Last Saturday, Lewis and I grabbed our cameras and took to the streets of El Born, Barcelona for a unique photography tour by FOTO RUTA BARCELONA. El Born is a district in the old town of Barcelona full of cute streets, lively bars and a lotta culture. We actually live in El Born so we already knew the area quite well (although surprisingly we discovered some streets we had never frequented) but it was an amazing experience to be guided through the streets of our neighbourhood with no other objective than to take photos.
We met our guide (and professional photographer) Juan in the cute En Aparté cafe at the top end of El Born where we had a complimentary drink whilst being shown a short presentation. He talked about photography techniques – aperture, shutter speed, ISO – as well as tips for taking a good photograph – framing, patterns, lines etc. Then, we headed out into the streets of El Born for three hours with just cameras in our hands and time on our side. Here are my favourite shots.
Samedi dernier, Lewis et moi avons pris nos appareils photos pour un tour unique avec FOTO RUTA BARCELONA. Nous nous sommes baladés dans Le Born, un quartier historique dans Barcelone avec plein de petites rues mignonnes, des bars vivants et beaucoup de culture. Nous connaissons déjà bien Le Born parce que nous y habitons – mais nous avons découverts des endroits que nous n’en connaissions pas – et c’était génial d’être guidé dans notre quartier avec qu’un seul but – prendre des photos.
Nous avons eu un rendez-vous avec notre guide, Juan (un photographe lui-même), dans un cafe mignon qui s’appelle En Aparté en Le Born. Nous avons bu une boisson offerte pendant que Juan nous a montrés une petite présentation sur les techniques de photographe – l’ouverture, la vitesse d’obturation et l’ISO – ainsi que des conseils pour prendre une belle photo – la composition, les motifs, les lignes etc. Puis, pendant trois heures, nous nous sommes baladés dans les rues de Le Born avec nos appareils photos et du temps. Voici mes photos préférées.
Hello! Welcome to this slightly unconventional city guide to Berlin. I spent four lovely days in this vibrant and unique city back in March, despite the weather being absolutely awful at times. Berlin is so full of history and culture and of course there are many tourist must-sees that I am only going to touch on in this post. I wanted to show you some places to eat but also some tips to hack into the real Berlin. Make sure you check out my BERLIN VLOG of where to eat, shop and visit right at the bottom of this post and enjoy!
GO OFF THE BEATEN TRACK
Having been to Berlin a couple of years ago, I knew that this time I really wanted to get lost in the city and get a real feel for the place. Berlin is absolutely fascinating to walk around with street art and contrasting architecture at every turn. So, if you are going for the first time; sure, go and see the Brandenburg Gate and the East Side Gallery but then be sure to head into unknown territories. On this trip I particularly enjoyed exploring areas that I had not been to before like Friedrichshain and Neukölln. We saw some beautifully colourful buildings, hippy settlements – one with nearby giant slide – and got up close to the railway tracks.
ROAMERS
I apologise for the arguably excessive four photos to accompany a little bit of text about Roamers cafe in Berlin but just look at the place. It is so beautifully blogger and Pinterest-worthy that I found it hard further to narrow it down. After walking from Treptower Park, through the upcoming neighbourhood of Neukölln where this cafe is located, we stopped at Roamers for lunch. It is traditionally known for its brunches but it’s an all day every day kind of deal so of course we went for eggs. Having seen the Instagram-ready slate board presentation of some peoples’ dishes I must admit that I was slightly disappointed at my small plate but that is a minor detail (I still think our lunches make for a pretty damn good food photo). I had the avocado toast with extra poached eggs, which was lovely, and Lewis has scrambled eggs with extra avocado. The cafe is just beautiful and the staff are super friendly – plus they all just speak in English which was pretty handy!
€? I paid 10€ for that plus 3€ for a fresh mint tea which I think is quite standard pricing for Berlin.
TEMPELHOFER FELD
There is a place, just south of Kreuzberg, that is really quite special. Tempelhofer Feld is a former airport where Americans would land their planes during the Cold War. Complete with the original hangar and runways, Berliners recently campaigned and managed to keep this vast and unique place safe from housing development plans and a public place for good. In the summer the place will be full of people picnicking, sunbathing, cycling, jogging, skateboarding, the lot. But on this day in March, after quite a stormy afternoon, we were lucky enough to have a dry and quiet stroll down the former runways. For me, this is a must see if you are visiting Berlin.
KAFFEEMITTE
Having been to Kaffeemitte on our last visit to Berlin on a friend’s recommendation, we just had to return and have their to die for chocolate cheesecake. Twice. Yes, we went on two of the four days of our trip and the other two days we were thinking about it. Kaffeemitte has a great vibe – it’s always buzzing and as well as their amazing cake selection, they also offer delicious looking pasta, salads and sandwiches. As its name suggests, it is located in the central area of Mitte so it is perfect for a shopping pit-stop which leads me nicely onto my next tip…
€? – 3.50€ for a slice of cake and 2.50€ for tea.
