This morning dawned, but I can't say for sure that the sun rose. In typical Berlin fashion the sky remained stubbornly cloudy. The temperature, however, was in the mid 50's, so it was a good day to be out and about, though not, perhaps, the best one for lingering outdoors. The gloom made it a good morning for crawling back into bed and sleeping off a little bit more of my jet lag... aka trying to read a book. I knew nothing was going to be open until 11 a.m. anyway.
My initial plan for the day consisted of trying to find a shop that caters to my size and buying some Berlin Mode. However, when I woke from my nap the internet refused to cooperate, making it hard to track down such a shop. In frustration I decided to take a shower while I tried to figure out plan B. Fortunately, by the time I was done the internet was back.
My web search came back with four possible stores, one of them with multiple locations. After visiting their websites, I found that the one that looked most appealing was also the easiest to get to. Walk to the subway, travel four stops, get off at Kurfuerstendamm.
Upon climbing from the subway and getting my bearings, my first order of business was to find something for lunch... but not Subway, the first restaurant I saw. There actually was a surprising lack of restaurants, so when I saw a Karstadt department store, I decided to eat in their top floor buffet. I chose a breaded pork chop with little round oven-roasted potato nuggets and a (typically) overdone vegetable medley. It was wholesome and filling and, except for the vegetables, pretty tasty. To be fair, the vegetables were also tasty, if you could get past the mushy texture.
The eating area was expansive, but broken into multiple smaller-scale dining rooms. I chose the Terrace room and, through the glass roof, I caught a fleeting glimpse of blue sky.
Each table in the Terrace Room had a tiny potted Anthurium plant in flower.
A portion of the roof top had tables for el-fresco dining, and they provided blankets for those days that aren't quite "warm enough". Unfortunately, it was also a designated smoking area, for which they also provided ash trays.
Karstadt is a venerable old department store which is currently in trouble. I find that very sad because it's one of the few department stores that still carries fabric. After lunch I wandered downstairs to check out their offerings and see if I could help them stay in business a little longer. I found a clearance sale and chose 3 stretch knits that are destined to become shirts.
From Karstadt, I was able to exit directly onto Augsburgerstrasse, the street I was looking for. One short block down I found "Extra Weit" (Extra Wide).
Using my best German, I was able to communicate my needs and the delightful saleswoman was only too happy to sell me a lighter-weight jacket. My red alpaca traveling coat is far too warm for these weather conditions. She also succeeded in selling me two new knit tops. Everything was a lot more expensive than I would have paid in the US, but I find that clothing in general costs more here than at home . What is, is.
I was also able to ask the saleswoman where I might find wide shoes and she described Baer Schuhe on Kurfuerstendamm. As I was leaving the store she let it slip that she spoke perfect English. I actually appreciate that she let me use my German, even though English would have been easier.
Across the street from the shop was a pocket park which would have been a nice place to sit on a sunny day. There was a small playground for the kids where a young man was practicing free running. I wish it had been a little warmer and sunnier, as I would have liked to watch him for a while.
Just outside the park was a large metal box, the purpose of which is unknown to me, that was painted like a street sweeper truck with a driver waving from the front window. It brought to mind some of the painted utility boxes we have back home. Art in unexpected places is fun.
From there I went in search of Baer shoes. I was a little hazy about where she said the store was , so I wandered down Ku-damm in search of a coffee shop with WiFi. Starbucks to the rescue. One of the interesting aspects of Kurfuerstendamm is their extension of shop windows onto the sidewalk.
I also found another pretty, if inexplicable, example of street art. With art, meaning is in the eye of the beholder, I guess.
Kaffeetrinkin is such a humane idea. It gives one the excuse to sit and have a nice mid-afternoon vanilla latte with a slice of cheesecake on the side with no guilt. With the complimentary WiFi I was also able to find the shoe store, which was only a block down from Starbucks. So although I was getting tired, I decided to continue on.
Again I found helpful, cheerful salespeople. The young lady who assisted me brought several pairs for me to try on and I was able to find a pair that was actually kinda sorta cute, given that they were made for wide feet, for which cute shoes are generally not available.
By then it was getting late and I was getting more than tired, so I found the nearest subway. I traveled one stop, then changed to a different line and rode the four stops back home.
I finished the day with another quick trip to the grocery store to pick up more meat and cheese for dinner. I have to say a grocery store directly across the street is a convenience to die for.
I also have to say that using voice to text (on my tablet) produces some hilarious results. As I've been correcting this posting on my notebook I've been saving some of the funniest slaughtered phrases. Enjoy.
core for store them = Kurfuerstendamm
doughnut = though not
that's cool for stud them = at Kurfuerstendamm
car stuff=Karstadt
Touch that = Karstadt
couch dot=Karstadt
was burgers for us a = Augsburgerstasse
encore first a dime = Kurfuerstendamm
Thinkin = Kaffeetrinken
to know a lot a = vanilla latte
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