Sunset in a picturesque part of Kreuzberg

There is nothing truer than the three most important aspects of real estate: location, location, location. When we were in Berlin last week on our first apartment viewings, we realized that there was still so much we had yet to discover, both about neighborhoods we liked and neighborhoods we had yet to discover. With so many sub-neighborhoods within the larger ones (for those who aren't familiar, this city is massive - take the train for an hour... and you're still in Berlin), it's becoming increasingly clear that we have to love the streets around our apartment, perhaps even more so than the larger neighborhood itself. It's all well and good to live in an attractive building or a desirable neighborhood, but if the nearest good coffee requires a trip on the U-Bahn and walking anywhere for dinner calls for a map and hiking boots, then I have to wonder what is the point of city living.

Our first apartment viewing was tucked in the cutest little neighborhood, with stunningly detailed architecture, stone streets and tons of shops, restaurants and trees. Then we got to the apartment. While equally beautiful and well-maintained as everything around it, the space itself was difficult, to say the least. The rooms were broken up in such a way that wasn't meant for modern furnishings - i.e. the bedroom door would not actually open with anything more than a twin size bed in it. Additionally, the balcony we thought we saw in the photos was merely a gate across a floor-length window and the constant sounds of a kindergarten beneath the windows was less than ideal for two people who work from home.

The next apartment was just the opposite. The interior of the apartment was perfect: the layout, the two bathrooms, the two balconies, spacious bedroom and living room. Then we spent time walking around the neighborhood. Between the major traffic just on the other side of the building, the boring, suburban-type complexes that stretched for several blocks and the fact that the closest street of shops and cafes was not only rather far away, but offered little beyond random businesses and unappetizing looking food, we realized that we would be mostly apartment-bound way out there.

While we initially felt a little discouraged after striking out, our spirits were lifted when we were introduced a neighborhood we had seen next to none of - Charlottenburg - by a new Berlin friend whose admiration for her part of town definitely rubbed off on us. We didn't get to see as much of Charlottenburg as we would have liked, but it was enough to add it to our apartment searches. In addition to having good coffee shops in the neighborhood, I would also have someone to enjoy a cup with every once in a while.

Thankfully, we have plenty of time to dedicate to finding just the right place, which hopefully means we can find that balance between the perfect apartment and the perfect neighborhood. There's only so much we can do when looking at apartments online and not being able to see the surrounding area until we plan our next trip. If anyone in Berlin has a heads-up on something fantastic (2-3 rooms, preferably Prenzlauer Berg or Charlottenburg, preferably Altbau) opening up in early autumn, please let me know. Any other moving or Berlin apartment tips are also much appreciated!

Here is a look at some of neighborhood exploration this last trip:


Friedrichshain

Prenzlauer Berg

Godshot - fantastic coffee and a super hip space to boot 

Prenzlauer Berg, suburban edition

Mitte

Please forgive my decreased blogging lately. In addition to the apartment search, I have also been working furiously on my new blog (which I hope to launch next month) and massively purging and organizing our way-to-many belongings in preparation to downsize - not to mention the new furniture project I picked up on the corner the other day.

More good stuff to come, I promise!

Last weekend was filled with some intense double-duty in Berlin: me attending The Hive European bloggers conference and both of us doing some serious neighborhood scouting and apartment hunting for our move. It was a bit much to cram into five days, but somehow we managed - and managed to have a great time in the process.

Since I had not been to a 'professional' event in some time, I was just eager to get out there and feel, well, professional. With a sense of purpose - not to mention some awesome free business cards from MOO - I left The Hive with a bit of a fire lit beneath my ass, which is just what one needs when feeling a little alone and afloat amidst about a million other digital personas vying for blog readers' attention. Speaking of so many bloggers, what I wouldn't have given for a list of attendees before the conference to study who would be there and who best for me to connect with. There were so many people, it was impossible to chat with everyone.

In addition to getting a serious butt workout (sessions were either on the first or fourth floor - no elevator) and some really great inspiration, I also left with some great technical tips and tricks, particularly on growing your community from Deborah Beau of Kickcan & Conkers and SEO from Georg Seebode of Android/ Linquisite / Digital Cosmonaut. Coming from the world of marketing and communications, I found much of the content to be a bit of a review, but it never hurts to brush up - especially after being out of the game for so many years!

