I first heard maker faire also held an event in Berlin. I was just super excited and without double…read moreI just book the ticket this event. This event is the cool event for the tech and robot nerd. And people like new innovation. I first saw their event video back in my hometown. But I never made it back then. So I would like to visit this one at least. The fair held at the Station. Which really nice open space next to my favour park in Berlin, Park am Gleichdreieck. It is a great place to have a walk. Of course, there is also a U-Bhan station close by as well. I like the big robot hand at the entrance, it was like say welcome to me. After that my hubby and I were already at the ticket centre to get our tickets just for one day. The Ticket was a bit expensive. 15 euro. But again, I wanted to check out this fair, so we eventually did got the tickets. As soon as we got in, we started to explore this place. There were some stands i found really interested. And a big area fill with this kinda Lego like mininatur things, it was quite cool. And the R2D2 club was cool as well. I also played some small robot toys around. Cool experience. And also some hardwares, books are on sale. Although the fair wasn't as huge as I saw from other citites, it was still quite fun to be here. I could try some new tech toys and get to know more about different tech stuff. This fair is also family friendly, cool fair to visit with the friends or family. I think, I will like to visit again next time, maybe it'll got bigger next year.

I was in Berlin for only a few days and was looking to buy a violin. Steffen Werth was the last of…read morethe 3 geigenbauers I visited. I walked into Steffen's Charlottenburg workshop intent on seeing his collection--no appointment, no heads-up--because I hadn't been able to reach him by phone. He was busy, unprepared for walk-ins, yet without hesitation he welcomed me, listened to my story, and guided me through his rack of antique Mittenwald violins. Outstanding Service & Expertise: Steffen's knowledge is encyclopedic and his patience endless. He took the time to explain every detail: the provenance of unnamed makers, the difference in tonewoods, the mechanics of bridge and soundpost setup. When he showed me a 130-year-old Mittenwald copy which previously had two old cracks (flawlessly and expertly repaired by him) he was completely transparent about its condition. I ended buying this violin. Tailored to Hindustani Classical Music: I play Hindustani classical at a lower tuning than Western violins. Steffen didn't miss a beat--he recommended specific strings to suit my style, something no other shop I visited even considered. He replaced the strings and the sound was even better! Honesty & Integrity: He could have sold me any instrument, but when he realized I'd be back in Malaysia within days and wouldn't have the chance to return for tweaks, he refused to push a sale. He only wanted to make sure the violin was truly right for me. That kind of honesty and caring is rare. Fair Pricing & Quality Setup: His pricing on restored, unnamed antiques (most over 100 years old) is very fair--often hundreds to thousands less than comparable instruments in the US and Germany. The setup was flawless; I walked out playing my best tone ever. Final Verdict: Steffen Werth is the only luthier I'll trust in Berlin. His warmth, expertise, integrity, and genuine care for musicians make him a 5-star find. If you're serious about your instrument--antique or modern--go see Steffen. You won't regret it.

Since I had some spare time after visiting a trade show at Messe Berlin, I took a chance to visit…read morelocal violin shop/maker. After a quick search on Google (sorry, yelp did not help me for that), I happen to find the website. Interestingly, they have a branch (after talking to Mr. Werth, I found this location is more like a branch) in Los Angeles. The website looked decent in many ways, such as the site design, and more importantly the contents. So, I decided to visit the shop. Although, I did understand good violin makers did not necessary have wide open welcoming shop front, I hesitated to enter his atelier when I saw the locked door. I could not even tell if the atelier was open or not. After all, this is a city that owns BPO. Entering professional atelier could end up with very miserable experience. Just a coincidence, a resident came back from somewhere and opened the locked door, and the lady (neighbor) said it was OK to visit the shop, so I rung the door bell (in the second floor. I mean one floor up from ground level). Mr. Werth came to welcome us. I briefly introduced my background (amateur violin, viola player) and honestly say I had almost no chance to buy one here (at least today), but I was searching a violin or viola for my retirement. I was expecting graceful NO-ish reaction, but he seemed to be happy to help this one-off, no-reservation, unknown-skills customer. I told my price range was 15-20K Euros. So, he showed me three violas in that range. They are all good ones, with different characters. He also showed a viola he made. It was really nice compare to the price he presented. For violin, I could not remember exactly, but I played 6 or 7 various ones. Compare to violins in Japanese market (oh, I came from Japan), I thought all samples were really good. If I should buy one in the future, I may need to buy it outside of Japan. Sorry, I got off track. Anyhow, Mr. Werth was very nice and professional. He offered to help me in the future if I had a chance to visit Berlin/his shop. I happen to have a chance to visit LA soon, so I may try to visit their branch in LA. Conclusion. Professionalism, kindness, knowledge, good variety, high quality, reasonable (well, they are violins. Cannot be reasonable in normal way) price of instruments. Highly recommended. No problem to communicate in English.

I moved into a cute little apartment in Prenzlauer Berg for a 2 month stint…read more I pondered where to get all the items one needs for two months. Cleaning supplies. Cutting board. Hangers. Clothing storage. Towels. Bedding. Kitchen utensils. Random hardware items. Some mailing envelopes for souvenirs. Laundry basket. Dish cloths.Tape. Scissors. Laundry drying rack....oh, so many things! First thought: IKEA. Second thought: I don't have a car. Third thought: Amazon. Fourth thought: Can't receive mail. Then on a morning walk I happened by this spot, Haushalt Waren...which contained EVERYTHING I needed and more. Besides the extensive list above, they also have a fairly good selection of gardening needs, kitchen appliances (coffee makers, etc), hardware items for small projects, and even some fun umbrella chairs for the park! Of course you'll pay a bit more than a big box store...but couldn't put a price on the convenience factor, not needing a car, being close, and being in and out in under 20 minutes. Cash only (from what I can tell). Very well organized and orderly.

