Herrmann Königs (1986)

Whenever I feel active I go to my favorite park “Friedrichshain” For me it’s simply the best place to relax and retreat from daily life.

This park is the second oldest in Berlin after Tiergarten and was first completed in 1848 but had to go through times of war when the Nazis erected two Flak towers here which were blasted after the war and piled up with rubble. Same two little “mountains” are still there. Over the years flora and fauna grew back on here and now the F’hain is one of the most diverse parks in Berlin.

There’s no time of the day when you don’t see people jogging, going for a walk or letting their children play or being active in sports. Speaking about which, there is plenty to do here: half pipes, a nice little boulder rock, soccer and basketball courts,…

Also, on the site of the former swimming stadium (you can still see the former shape of it in the park ground) people love to go for beach volleyball (in summer) or roller skating on the surrounding 800 meters asphalt track.

Whenever it’s warm, barbecue and picnic are extremely popular, too, next to sitting in Cafe Schoenbrunn, in the adjacent beer garden or having cones of ice cream while wandering about at famous “Märchenbrunnen” (“Fairy Tale Fountain”, see picture) in the very western corner of F’hain.

A few years ago, A-Trane became my favourite destination when it came down to enjoying high class jazz. Together with the B-Flat, it is certainly one of the important jazz clubs in Berlin, although it is way smaller than the B-Flat. But that gives it a much more laid-back and cozier atmosphere. And you can feel that during the concerts.

It was on Monday evenings that I got drawn here more often when local pianist Andreas Schmidt plays (for free!) with friends from around the world. I became obsessed with the weekly varying beauty of the relaxed sounds that Schmidt and his friends create.

Of course, A-Trane has got more to offer than this: concerts of top-class musicians and, last but not least, the “Jam Late Night Session” which is free and takes place during the night from Saturday to Sunday from 0:30. For the programme check the A-trane website.

Concert admission depends on who’s playing. Should be between 5 and 20 Euros.

I love their concept: Every night a DJ, comfy seating, concise design, cheap beer.

The first time I entered I was so surprised about the atmosphere. A room that is completely soaked in reddish and orange illumination, walls that are covered with cool photos printed on canvas and flowers on the tables. I got a nice feeling about “Zu mir oder zu dir” (engl. “To my place or to your place”).

I quickly felt comfortable. It must have been the designer’s priority to have cosily designed couches and chairs. It seems here one is much rather supposed to lay down than to sit.

The music is not at all too loud but always contributes perfectly to my mood. I wanted to give tips to the DJ for playing such good music but he refused: He is hired anyway. I heard him playing anything between minimal techno and “Mack the Knife”. But it always works. Nothing for dancing, but for chilling out.

More impressions about the venue: Check the website – “Impressionen” includes the slide show.

Pizza Dach is located right in the heart of Simon-Dach-Strasse (See the Simon-Dach-Strasse article). It is by far not a high class restaurant but rather a snack bar. They offer normal sized pizzas for as cheap as € 2.50. And you get good taste and quality! That makes Pizza Dach one of the cheapest pizza places in that area.

Beer garden benches outside are the only seats you can take as the shop itself is too narrow inside. I can also recommend their variety of quality pastas which are cheap as well (from € 2.90).

The Pizza Dach has got a brother snack bar on Wuehlischstrasse 32 (only a few meters away). There you can sit inside and feel a slightly more comfy bar-restaurant-atmosphere, though prices are not the same but still relatively cheap.

Located next to the New Jewish Synagogue, the trio of backyards (see the Backyard article) “Heckmannhoefe” are really worth discovering.

Entering from Oranienburger Strasse, the first backyard contains a little bookshop and a candy-making shop in the basement, the “Bonbonmacherei” where you can watch Katja and Hjalmar produce traditional sweets with antique equipments.

In the second backyard, the main one of the three, you’ll see why this is certainly one of the nicest backyards complexes in Scheunenviertel. It houses a little theater, boutiques, cafes, restaurants and even a hairdresser’s shop. The surrounding ivy clad buildings invite you to take a seat on a bench next to a lovely little fountain.

In the third backyard which you can also enter from Auguststrasse there isn’t that much special stuff going on – except for the impression you’ll get when you see how residents have improved their homes with a nice little gazebo structure in their own backyard – that is the real Berliner backyard culture (see the Backyard article)!