Perhaps the best part of the conference was connecting with other bloggers, both new and those I already knew. After years of chatting online with fellow American expats Mandi of No Apathy Allowed and Tiffany from No Ordinary Homestead, we finally got to meet face-to-face. I also had the pleasure of meeting the very sweet Melanie of Dejlige Days and the not-too-far-away Sharon of Travel Meets Food, not to mention the 'what a small world' moment of meeting Nina (of the soon-to-be Pinspiration blog), a Berliner who is originally from Wiesbaden, and many other great bloggers. It was so great to meet everyone I did - and I hope I get the chance to cook for Natali of Kochen, Kunst & Ketchup as soon as we move to Berlin!

Tina Fussell of Flying House  //  Katja Hentschel of Travelettes

Deborah Beau of Kickcan & Conkers

More from Tina's presentation

A somewhat narcissistic highlight was when I discovered that Luisa Weiss of fabulous food blog The Wednesday Chef had anonymously Instagrammed a photo of what I was wearing on day two of the conference. It was kind of like when major blogger Nat the Fat Rat commented on my food Instagrams that she wanted me to come to New York and teach her to cook. I got all humbled and giddy, like the nerdy girl who gets asked to prom by the captain of the football team. But seriously - what an ego boost! (though I am still kicking myself for missing Luisa's presentation to wait for Pantone's contest winners that were never announced)

Going home with a seriously generous goodie bag and a prize in the Pantone contest for my blog entry wasn't too shabby either. I admit, it was a bit of a let-down to be given my prize as more of an afterthought, after the conference had ended, rather than getting any of the recognition outlined in the giveaway. But hey, free chair.

All in all, The Hive was a good experience and I left ready to dive into about a million things for my blog - both for my current blog and as I set to work on my new one. After some more rest first, please. Phew!

Presentation from Desiree of Vosgesparis

All images are mine, except the Instagram from The Wednesday Chef

Utterly exhausted from apartment hunting and attending The Hive European bloggers conference in Berlin this last week, I'm spending the next few days recuperating from information overload - and a horrendous drive home. Before I dive into all the blog work I have assigned myself, or start a new apartment search in another neighborhood (hint: #welovecharlottenburg ), or sift through my hundreds of photos, I am looking forward to indulging in some much-needed sleep and as many new Arrested Development episodes as I can watch before I can't keep my eyes open any longer. Anyone else as excited as I am that they finally answered our plea for more AD goodness? This party is going to be off the hook!


*While a hangover might have a negative connotation, I always return from Berlin rejuvinated and beyond excited about our move, albeit usually exhausted and overwhelmed with all the possibilities. I am still counting the days until we call this great city home...


image via Huge Ego, Sorry.

The old adage is: it's what's on the inside that counts, but I think there's something to be said for a lovely exterior. I'm sure a big part of my desire to live in a pretty building is the fact that our current apartment has the crappiest, most run-down facade on the block, if not the whole neighborhood. Sure, it's nice on the inside, partly due to the three-meter-high ceilings and ornate mouldings, but it's a bit of a downer every time we walk up to it - especially when there are such amazing architectural details all around us.

We're kicking off this Berlin trip with our very first apartment viewing this afternoon and I'm rather excited about it. The possibilities for old period details or colorful modern exteriors are abundant. Here's hoping Berlin can give us that first impression we have been pining for in the new place we call home!

The first photo is from a listing on immobilienscout24.de, the rest of the photos are mine

We are hitting the road today, heading back to Berlin for some more apartment scouting and for me to attend The Hive European Bloggers conference. Once again, Bailey is along for the ride, so I can only hope the weather is halfway decent and she can be outside most of the time (though it's not looking good...). At the very least, I hope we hear back from a few of the apartments we want to see so that we can at least get the ball rolling with our hunt for a new home.

While we are of course headed back to some of our favorite Berlin eateries, the one thing we have not heard about or found is a good pizza place. If anyone has any recommendations, I would love to hear them!


image from & Other Stories

This is what people generally envision when thinking of what a kitchen might look like in their new apartment: cabinets, at least some counter space and somewhere to cook. To many, this might not be considered a 'luxury' kitchen, but to us renters in Germany, anything above and beyond an empty room is a luxury.

I'm not sure where the concept of the Einbauküche, or 'fitted kitchen', being entirely optional and downright rare for rented apartments came about, but it is the most ridiculous concept ever created (note: this is not the first, nor will it be the last time I rant about this subject). Renters are supposed to buy and install an entire kitchen - as in, cabinets, countertops, sink, appliances, the whole deal - each time they rent a new apartment. Because let's face it, how many kitchens are exactly the same layout and amount of space? Therefore, how likely is it that the kitchen you invest thousands of euros into is going to come along with you to your next place of residence? Exactly. For practical Germans, this is one of the few areas that they have left me completely stumped.

