Berlin Diary: Friday 18 July 2025
Steps done: 18,274
This is a continuation of the previous post introducing our latest trip to Berlin. See here for notes from our trips in June 2023 and May 2024.
9:15 AM: The Barn Potsdamer Platz, Alte Potsdamer Straße 5, 10785 Berlin. Also nearby at The Sony Centre, Bellevuestraße 1, 10785 Berlin
Mr Gochugaru and I like our breakfasts and get somewhat stressed if it doesn’t start with good tea and coffee. The Barn at Potsdamer Platz was reliable on previous visits, and on the way to our first art stop at Hamburger Bahnhof. We use European Coffee Trip which lists over a hundred cafes in Berlin. ECT is supported by the manufacturers of specialist coffee machines so their recommendations would be for the best coffee in town. Good food or cake may or may not be on offer.
10:00 AM: Hamburger Banhof, Invalidenstraße 50, 10557 Berlin and Former Courthouse at Lehrter Straße
There are so many museums and galleries in Berlin, where do you start? Having seen the major art museums, this trip we decided to visit Hamburger Bahnhof / National Gallery for Contemporary Art. This was also one of the sites of the 13th Berlin Biennale so we created a day around this.
It is possible to write an endless essay on ‘what is art?’. I thought about this a lot whilst visiting three of the four sites of the Berlin Biennale. I could not engage much with the biennale offerings, but appreciated some of the more witty exhibits of Hamburger Banhof’s collection (selection below).
Protruding Gallery, Powerless Structure, Fig. 223 by Elmgreen & Dragset: a sculpture of an art gallery either rising up or sinking into the ground. On its side, CONTEMPORARY ART is partially covered to read TEMPORARY ART
Nofretete by Hans-Peter Feldmann: we had seen the original bust of Nefertiti at the Neues Museum, and this is a plaster copy which the artist has used to make a social comment
Hochstapler by Ayşe Erkmen: the commentary explains it all
Time to say goodbye and head for lunch
1:15 PM: Chipperfield Kantine, Joachimstraße 11,10119 Berlin
Hidden away in a courtyard, the canteen of David Chipperfield’s architectural practice is a treasure. I would probably eat here weekly if I lived in Berlin. Lunch only on weekdays and between 12:00 – 2:30 pm, so plan your timings to fit in.
2:15 PM: Hackesche Höfe and Ice cream
There are many shops within the courtyards of Hackesche Höfe which makes it a rewarding wander. This time we discovered Golem (Sophienstraße 6/Hof 6, 10178 Berlin) which has the most beautiful tiles. We also stopped at Canal (Sophienstraße 5, 10178 Berlin) which serves ice cream and pastries.
The entrance to Hackesche Höfe and a single tile from Golem which I bought as a souvenir of the trip
Olive oil, peach, rosemary (left) and Bergamot-Cheesecake (right) ice cream from Canal
3:15 PM: Walk around Friederichstrasse and Gendarmenmarkt
A short visit to the Dussmann bookstore (Friedrichstraße 90, 10117 Berlin) to inhale the goodness of books
A visit to the ICONIC exhibition at Volkswagen Forum (Friedrichstraße 84, 10117 Berlin)
Coffee and cookie at Bonanza Coffee (Jägerstraße 58-60 10117 Berlin)
6:00 PM: Back to hotel for a rest…
…but first, a trip to the Japanese stationary shop Maido Okini at the Bikini Mall
8:15 PM: Dinner at REMI
I am not a fan of sitting outdoors in cities: exhaust fumes, cigarette smoke, multitudes passing by. On account of the fine weather everyone sat outside on the wide pavement, so Mr Gochugaru and I had the entire spacious restaurant to ourselves. It was a treat, and REMI remains memorable for the the food, the service and the ‘quiet night in’.
10:50 PM: Goodnight!
In the next post we visit a market, walk around a palace and eat some delightful croissants.