SHOPPING
When you think of great cities to shop in, Paris, London and New York come to mind. However, Berlin should certainly be getting in that good press because its shopping is amazing. Of course you will find all of the usual high street shops but they also have some that are not found in every European city, such as Scandinavian favourites Weekday and denim gods Wrangler. If you are a bargain hunter or like finding that unique piece you should also check out my guide to VINTAGE SHOPPING IN BERLIN.
PHOTOAUTOMAT
When in Berlin, get photobooth photos done. The Photoautomat was introduced to Berlin in the 1960s and the few that are dotted around the city still produce retro and authentic photos for just 2€ per 4 strip. What a perfect bargain souvenir! This Photoautomat is located right near the East Side Gallery on Warschauer Straße. Last time we got colour ones so this time we went for black and white. Be warned that there is no timer so once you put your 2€ in, get ready to pose!
BERLIN’S DOORS
Well I thought I would finish off this slightly unconventional city guide on an unusual note. Sometimes I think that architecture and city design can get lost in the busyness of tourist attractions and appeal of foodporn. I can find simple pleasure in the aesthetics of a city from the Haussmann balconies in Paris and the bright lights in Times Square to the more recently discovered doors of Berlin. I was really quite taken by the colourful doors with Scrabble style numbers hanging above or next to the doors that light up charmingly at night. So my final advise to you is take time, look up, look down and look a little closer.
I hope that you have enjoyed this little guide to Berlin and make sure you watch my Berlin Vlog just below. It is one of my absolute favourite cities and I cannot wait to discover even more on my next visit, whenever that may be.
I am really excited to share with you a vlog from my recent trip to Berlin! I have separated the video into sections – where to eat, where to visit and where to shop. Although you should check out my blog post VINTAGE SHOPPING IN BERLIN for a more extensive shopping guide.
I am so pleased with how the video has turned out and I feel that my editing is getting better every time I do a new video. Let me know what you think, like the video and subscribe to my channel and thank you for tuning in huns!
Coucou!
Je suis super contente de vous présenter un nouveau vlog sur mon séjour récent a Berlin! La video est en trois parties – où on peut manger, visiter et faire du shopping. Cependant, il faut que vous verriez aussi mon poste VINTAGE SHOPPING IN BERLIN pour une guide plus complète.
Je suis vachement contente avec la video et je trouve que ma capacité de monter les videos améliore avec chaque video. Laissez-moi un commentaire, inscrivez-vous à ma chaîne et je vous remercie d’avoir regardé!
I thought that PARIS VINTAGE SHOPPING was hands down the best that I have ever come across but Berlin’s offering comes in at a close second. Unlike in Paris’ Le Marais, London’s Brick Lane or Camden Town or Stockholm’s Sodermalm, there is not one particular area of Berlin that is dedicated to vintage and secondhand clothing and as it is a vast city it was impossible for me to discover all of Berlin’s vintage shops in just four days. However, I was seriously impressed with those that I did – from clothes sold by weight, enormous charity shops and markets to shops selling carefully selected pieces and upcycled clothing. Welcome to my guide to vintage shopping in Berlin.
Buying clothes by weight is not a new concept but it certainly is a great one. Not only does it make shopping fun – you can weigh the items yourself at scales in the shop – but you can find some real bargains. Pick And Weight is a small shop in the heart of Mitte, which is crammed full of treasures and where you buy clothes by the kilo, the price of which depends on the colour of the item’s tag – red is 25€/kg, yellow is 35€/kg, green is 65€/kg and blue is 85€/kg. This exact concept is extremely similar to KILO SHOP in Paris where I used to work so I felt right at home here. Just as I am used to, the clothes are arranged by colour and the rails are jam packed so embrace it and get stuck in.
Garage is another vintage shop where you buy by the kilo but this time you just need to remember 25€/kg and you are golden. There are some fixed price items but these start from just 3/5/7 euros so how can you complain? This shop has everything, literally EVEYTHING, a bargain hunter could wish for – from vintage tea dresses, printed blouses and woollen jumpers to a shoe and boot collection that is to die for. Even though Garage is rather isolated – away from an area where there are other vintage shops and in a basement of what looks like a housing estate – it is certainly worth going out of your way to visit this enormous store full of bargains just waiting to be discovered. I picked up a beautifully androgynous velvet blazer on my visit to Garage and as I had been looking for one for a while, I thought 16€ was pretty damn good.
MADE IN BERLIN
Neue Schönhauser Straße, 19, Mitte.
Made In Berlin is Garage’s more hip, more expensive and more centrally located old sister boasting carefully selected pieces in a beautifully decorated boutique in Mitte. I think we can all agree that the vintage sign and decor behind the cash register (that is the title image to this post) is the prettiest thing ever. From the outside I thought it was going to be quite a small shop but it just keeps going! You might not get any bargains here but you can certainly expect quality, on-trend vintage items such as Levi’s 501 jeans from 30 euros. Plus it is just down the road from the aforementioned Pick N Weight so you can pick and choose where you plurge and where you rummage.
