Another bright morning shone over Berlin, and we awoke fully-recharged. From the skylit Metro station that was enclosed beside our hotel, we sped back to Benedict for another perfect breakfast. (We relished how Berlin's Metro wasn't diverted or delayed, as often happens with NYC's subway).
Learning from our previous error, we had an easier ride: transferring from the U2 to the U3 route at Gleisdreieck Station,
... and exiting at Spichernstrabe Station. (So clean!)
Benedict was merely two streets away, and it provided a picturesque stroll to get there.
Those three photos above are of Ludwigkirchplatz (St. Ludwig Church Plaza), named for its freestanding Gothic church.
I sigh with fond memories of how pretty the neighborhood was. It reminded us of the City of Westminster in London. Below, please enjoy my panoramic video of that pretty town square...
Seen below, the sanitation trucks were made by Mercedes. It epitomized classy cleanliness.
It caused us to pause and notice that the streets were not filled with garbage. In NYC (America's priciest city), the typical behavior is to neglect beauty and create piles of trash along the streets. 90% of NYC's five boroughs are plagued by mounds of garbage in public spaces—oozing liquids and causing a stench.
We also liked the orderliness of traffic, parking, and vehicle speed. During our week in Germany, we saw cars cruising fast on the autobahns (highways) but never on a city street. Nobody drove through red lights, drag-raced, rode motorbikes on the sidewalks, or illegally drove down a one-way street for convenience. We attribute that to an obedient society and the presence of polizei who use high-performance techniques... and BMW vehicles.
Compare that to what New Yorkers typically see of their overpaid police...
Please click the image below to make it bigger/clearer...
Appreciating the improvement that Berlin offers its citizens, we turned the corner of a picture-perfect street and approached Benedict. Pushing through the glass doors and a breeze-stopping curtain, we were greeted by a smiley hostess. She ushered us to a table in another section of the busy restaurant. At 9:00 on a Monday morning, the place was packed with pleasant people.
For my first meal of the day, I ate Shakshuka: a North African recipe for a casserole of stewed tomatoes, red peppers, eggs, spicy eggplant, tahini, and a green salad. Served in an iron skillet, it cost €17.50, and I finished every morsel!
I drank another ideal latte, while Lewis sipped a citrus cocktail.
As always, our food was accompanied by an unlimited supply of oven-fresh rolls from their bakery. The butter was perfectly spreadable, and the types of rolls were different than yesterday.
After eating, we walked northwest to Olivaer Platz. We passed a construction crew that ripped up part of the street. We were mesmerized by their work because it was so quiet! Clearly, they use better-made machinery than we ever heard in cheap/greedy America. Instead of a manually-operated jackhammer, they smartly used a fully-mechanical one, and its precision and engineering let it tear apart the concrete while barely making noise. In fact, the children who played (quietly—not like New York ones who suffer from sugar overdoses) in the park were louder than the construction crew! Stunning! Why don't superior things occur in the USA?
We popped into a superb pastry shop named Aux Merveilleux de Fred because they are famous for their unique pastry puffs.
Lewis selected six of the larger types, and our compliments made the young man give a sparkly smile. Their consistency reminded us of Eton Mess, which was lovely in London.
I will remark with fondness that Berliners consume a lot of sausages, beer, dumplings, pastries, and cakes... yet they don't suffer from obesity as Americans do. We attribute that to wholesome ingredients, a penchant for walking/cycling, and better living. Many young men wear form-fitting pants—more than we see in Manhattan...
We traipsed along Kurfürstendamm, which is the capital's prestigious shopping boulevard. In English, it means Prince Elector Embankment, which identifies its original purpose in 1542 for the Margrave of Brandenburg as a road through the swamp to his hunting lodge. In 1875, the German chancellor, Otto von Bismarck, replaced the bridle path with the boulevard, modeled on the Champs-Élysées in Paris. It remains popular for fashion designers, restaurants, and sidewalk cafes.