So as we delve into our Berlin apartment search, here's what we might expect to find in a 'kitchen'...

Even this 'unfitted' kitchen is pretty luxury in terms of space and designer accent tile. The average German kitchen tends to look something more like this:

Clinical-looking and boring. From what we've been told, Berlin apartments are now required to be outfitted with a stove and a sink, at the very least. But if this is what that is going to look like...

Well, you see where I'm going with this. I think I'd rather start from scratch, buying the appliances and sink and counter space that work for my needs. But the idea of being able to make my kitchen whatever I want it to be is also financially daunting, especially as expensive as it is just to move in this country: hefty deposits, hefty rental agent fees, that truck that will get our belongings all the way across the country. Any decent-looking installed kitchen, even from budget-conscious Ikea, is going to require a significant chunk from our moving budget. So what to do? There is Ikea's standalone kitchen furniture, which could be easily be moved from apartment to apartment, but I admittedly had a bias against it for not being 'serious' enough... that is, until I saw what Anna over at Door Sixteen did in her house in New York:

Uh, stunning, right? A far cry from the janky, 20-something's studio I envisioned those Ikea pieces belonging in. Not to mention those stools and that salvaged table she refinished and amazing tile walls she did BY HERSELF. Okay, I think her significant other probably helped, but still (I am not worthy!). Seriously though, she made pieces that many people might not even consider for their rented apartment, let alone their home, look seriously stylish. I am already leaning towards one of those empty rooms for a kitchen so I can create my own version of this hip space.

The real downside here is that we already had to buy a stove/cooktop and dishwasher when the ancient ones left behind we bought from the previous tenants (hey, they were already installed and we were moving halfway around the world - seemed like a good idea at the time...) quit working properly soon after we moved in. So a portable kitchen such as this would mean ditching them - or at least trying to sell them to the next tenants of our current apartment - and buying new again. Save on the cabinets, spend on the appliances. *sigh...* So much to consider...

It's almost enough just to raise the white flag and declare 'Einbauküche only'! We could luck out with something as decent as one of these:
 

And then that's one less thing to stress about for our move. Frankly, anything is better than the decades-old Ikea kitchen we have now, complete with grid design in the cabinet glass and mold growing rampant in the wood counter tops. I guess we shall see what apartments we find and which landlords deem us, and our sub-par German, worthy of renting a highly covetable Berlin apartment to...

All images, except the one from Anna of Door Sixteen, are from Berlin apartment listings on null-provision.de and immobilienscout24.de

ur latest Berlin trip was mostly about getting Bailey there to get her take, but we also went with the intention of expanding our Berlin neighborhood knowledge. For those of you unfamiliar with the city, it is massive. Like many other big cities, it has many different neighborhoods, each with its own greatly differing vibe - from busy, touristy Mitte to the quiet, spread-out surburbia that makes up the city's outskirts, so far out it's hard to believe that one is still in fact, in Berlin. After our initial trip, we fell in love with Prenzlauer Berg, but our apartment search has shown us that this neighborhood is definitely desirable - and has the rent prices prove it. A firm believer in the adages 'you get what you pay for' and 'location, location, location', I was admittedly hesitant to widen our search to other, as-of-yet unexplored parts of town in search of getting more for our money, but off we went with open minds...

PANKOW

Our second full day in Berlin, we decided Bailey was ready give a longer train ride - U-Bahn and S-Bahn - out to Pankow a shot, mostly in search of a new coffee shop with amazing-looking baked goods that I had learned about via someone I follow on Instagram (have I mentioned how much I love Instagram?). While Bailey certainly appreciated the less-crowded and view-filled ride on the S-Bahn, the time it took to get all the way out there got us thinking... That's how long it would take to get into the middle of town if we wanted to go out. Hmm.  

Sure, it took a while to get out there, but our arrival at the ridiculously beautiful Pankow station and initial wanderings through the neighborhood had us changing our tune. The buildings were all gorgeous and well-taken care of. Graffiti was minimal. It actually reminded us a bit of Wiesbaden, with a slower pace about it and the sidewalks filled with small children and older couples. After making our way through a little park and past the most gorgeous Rathaus I have seen in Germany, we found our destination: Stück vom Glück. 

