To wrap up that weird weekend in Berlin, I forgot to mention that I couldn’t figure out how to work the shower at the Mercure Hotel near Tegel. I tried pulling, pushing, twisting, turning, but to no avail. I even looked around for other switches. There were none. I wonder if my buddy had more luck.

I can’t rave enough about Berlin. Unlike the typical High Street in London which is colonised by predictably boring chains, the cool areas in Berlin (KastanienAllee, Boxhagener Platz) have mostly kept their grungy character. Here are some pics that I took on my previous trips to Berlin.

Kwikshop: I don’t think you can actually step into this store. Purchases are made through their “drive-through” counter. I wonder how well they do when the weather sucks.

Dickie Dinger: Stuff for well-endowed women. I didn’t have the guts to enter the store.

Charlie barber: You gotta love the pay-as-you-want concept. I suppose homeless patrons are not always welcomed. 

There were lots more I could have taken. Unfortunately I’m a very passive photographer. I usually snap only when there’s no one else around. Very pathetic of me, I know.

Since I was also in Berlin for “work”, here a couple of neat poster designs that could sell well as T-shirts:

This one has great shock value, but it’s not the type of image we’re after.

Addresses
Kwikshop: KastanienAllee 44, http://www.kwikshop.de/, Rosentaler Platz
Dickie Dinger: Torstraße 68, http://www.dicke-dinger-berlin.de/, Rosa-Lux. Platz

Ps: another store I like is Berlinomat: Frankfurter Allee 89, http://www.berlinomat.com/, Frankfurter Allee, plus there are several others around Hackesche Markt.