Of course, we paused at the Chanel boutique. As you may know, the main designer for Chanel since 1982 was Karl Lagerfeld, who was born in Hamburg, Germany.
Sauntering along the sidewalk, we looked at the vitrines, but most were empty and merely had posters of each brand.
For comparison, there are 20 store vacancies along NYC's high-priced Madison Avenue, between 52nd St and 59th St. Last autumn, there were 18. New tenants and businesses moved in, but more vacated. An increase in abandonment within NYC’s “premium” real estate district should be alarming. But—as seen during the 1970s—the city’s authorities and landlords don’t care; they always expect to be saved without exerting themselves. My coworker attests that many businesses in his area of Brooklyn are still boarded-up since the pandemic. Away from that, Lewis and I were happy to be in a well-managed shopping district.
Shoppers can't enjoy those pretty sights in NYC's retail districts (Hudson Yards, FiDi, TriBeCa, Madison Avenue, or Fifth Avenue) because skyscrapers block the sunlight and darken the streets.
Furthermore, never-ending construction puts swathes of sidewalks under scaffolding: ugly and cave-like for pedestrians.
(If your city has a low skyline, never take it for granted).
After browsing many stores, I was dismayed by an inability to find stores that sold tracht (traditional German attire). I wanted a velvet or suede vest in a classic style.
Lewis is a fan of stylish footwear and was curious about loferls, to adorn his shapely legs.
I also think that we'd look cute in classic German lederhosen (leather shorts), that are historically made of suede.
I tried searching online, but only one store existed in the entire capital, and it was far away at Alexanderplatz. Clearly, Berliners are not eager to wear their nation's heritage outfits. However, Berlin sustains a vibrant "erotic leather" culture that evolved from its classic outfit of leather shorts and leather suspenders. It was easier to find those things than the classics. They are popular with gay men. In fact, Europe's "leather subculture" gathers annually in Berlin for a Folsom Fair.
*Homosexuality was almost legalized in 1929, but the Nazis caused civil unrest as they seized power. Their secret police—the Gestapo—raided gay bars to purge Berlin of “undesirables”. After the Nazis were defeated, homosexuality was legalized by the Soviets in East Germany in the 1950s. However, American & British-controlled West Germany persecuted lesbians and gay men. When Britain decriminalized homosexuality in 1967, West Germany did the same. (The USA—supposedly “Land of Equal Rights”—punished homosexuality during the 60s-70s and didn’t legalize it until 2003). In 1985, Berlin opened the world’s first Gay Museum, the Schwules. In 2001, the Mayor of Berlin was a gay man (a representation of equality that NYC never had and seems like it never will), and he served successfully until 2014.
Near the northern end of the tree-lined boulevard, we entered a world-famous Christmas Store: Käthe Wohlfahrt. In 1964, it was founded by a husband and wife named Wilhelm and Käthe Wohlfahrt, near Stuttgart. Still family-owned, the company is headquartered in Bavaria and continues excellent traditions of handmade decorations via wood-carving, whittling, glass-blowing, hand-painting, and whimsical innovation. It's hugely popular in France, Belgium, Japan, Spain, the United Kingdom, Canada, and it has seasonal stores in the USA: Minnesota, Texas, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and Illinois.
The flagship boutique in Berlin conjured a childlike curiosity and sense of fun in every customer. Employees wear classic German attire, and every segment of the store is full of exquisite decorations.
As a boy, I had a collection of nutcrackers, which I adored. Additionally, Lewis and I like watching The Nutcracker Ballet, with music (a cavalcade of percussion) composed by a gay man named Pyotr (Peter) Tchaikovsky. Thus, I was enthralled with their huge selection of wooden nutcrackers! Originating in Germany in the 1670s, they depicted princely rulers and soldiers and were given stern faces as a farce. Well-built ones use 60 pieces of carved wood.
We marveled at the life-size Christmas Pyramid that the staircase wrapped around. It was mechanical, but a real one uses the heat from tiered candles to spin a propeller at the top, and that spins different levels of figurines.
