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27 posts from April 2009

Heinz Minki in the spring

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Was it really just a week or so ago that I dawdled in the garden behind Heinz Minki drinking an Alster and watching children climb trees? If the days are as sunny as Google Weather's Berlin report seems to suggest then I certainly hope you'll consider doing the same tomorrow.

Heinz Minki, Vor dem Schlesischen Tor 3 (map)
Open from noon every day in the warm months

Outside the porcelain shop

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Gone Fishin’

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Kitas in Berlin often have sweet signs hanging in their doors to let parents know where the kids are. I love them for the obvious reasons: their improvised quality, the places they list, the trust they emblematize. (The Auf'm Ausflug pointed at above means "on a field trip".)

this & that

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I am intrigued by Interesting Berlin, discovered through Max's blog, and think I might just have to join in. // Regrettably, Maryland is cooler than Berlin, and I am experiencing a second spring. This was not supposed to happen. // Are the white blossoms still out in front of Sgaminegg? I intended to take a photograph before leaving for the airport (it would have been such a lovely illustration of what I had been waiting for) but then life intervened. Next year!

Eat more fruit (Köpenicker Straße)

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Oh but the Eszett is a lovely letter too seldom seen these days.

Herb walk

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Berlin is so full of good things. Last Friday I went along to a Kräuterwanderung organized by the Grüne Liga. We met at the gates of the botanic garden in Blankenfelde and within minutes were plucking birch leaves off a supple branch and popping them into our mouths. It didn't stop there: linden leaves, tender pine needles, daisies, violets and beech-buds are a few of the other delicacies we sampled. When I left early because S was fussing, the group was just tramping down a tree-shaded path to collect wild Bärlauch with Elizabeth Westphal in the lead (a profoundly amiable guide).

I cannot imagine a more charming way to spend a morning. Spring is the perfect time to explore the fields, so sign up now!

Buchstabenmuseum (The Museum of the Letter)

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Everyone who has gazed with drop-jawed awe at the gorgeous signs adorning nondescript buildings in Berlin will breathe a sigh of relief to know Anja Schulze and Barbara Dechant have been paying attention. The two founded the Buchstabenmuseum (the Museum of the Letter) to preserve gems that would otherwise have ended up on the scrap heap. Treasures include the sign for a Tegel shoe shop pictured in the foreground above. If you haven't been, ink May 9th into your calendar: that's when the Schaudepot is next open.

Design lovers take note: Anja and Barbara are looking for volunteers to help with their project. Contact them for more details, or click here to learn about becoming a member. (I was so taken by the idea that I volunteered to translate their website, so all this will be available in English soon too.)

Buchstabenmuseum, Leipziger Str. 49 (map)
Open on the second Saturday of every month from 1-6pm