Frankfurter Tor, 3, Friedrichshain. Plus various others.
There are numerous Humanas around the city and the first one that I discovered was just off Alexanderplatz on my previous trip to Berlin. At the time I impressed by its large floor space but I now know that that was just an average Humana shop. On this recent trip to Berlin, I discovered their four-story “department store” at Frankfurter Tor where any bargain-hunter will feel like they have died and gone to heaven. The first three floors contain a vast selection of secondhand clothing for men, women and children with prices starting from as little as 1€! The fourth floor is dedicated to vintage and although these items are more expensive to those on the lower floors, it is still pretty cheap for vintage.
This chic boutique is at the opposite end of the vintage shop spectrum from stores like Humana and Garage but it depends what you like and sometimes it is just nice to have the selection already done for you. Some of us just are not natural bargain hunters but why should that mean you should be deprived of unique items and saving the planet? It should not, so enter Sing Blackbird, which has some gorgeous vintage and secondhand clothing that is all presented beautifully by colour and item across four rooms. Of course this all comes at a price – think 30€ for a blouse, oh and if you do need to think about it, Sing Blackbird also have an adorable little cafe for relaxing and vintage ponderings.
On a quiet street in upcoming neighbourhood Neukölln you will find Shio, a rather unique boutique that I instantly fell in love with. Shio has an impressive variety of pieces on offer for such a small space. Firstly let’s talk about their upcycled clothing, which is very reasonably priced (20€ for a crop jumper) seeing as the pieces have clearly been carefully selected and lovingly improved or moderated. In walking round to the back of the shop from the two/three upcycled rails you will find Shio’s own label – new, modern and minimalist clothing for both women and men. I absolutely loved their simple grey men’s tees and cotton midi dresses with striped hemline detailing. Finally they also sell cute jewellery, printed wrapping paper and even soap! Shio, I will definitely be back with a wad of euros on my next trip to Berlin.
MAUERPARK MARKET
The secondhand and vintage market in Mauerpark takes places every Sunday (come rain or shine) in the beautiful area of Prenzlauerberg. If you are heading to the market, make sure you take a pre or post shopping stroll in the charming streets of Kollwitzkiez. The market is vast and you can expect everything from carefully selected vintage clothing, a large choice of secondhand sheepskin coats (a Berlin favourite) and antiques to retro furniture, independent designers and jewellery. Once you have finished browsing, grab lunch from one of the many food trucks at the back of the market – we went for vegan falafel, which was delicious. If I lived in Berlin, this is definitely where I would come to deck out my flat with old tables, retro armchairs and cute trinkets. Oh Mauerpark Market alone is almost a reason to move to Berlin!
So there you have it! I hope you have enjoyed this guide to just some of the best places for vintage and secondhand shopping in Berlin. Let me know if you have been to any of these shops, if I am missing an major ones and which are your favourite!
I hope you all has a smashing Easter, whether it was the four day weekend or, like me, you worked out that taking the four days before Easter off work meant a ten day holiday for the price of four holiday days. Win.
I had an absolute cracking but non stop ten days, in which I managed to squeeze in a four day trip to Berlin, a two day trip up to the Costa Brava and a three day visit from my family. I have alotta content that I am so excited to share with from my holidays but I do not want to rush the blog posts – as I feel I have been doing lately – because it makes me stressed and not produce my best work. So for your mid week Fashion Et Moi fix, I’ll leave you with some photos from the beautiful Girona where I spent just a couple of hours on the way to the Costa Brava (I must go back for a proper visit). I am going to be working hard on blog posts and a Berlin vlog this weekend so stayed tuned!
How do you spend your Easter weekend?
Coucou mes choux!
J’espère que vous avez passé un super bon week-end de Pâques! Moi, j’ai eu dix jours de congé en prenant les quatre jours qui précédaient le week-end aussi. Dans une dizaine de jours, j’ai passé quatre jours à Berlin, deux jours sur la Costa Brava et puis ma famille m’a rendue visite à Barcelona pendant trois jours. C’était super mais non stop et après j’étais vraiment fatiguée.
J’ai hâte de vous présenter tout le contenu que j’ai pris pendant mes vacances. Cependant, je ne veux pas que je me presse pour créer ces postes – comme j’ai fait récemment – parce que cela me stresse et par conséquence je ne produirais pas mon meilleur travail. Voilà, vous avez votre petit fix de Fashion Et Moi – je vous laisse avec des photos que j’ai prises à Girona quand j’ai passé deux petites heures là-bas (il faut que j’y aille encore). Je vous promis que je vais travailler dûr ce week-end sur mon contenu et un vlog de Berlin!
