Brockenreich is one of my favorite thrift shops in the city. Located in an old carpentry right next to a train station it is easy to access and stuffed with everything from coins to clothes, from clocks to couches, from CDs to children’s toys.

Thrift shops to me are far more than places to find cheap stuff for my household – it’s a sensual experience. A bump in an old pan, a scratch in a vinyl record, a spot on a shirt, a pale signature on a postcard – the whole shop is filled with mysterious messages from the past that tell me: this object actually meant something to someone some time ago.

What’s exciting at home can be thrilling abroad. A thrift shop can turn into an intriguing source for excellent and eccentric souvenirs. Nothing is more “local” around here than a heavily used caquelon, an itchy swiss army blanket or a rusty potato peeler.