Usually, the "pyramids" are small for a tabletop.
Smaller versions with one level are called Christmas Carousels.
On the store's upper level, there is a cornucopia of Christmas! Everything is handmade!
Curvy showcases contained satin-lined bins that were brimming of shiny baubles and balls. Giddy to explore, we invested an hour in the store, adding items to our basket.
Seen above, the figurine depicts Sankt Nikolaus (Saint Nicholas): the Christmastime gift-giver in Germany. As in many European nations, he delivers gifts on December 6. As a holdover from polytheistic times, he is accompanied by Knecht Ruprecht: a devilish punisher of bad children.
(During the Religious Reformation, Martin Luther told Protestants to celebrate an angelic Christkindl). To learn more about the variations of St. Nick (who morphed into Santa Claus in the USA), please use this link...
Seen below, the "smoking men" depicted pipe-smoking men doing all types of activities. Invented in 1850 in Heidelberg, Germany, the figures now include many professions, celebrities, and gnomes. The smoke is produced by incense cones within the hollow figures, and it exits from the mouths. Fragrances included fir tree, gingerbread, cedar, lavender, and citrus.
Lewis admired an assortment of handmade ornaments made of paper-thin balsam wood. Each one was masterfully created of dozens of slivers of wood: curled, patterned, and affixed. If you ever a built a model boat or plane, you know how delicate it is. Wearing his fingerless gloves from Florence, Lewis gingerly admired them.
Seen above on the left, he bought one shaped like a snowflake. *Hung on our Christmas tree at home, it catches the light nicely.
Another one was fashioned from wood as a lantern that sits on one of our tree's lights and illuminates images of snowflakes and pipe-smoking gentlemen.
Seen below, Lewis tested dozens of metal bells to find ones with the purist tone, and he selected a duo of silver bells with a crystal sphere in the middle and handmade filigree that holds the ribbon together. The bells sound lovely, dangling from one of our doorknobs. They emit cheery jingles whenever we enter.
Seen below, Lewis preened over countless ornaments to find the ones with the handsomest paint "brush strokes", prettiest feathers, best-laid sequins, shiniest iridescence, or craftiest woodwork. Holding each one was an admiration of craftsmanship.
He chose a miniature Christmas Carousel that works with a votive candle. It was the perfect size to fit in our luggage (and it twirls prettily in our home--allowing the metal shapes to reflect the shimmering flame).
Germans are fond of tree toppers, which are a challenge for any glass-blower: two or three balls that are attached, with a pointy finial at the tip. As alternatives to stars and angels, they are fanciful and pretty.
A few years ago, Lewis bought one online from Germany, and it adorns our Christmas tree. Seen below, it consists of four segments that were "silvered" and painted.
We went downstairs and passed an array of wondrous cuckoo clocks, which are a German mainstay. My childhood home had one, and I fondly recall pulling its weighted chains downward to keep it wound.
At the cashier, we observed a couple from Japan purchase $1,000 worth of ornaments as gifts for their family at home. Our salesgirl explained that many Asians like their brand, and some make annual visits. That is impressive. Our purchase totaled €58.30 for 5 handmade ornaments. Both cashiers boxed our items carefully (and those sturdy boxes protected them during our flight home). Then, they waved and said "Guten tag" (Oot-en tack), which means "Good day".
Exiting the charming store, we turned back to admire its illuminated exterior against the night sky: a giant red ribbon around the store was a nice touch.
From there, we moseyed to C&A, which sold well-made yet affordable clothing. Founded in 1840, it is a global Dutch retailer with several brands that it sells. It remains family-owned by its founding family who initially came from Northern Germany and sold linen in the Netherlands. In 2010, Beyoncé created her own clothing line with C&A's cooperation. The store is located in the Swissôtel, which was a hotel that got converted into office space in 2018. After browsing the Men's Department, I bought a wool turtleneck made with a gorgeous hue of orange. It was part of the company's "Wear The Change" program: using a minimum of 20% recycled materials for the nylon portion of the garment. It was modestly priced at €40, and it feels very soft. I wore it several time already and always got compliments on how nice the color looks on me.
