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Settlers of Catan 3D
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Play the Field: Berlin’s Best Board Game Cafe

Bad pun about a board game cafe? Never. It’s a… translation.

Shop front Spielwiese Berlin

“Spiel” is the German word for game. “Wiese” is the German word for meadow. And “Spielwiese” is my word for inexhaustible fun. Spielwiese is also the name of a board game cafe in Friedrichshain.

This place has been a favourite of mine since 2012 – that’s commitment by Berlin’s standards. Spielwiese has kept me and many others under its spell with a promise of good times that is kept every time. I like it for the cosy and slightly nostalgic atmosphere, but after a quick google I found out it’s the second biggest board game cafe in the world with ca. 1,400 games (we have to concede victory to France).

How it works: you turn up, say hi to the bearded owner (I think), who looks like a Professor of Board Games. He’ll give you a card. The first half hour is free, and then after that it’s 1 euro per hour, and you pay when you’re ready to leave. There are bottled beers, cider, caffeinated drinks and snacks (the waffles call to me every time). These are to keep you fed and watered while you lay siege to your frenemies. If you want to completely fiend out on board games you can also rent them overnight. Continue reading “Play the Field: Berlin’s Best Board Game Cafe”

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Two and Two cafe Berlin Neukölln
Eat & Drink, Shop

Two and Two = 10/10 Cafe in Berlin

Maths isn’t my forte. Drinking coffee in nice cafés is.

Two and Two cafe Berlin Neukölln

Don’t ever big up a brunch place in Berlin. It’s as if they know you’re coming, and to prepare for your modest party of two they’ll hire hipsters & co. to strategically spread themselves across the five only tiny tables. This was my experience at Roamers, which deserves both its hype and its following. But that said I may have thanked God for gentrification in Neukölln – Two And Two was just around the corner. Continue reading “Two and Two = 10/10 Cafe in Berlin”

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Eat & Drink, Shop

Simple is sweet

And I don’t mean in a let’s-get-back-to-our-coffee-roasting-roots kind of way.

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Incidentally, Ako does do good coffee. And sweetly decorated notebooks. And soft padded stationery cases. And is a mini art gallery. And co-shares the space with a record shop and two cats. And does the best interpretation of the elusive British scone that I’ve tasted in Berlin – infused with Earl Grey or plain and always served like this: Continue reading “Simple is sweet”

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Eat & Drink, Shop

Nibbles at Nibs

Let me introduce you to chocolate.

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Mine.

Hot chocolate should be so good that you’d squeeze yourself, chunky winter layers and all, onto a tiny bench for it. Hence why the above photo features someone’s legs in the background. In fact, Nibs Cacao is so tiny that I barely had enough space to swing a camera around. If you live in Berlin, then the narrow chocolatiers will remind you of your bathroom. If you don’t live in Berlin, line up a couple of medium-sized wardrobes side by side, then add a chest of drawers to make an L-shape – that’s Nibs.

If you’re lazy *AHEM* freelance like me, then go at the most unpopular time you can, unless you enjoy doing battle with fellow chocoholics – there will be a queue. Once inside, admire the wide selection of flavoured hot chocolates they have. And then forget all of them, apart from the one at the very top of the menu board: the Spanish hot chocolate. Why? For the same reason that this kind of chocolate is served with a spoon – it’s so thick, so oozing with real chocolate, that you’re supposed to eat it rather than drink it. To ease you into this idea of eating your drink, they also serve the Spanish version with freshly fried churros. Never had it? Picture doughnuts, only better – fluffy on the inside, crispy on the outside, and sprinkled with sugar. “Can it get more heavenly than that?!” screams your inner greedy person. Oh yes it can: the churros and the chocolate are made fresh – the Spanish hot chocolate always has a quick turnover. Continue reading “Nibbles at Nibs”

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Go, Shop

It never gets old

In a city where new discoveries are old hat, it’s hard to believe that finding a hidden gem is still possible.

The throne of heaven.

No prizes for finding the amusing detail in this idyllic scene.

Let’s be honest: the secret hideaways of Berlin are fast becoming common knowledge. The infamous abandoned TB clinics and theme parks are regularly frequented by intrepid explorers; hipster cafes are impossibly full for the Berlin Sunday brunchtime; and if you find yourself haggling for an authentic vintage satchel at a flea market, you will probably have to engage in physical combat with your neighbours. More or less.

But finding something new doesn’t need to be this way; it doesn’t have to involve anything illegal, it doesn’t need to be covered in graffiti, and it doesn’t have to be in the East of Berlin, either. Not that I have anything against those qualities (well, maybe the first) – I love the East as much as any Expat. But in my opinion, consciously avoiding the West on those soul-searching flaneurs is a big mistake. If you really want to be different, stop thinking about what the mainstream is up to and think about what you (yes, you!) have not yet done. Continue reading “It never gets old”

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