A very orange Berlin.

I really can't stop thinking about Berlin and I feel this burning desire to get back there, so to tide me over I will post some colourful snaps. Everyday we consumed a silly amount of cola because there was just so much choice (not a cocoa cola bottle in sight). Café Cinema was down an alley we happened to chance upon in Mitte but we didn't really have time to fully explore the area so that's another one for our next visit. I think there was an open air cinema around there also so that will definitely be researched! We enjoyed the most amazing feast at Yellow Sunshine in Kreuzberg on our first day there. Thomas told me these fantastical stories about his visits there on previous trips so it was our first port of call. It did not disappoint our hungry bellies as portions were huge as you can see - pretty sure we both polished off all of our chips! I was a bit over-excited by the lifts I kept seeing on the outside of buildings - it all looked very futuristic to me. I have since read about the AquaDom which is now at the top of my list for next time! The last photograph was taken in a shop called VEB orange in Prenzlauer berg, a district that I loved. We couldn't believe it when we stumbled into this back room exploding with so much kitchen colour!

Stationary goodness in Berlin.

I never knew that Berlin had such amazing shops - in particular stationary shops. We compiled a list late one night of must visits and each one was fantastic. The first stop was Santokki (Pappelallee 82) in Prenzlauer Berg. It was full of amazing Korean goodies and even a cafe.

Next stop was Das Goodhaus (Kastanienallee 101) which had some amazing homeware delights, great stationary and the most wonderful greetings cards. Such a beautifully curated shop.

I was lost for words as we walked through the door to R.S.V.P (Mulackstr. 14) in Mitte. My first thought was - I want everything! I very carefully selected some notebooks, stickers for decorating envelopes to my pen pals and a few other bits. I have to admit I may have got a bit over excited when the glassine bag came out when it was getting packaged up. It was very reasonable in there and I did actually regret not buying double the quantity as I was slowly walking away from the shop (very slowly). I know that next time we visit I won't hold back so much. Buy buy buy.

A few more highlights included Papiertiger (Schönhauser Allee 129) where I treated myself to a Leuchtturm1917 diary for 2015 so the days of the week are in German - I am determined to know a bit more of the language on my next trip. Also PapierConcept (Kastanienallee 11) was great for pads of paper and patterned cardboard storage boxes. Next time we definitely need to take two empty suitcases to fill up as one clearly wasn't enough.

Photoautomat.

For me a photobooth will always conjure up romantic memories of Amélie and a little bit of magic. We were thrilled that on the same road as our hotel we spotted about three booths, each one with it's own quirks. Throughout our trip we were constantly trying to think up different ideas to make our strips more memorable - I loved Thomas' (almost) full body shot. I think a few black and white booths in Brighton would be much appreciated. 

Michelberger hotel.

I absolutely love the thought that has gone into this hotel - it was hard to stop snapping away with every step I took. There were so many spots to relax, inside and out, so I used to really look forward to coming back every evening. On our last night we decided to treat ourselves to dinner there, so come 8pm we were sitting in the most perfect courtyard listening to a live performance by Wooden Arms (a British band who happened to have a gig there that night) eating the most melt in your mouth ricotta gnocchi with orange and sage (Thomas was equally enjoying his cucumber with avocado mousse soup) and trying to work out when we can next escape to this amazing city. 

Breakfast in Berlin.

This was my very first visit to Berlin and what a wonderful trip it was. We stayed at the Michelberger hotel in Friedrichschain which was a fantastic base for all of our adventures. We treated ourselves to the hotel breakfast for two mornings as we just knew it would be good! You get given a small token at reception (a miniature chopping board) which you then exchange in the breakfast room, I liked that. I always get excited about hotel breakfasts and this one was exceptional. My staples included a big bowl of granola with a sprinkling of seeds which I would then drown in the thickest, most creamiest almond milk I have ever tasted. I have tried to find something similar in Brighton but no such luck so far. I would then have some fresh bread with homemade jam and later move on to a small bowl of the most unbelievably good rice pudding (vegan), flavoured with orange zest, nutmeg and again that almond milk. I loved strolling back through the courtyard afterwards knowing that a day of intense photoboothing and coffee shop hopping awaited us.