I also bought a Fair-Isle turtleneck sweater that was on sale for only €10. It is similar to the one below, but in black, white, and light blue. It's spiffy.
When it was time to pay, we saw a Self Checkout kiosk. Similar to the Metro system and indicative of a trustworthy society, there was no scale to confirm the weight of items being paid for. There were no employees anywhere near it. The garments didn't have security tags. Nonetheless, we chose the English language option and paid for everything. Our transaction was finished in less than one minute. We love that type of shopping!
Closer to the Metro station, we were amazed to see sanitation crews collecting autumn leaves for removal. Part of our amazement was how quiet they were; despite three vehicles and six workers, we didn't hear any noise until we turned the corner. Their teamwork and precision was remarkable. Outside of America, machinery is marvelous; much of Europe and Asia invest in technology that truly cleans their communities, while being ecologically-friendly and zero-to-low emissions. Workers shoveled and raked the fallen leaves into piles, and street sweepers sucked them up, while another vacuum truck removed other piles. Berliners may think that their city is dirtier than other ones in Germany, but it is hugely cleaner than any part of NYC—including Park Avenue, Wall Street, or the Upper East Side. Seen below, my nighttime photo wasn't helpful, so I found similar ones from Berlin's civic webpage. Their machinery is truly designed to clean every crevice and type of pavement.
Despite a higher cost of living and more taxation, we don't get those benefits of a clean city in NYC. In comparison, when an overpaid NYC Sanitation worker drives his street sweeper through a street, he merely drives down the center of the street—ignoring the curbs—and he rarely uses the vacuum (most are probably broken and uncaringly not repaired). All the brushes on NYC street sweepers are worn-down and barely do anything but slide over the roadways.
Notoriously, NYC street sweepers have bad engines, so they spew more dust from their exhaust than they clean up. If pedestrians walk past them, they must shield themselves from being pelted by debris that is thrown outward from the useless brushes. After a street sweeper passes your street, it will still look like this...
Stupidly, that allows leaves and debris to clog the street drains, which causes more problems... like a third-word society.
That is how NYC/America uncaring treats its overtaxed citizens.
Arriving at our hotel's Metro station, we were happy to see that it remained clean and orderly at night.
Despite the fact that anybody can get access to the stations, there was an absence of homeless inhabitants—who are abundant in NYC (America's wealthiest city), Chicago, and Boston. In NYC, they look like this...
After freshening ourselves and changed clothes at our hotel, we wished a Good Night to Nikoloz, and we embarked on a culinary adventure in the capital. Up the street from our hotel was the Ritz Carlton Hotel, so we walked there for pre-dinner cocktails.
We arrived before several Palestinian diplomats (their car's fender flag identified them)...
Built in 2002, the 5-star hotel is directly east of the city's diplomatic district, so we saw several ambassadorial cars and diplomatic license plates. Lewis and I proceeded to its gorgeous bar named The Curtain Club—decorated in Art Deco style.
On most days, a jazz trio performs swingy music. When they take a break, the overhead soundtrack is a mix of club/retro.
Seen above, we don't recall the flavors that we ordered, but our drinks were delectable: unique flavor combinations. Each was priced at €24. That is appropriate for a 5-star hotel, but it is sadly the normal cost of overpriced drinks at most mediocre Manhattan bars. Our waitress provided complimentary peanuts and pitted olives. Sitting on cushy suede sofas amidst the upbeat hubbub, we were very content.
Seen above, Lewis wore his dark-green fingerless gloves, which matched his green leather necktie.
Please enjoy his panoramic video of the scenery...
After an hour, it was time for us to depart and walk a short distance to our dinner reservations. We passed through the SONY Center, which has a tall canopy that is illuminated at night.