Initially worried we would have to get everything zum Mitnehmen and eat out in the cold, on account of our overly-excitable dog, a peek inside showed a wide open space with minimal patrons that would be perfect for our not-always-so-well-behaved pooch. While not quite the sprawling food choices one might find in an American shop, the carefully curated selection proved to be delicious. We got something savory - a warm vegetarian quiche with a beautiful salad - and something sweet - a perfectly crunchy blueberry tart with fresh cream - and were quite impressed with both. The coffee was some of the best I've had in Berlin, the space was well-designed and inviting (the white and hot pink walls fondly reminded me of my mother's frozen yogurt shop, painted in the very same color scheme) and best of all, the proprietors were warm and full of smiles. No matter where we end up settling in this city, this is definitely a place I look forward to frequenting. 

Sufficiently warmed and fed, we headed towards nearby parks to feed our four-legged family member's need for running and exploring. Per usual, we were impressed. The amount of space in Berlin dedicated parks never ceases to astound me. It's as if there is NYC's Central Park every few blocks. Not only are they abundant, but they seem to go on and on, to the point of getting lost in them. I think this was what won Bailey over in this city.

We decided to spend some more time exploring the neighborhood by walking to an even bigger park several blocks further out - which ended up resembling more of a forest than an urban green space - taking us through a picture-perfect suburban-looking part of town. While the yards were enviable and the wide, quiet streets held a kind of serenity, it just felt a bit like what we were trying to get away from. Ultimately, we want to live in Berlin to be in the middle of all the things going on, not to rediscover the suburbia we left behind in California. 

KREUZBERG

We decided to stay in Kreuzberg this trip because of it's proximity to both Tempelhof and Viktoriapark, for Bailey's sake. We knew such a big city would be a bit of a shock to her, so we figured easing her in, rather than plopping her right down in Mitte, would be the best plan to win her over. We stopped at Tempelhof first thing after getting into the city so that Bailey could get out the pent-up energy from five hours in the car. She was an immediate fan. It was the first time she had been able to roam free in a fenced in dog area since leaving California. The first morning, we began by walking to Viktoriapark, which was of course a winter wonderland on this first full day of spring, with the fresh dumping of snow the city was getting. Like most places after a heavy snowfall, it was hushed and magical, so we felt the neighborhood was off to a good start.  

The more we walked around Kreuzberg though, the more we started to see the reason behind its 'up-and-coming' status. Some blocks were beautiful - clean, well-kept architecture, nice-looking people - whereas some blocks were much more dingy, with layers of overlapping graffiti, broken sidewalks and storefronts that were merely cardboard boxes piled on the sidewalk with chintzy wares (the antique doorknobs below were a rare exception) like some sort of third-world market. It's one thing to have these as parts of the city to visit, but it's another to have it right on your doorstep. Being so new to the city, it was hard to know where the respectable addresses end, and the decline begins...

Our final morning in Berlin, I got a hankering for doughnuts - real, American doughnuts, not Berliners - after realizing Dunkin' Donuts populated this city in abundance, so we make the trek down Gneisenaustrasse and Hasenheide in the bone-chilling, -6C windy morning air - albeit, beautifully sunny - to grab coffee, doughnuts (which like most American treats I crave, wound up being mildly disappointing) and a place at the nearby Hasenheide park to enjoy our breakfast in the sun. 

While the park was a beautiful expanse of white beneath the shining blue sky, and even had a surprising little menagerie whose inhabitants ranged from sheep to ponies to camels, there was something about that part of town that morning that turned us off. Perhaps it was the shady-looking guys outposted at each path crossroads, trying to look inconspicuous, or maybe the dirty, slurring trio of guys who tried to reach out to Bailey as we walked past, one of them cleaning his bloodied hands in the snow, but these negative elements made us feel that this neighborhood was still a bit on the other side of transitioning for our liking. There's a fine line between a little city grit and being stabbed in broad daylight, and this seemed to hold more of an opportunity for the latter. 

Of course, like Pankow, just because we might not want to settle here does not mean we didn't find things to love. There was a street of charming shops with promising-looking contents and a bakery containing the best bread I've ever had in Germany. The unassuming storefront, the giant domed bread oven in the corner, the selection of not only dense, dark German bread, but white fluffy loaves and brioches... I knew this would be worth traveling to for weekend morning breakfast makings. I will continue to dream about the brioche french toast I made from that bread until I can get back for another loaf...

Until next time Berlin.... We'll see you in May!

Daily Drop Cap by Jessica Hische