Good place to outfit a temporary apartment with cheap household essentials…read more Probably closer to where you are staying than Ikea.

Centrally located but very Americanized coffee shop. Good coffee and although I didn't try or…read morelearn about roasting looks like a cool place to do that!

Bloody average is more like it. I chose this spot because the photos looked cozy. Nien! Pride…read morecometh before the fall. Everything lacked execution. The coffee was weak and served in a drinking glass so not hot. The "squeak" had good flavor, but also had hit and misses. Poached egg and hollandaise, excellent. Generous bacon but not crispy. The scalloped potatoes was limp. It DOES NOT open at 8AM but at 9. When I asked the manager about it, he responded with a blase attitude. It was chilly outside so I had second thoughts, wish I left. The manager did not bother to let me know it was open as he chatted away, and evidently let a customer in but promptly locked the door. What??? The server was a millimeter better on the human scale of personality. Also the food took quite a while to come out. Mind you I was the second, but first sit down customer. Maybe the staff should do more prepping instead of chilling over a cook of coffee. It is on the pricier side. I could have ate at my hotel for a few euros less. Guess I know where I will be tomorrow morning.

Finally found some good coffee Smells very aromatic and tastes like it should. Lots of…read moretables outside if you want to stay a while and have another

We are from Portland Oregon so delicious coffee is important to us. Enricos coffee is really,…read morereally good. We go there every morning!!

Wowsville Bar is a hidden gem in Berlin's jungle of hip and cool places…read more They have a good selection of vinyl in the back and if you ask nicely they will show you the special selection. Bring loads of cash cause they are well stocked in rarities. The drinks menu is above average and together with great service and overall good vibes makes this a must visit in Berlin. Only negative for me is smoking inside. But I will survive

Great little bar! Good selection of beers, great people and good music. The ONLY bad thing is that…read moreit gets very smokey inside. (This is common for a lot of bars & clubs around Berlin though.) Also, there's a good little record store in the back and Berti, the owner is also really cool. Next time I'm in Berlin, I'll definitely be going here.

I know the fancy toast scene is sweeping the world by storm and the restaurants in Berlin certainly…read morehaven't been immune to this. (Go eat breakfast in Mitte if you don't believe me.) But 100 Brote isn't a superficially trendy restaurant that'll try to sell you bad bread by dolloping an absurd amount of avocado on it. These people are ACTUALLY artisanal bread makers. (And yes, I hate myself for using the word "artisanal" to describe a place that offers fancy toast, but it's true!) The bread blew my mind. I think I finally understand what Europeans mean when they move to the U.S. and talk about how much they miss the bread back home. But because I fulfill the U.S. millennial stereotype, I had my eyes on the toast. The toast offerings rotate every now and then, which I both love and hate, because I am a creature of habit. Don't forget to peruse their website -- be sure to give them a visit if you see the tomato sauce-covered toast with chickpeas and two fried eggs on their menu. The restaurant is in a cute, tucked away part of Prenzlauer Berg. I recommend escaping from the Sunday Mauerpark crowds and enjoying brunch here.

I tried 3 times this place…read more First time i was with a south african friend, we do not speak German. The guy got kinda angry because my friend wanted to pay via Card and he was making fun of her in a sarcastic way, saying that in Deutchland things are different. Pretty harsh considering that my friend just asked if she could pay by card. A simple question got a nasty answer. Second time I went with an Italian friend that asked for a dec coffea. The guy got kinda annoyed cause "she could have gone somewhere else if she wanted a fake coffee" or so. My friend was speechless and me too. We left. Third time (I dunno why I went again), I asked for a Americano. As far as i know this is pretty much an international word. The guy kept on talking to me in German wich I could not understand and I tried to translate what he wanted to know. He kept on staring at me and say the same thing in German. Now, I know this dude speaks English, why making me feel so unconfortable and unwelcomed? I told him that if for him the fact I could not speak German was a problem I could leave. No problem for me. There are lots of nice places around and also friendly. He can even have nice coffea. I really do not care. I will never go there anymore and I will never advice that place. Said that, i also apologize for my not being able to understand everything in German. I know I should learn it more. This does not justify his behaviour. It is Berlin and if you have a business here you should also consider you will always have to deal with people that do not speak your language or that are trying to but cannot get everything. It was mornig and he made ruin my mood. Not cool at all. Cheers

Love this chocolate here! The owner/chocolate maker gives the chance of trying almost all of their…read morechocolates (even the ones that won awards!). I also love the fact that they serve ice cream with their chocolate. They offer quite a bit of variety with their cacao thats exclusively sourced from a plantation they own in Belize. Its a true bean to bar experience!!

Wow. So glad we came here. Amazing chocolate and service…read more We ordered a bunch of gelato and every flavor was delicious. I think I liked the cream with chocolate chunks best. The employee was so friendly letting us try samples and telling us the history of the company. You can tell they work really hard to make high quality products instead of sugar filled junk. We ended up buying: Coconut truffle: at first it's creamy and then the chocolate flavor hits and it's intense and rich. €2 Salt and coffee bars: dark chocolate with hints of those flavors. About €5 Coated beans: again very good flavors and interesting to taste regular cocoa beans. €3.50 There is a chocolate they make with Stone stout beer. They didn't have any at the time to buy but we tried it and we want to order it to ship home when they make it again it was so good. It's not the cheapest place, but for high quality single origin chocolate you won't be disappointed.