We arrived at Restaurant Facil. It won two Michelin stars.
According the the Michelin Guide, Facil ranked as the #3 place of 29,573 places to eat in Berlin! I'm glad that Lewis chose it. It occupies the rooftop of a sleek building (the 5-star Mandala Hotel), so an elevator is required from the lobby.
A fun surprise in its reception area is encountering the motion-activated glass doors; they swing outward to welcome you with a dramatic flourish.
The team is friendly and immensely talented.
Manuel Finster, the manager, welcomed us and graciously put our coats away, while a young woman escorted us to our seats. Our thanks went to the reservationist who granted our request for a table in the middle of the room. It was beside a gurgling fountain, which enhanced the milieu.
The room is a glass cube. At night, the gardens are subtly illuminated, but diners have a clear view of the glass-walled kitchen that is across the garden. (A corridor is used by the staff).
Another waiter presented an assortment of handmade breads, and we received an unlimited supply. I have a partiality for dark rye, which is a cultural German standard. The freshly-churned butter had an unparalleled creaminess.
Lewis and I ordered the Chef's Tasting Menu: 7 courses for €238 each. (Facil lets you choose from 4 courses at €178 to 8 courses at €258). The dining room captain guided us through the menu, offering vivid descriptions that honored each recipe. Chef Michael Kempf has experience at 3-Michelin-star restaurants in Germany and won his first star at the age of 26!
His creations are edible masterpieces for the senses!
Before anything began, our waiter asked if we wanted glasses of champagne, and I accepted.
To ease ourselves into the anticipation of a languid meal, we sipped the bubbly and admired our sleek surroundings. Berliners are not fussy about their clothes, so half of the diners wore casual-neat attire. We identified tourists, and we saw a middle-aged pair of spouses having a "special night out", a clique of businessmen honoring an Asian partner, and many youthful couples sharing splendid meals.
Next, the sommelier, named Felix, helped Lewis navigate through the extensive wine list. Together, they selected a dry 2020 vintage of Riesling. It was made by one of Germany's best wineries, Gut Hermannsberg, in the Niederhausen region. In 1901, the area was created near the border of the Kingdom of Bavaria as the Royal Prussian Wine-Growing Domain. It partnered with the Grand Ducal Hessian Agricultural Research Institute, and amazing viticulture innovations emerged. The grapes are grown on a steep, terraced vineyard in a microclimate with a high amount of iron in its soil. The wine tastes like citrus and herbs.
We were served by 10 people. Throughout our experience, our table was kept tidy and our water goblets were refilled with a perceptiveness that we appreciate. Before each course was presented, our young waiter laid out new utensils that were customized for the upcoming food. To ensure that the ambiance wasn't stuffy, the staff chatted amicably with everyone—but never intrusively. We learned a lot about each menu item from our knowledgable servers, and they seemed to beam with smiles at the opportunities to describe their delicacies.
Our meal commenced with Cheek of Balfego Tuna (a prized Mediterranean fish), served above puréed celery, algae, and Williams pear. I didn't photograph it, but I did snap a photo of our amuse-bouche, created by Joachim Gerner, the Chef de Cuisine from Austria.
Next, we consumed Huchen (a fish found in the Danube River) that was grown at family-owned Birnbaum Fishery.
It was served with grilled corn, lemon koji seasoning, and anise.
That was followed by a bowl of Norwegian Scallops that were hand-caught in the Kingdom of Norway by a Scotsman named Roderick "Roddie" Sloan.
His scallops are gastronomical treasures that are only sold to 9 places in the world! Famously, they are served at "The World's Best Restaurant", Noma, in Copenhagen. To learn more about Noma, please use this link...
*To see when we flew to Norway and had more scallops and many adventures, please use this link:
The scallops floated on a broth of pistachio, parsnips, and wild sage. We never ate anything as pure! The flavor was wondrous!
From the Brittany region of France, we ate Breton (that means "something from Brittany") Red Mullet. The delicate fish was grilled to perfection. It was paired with chorizo and artichokes.
