me. That, or it's the post-Gözleme grease guilt.