Berlin Travel Answers

the catering catalogue in here is definitely posh lindner-esskultur.de/katalog... and it's not a million miles away from the hauptbahnhof, so we may go for these guys as something elegant. we will be carrying bread knives and boards so we will be able to make stuff up if we need to.

Would that be a Brussels bread-knife, by any chance...? Did you find the genever you wanted?

> we're doing several local equivalents of Harrod's food halls In Berlin this would be KaDeWe's food hall, nut that would be in Berlin's west, not anywhere close Hauptbahnhof (but rather Zoo Station or Zoologischer Garten). Lindner is fine too, probably a bit overrated, but still above average. Easiest to find would be the shop in Friedrichstrasse. If I remember correctly, there's a deli in > or just some suggestion for something so Prussian only the Prussians > know about it I am not Prussian (but spent 12 years in Berlin), and there is a Marzipan Manufaktur in Berlin. Everyone knows Luebecker Marzipan, but Berlin's is pretty much unheard of. But that would be in Charlottenburg - too far away. But there is also a Bonbon Manufaktur (handmade sweets) situated in Heckmann Höfe, Oranienburger Str. 32 (close to New Synagogue). To be honest, they aren't posh, and I never really liked thier sweets), but at least their Berliner Waldmeisterblätter (Berlin's Leaves of Woodruff) are quite unique. Best, they are relatively close to Friedrichstrasse (Lindner!), so perhaps you could visit both. You wouldn't even need to go back to Friedrichstrasse but could head to Hackescher Markt and hop on the S-Bahn back to Hauptbahnhof there.

thanks turtleshell, that's a great start. Waldmeisterblätter sound interesting.... actually they look quite inedible but still interesting :) I'm not exactly sure what we really need for this leg, though we will be on the train from mid morning till evening. We'll have all evening in Prague so we'll be able to get hearty fare there. I've got a full year to investigate this and it's fun to do. On the low countries genever front, I've located appropriate liquor stores in Brussels and Amsterdam, though I dont have any recommendations for brands as yet. we can just buy stuff for 20-30 euros a bottle that isnt called bols, I'm sure we'll work it out. I'm forcing everyone to take at least one bottle of spirits each north, which is the limit in Norway. If it doesnt get drunk by the time we get back to a more economically viable part of europe then I'll be surprised but we'll work out something to do with the stuff I'm sure ;). Our livers may well be in tatters by the time we get to Berlin but we should certainly all have a shot of schnapps during the day, so we should go for some good stuff if it's just the one bottle between 15.

Berlin (Prussia generally) is not famous for food (Or as you call it "interesting gastronomical experience"). There is the sausage called Curry-Wurst, but "bratwurst isn't really going to make it" so I recomend a special donut which is called Berliner all over Germany, but in Berlin never ever call it Berliner, you must say "Pfannkuchen" (meaning pancake)You can get it in the main station for sure. If there is a variety of fillings choose plumbutter. Berlin-food, as you realize now, is nor very posh...

thanks blackbird. I've had currywurst, they could almost have been invented for british tourists. these doughnuts sound excellent, plumbutter, yum.