The cheese course was presented to us by a young woman: Vacherin Mont D'Or, which is a Swiss cave-aged cow's milk cheese made from the autumn milking. Cows only graze on Alpine pastures, which produces a silky richness in the cheese. (As you can tell, Lewis and I like purity).
Our favorite was the Beef tenderloin, sourced from Galicia!
It is a region in the Kingdom of Spain. Galician beef has been a delicacy for 4,000 years! The pure native breed is allowed to graze for 15 years longer than typical cattle. Our steak was prepared with truffles, leeks, and salsify (sauce Albufera).
For dessert, we had a two-part treat. First, we were given Quince and Chestnut Cake on fermented peppers and beechnuts. With artistic innovation, Pastry Chef Thomas Yoshida styled each cake to resemble a smiling face.
Having worked at Facil since its inception in 2001, we understand how he repeatedly wins "Patissier of the Year".
Seen below, Lewis and I were given pastry spoons (they have a slight ridge on the left side) because the cake contained a gooey sauce that needed to be scraped up so that no drops were wasted. We cleaned our plates perfectly!
As a sweet finale, the pastry team gave each of us a chocolate truffle (dusted with cocoa powder), a petit-four shaped like an apple on a cube, and a scoop of handmade mango gelato.
As our meal ended, I was inspired to ask the waitstaff about where I could buy the best gingerbread in Berlin? Comically, however, our waiter didn't seem to understand me. He seemed flummoxed by my question and replied, "Well, some people like them. But I am not certain about them." He went to a colleague, and whispered what I said (or what he thought I said), and that man (named Maximilian) approached and seemed embarrassed to explain that "the city has them, and they can be found in many different areas"... but he couldn't say where. As they walked away, Lewis chuckled and said, "Maybe they think you want to find a gay bar specifically for gingers (red-haired men)!" Ha ha! I blushed and tried to research those words online, but my iPhone was too slow. Finally, Manuel Finster sauntered to our table, and I explained very carefully what I wanted to find. I showed a photo. He paused, as if relieved and knowing that a misinterpretation occurred between us and his staff. With a grin, he told us that he loved lebkuchen (gingerbread), and he was thankful that Germany baked it throughout the year. He informed us that KaDeWe sold the best versions in the capital. To be friendly, he asked about our trip in his homeland. He told us that he was formerly a banker but preferred to work in gourmet restaurants. Years ago, he worked in London at the Dorchester Hotel (which has a Michelin-starred restaurant). He worked at Facil since 2001. He loves his job with his boss.
From our conversation, we learned about an astounding restaurant in Berlin named for its chef: Tim Raue. We'll got there during our next visit to experience his culinary genius! (We like it when restaurants want each other to succeed).
Lewis added an additional gratuity, we thanked everyone for a splendid evening, and we proceeded to the lavatory. That's where we had another lovely surprise.
Regardless of their stars/ratings, American restaurants fail to invest in fully-automated lavatories. They usually require customers to use their just-washed hands to touch a door to exit. Facil wowed us with our first experience in a fully-automated facility where we didn't have to touch any of the fixtures. The urinal, soap dispenser, faucet, and hand dryer were sensor-operated. As the pièce-de-résistance, a sensor by the door lets you activate an automatic door opener! Here is our video of that smart innovation...
Every distinguished eatery should invest in one of those! As we left the restaurant, its motion-censored double-doors automatically swung open to let us pass. That is German engineering. It's always great to be coddled with ingenious culinary and technological treats!
*To see when Lewis and I returned to Spain for more Galician delicacies and astounding site-seeing, please use this link: https://halfwindsorfullthrottle.blogspot.com/2023/11/our-trip-to-madrid-spain-part-1-of-7.html
Lewis and I enjoyed the convenience of a short stroll to return to our hotel, where the heated floor and terrycloth robes were further comforts. We watched several German comedies on the television and then slept serenely. Join us in the next part!
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