Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
24; 11am-7.30pm Mon-Sat; Weinmeisterstrasse)
Kurt Hammerstein has a nose for good books beyond the bestseller lists. Feel free to browse
through this tidy and well-curated lit lair with word candy from around the world or ask the
affable owner to match a tome to your taste. There's a sizeable English selection, quality
books for tots and a sprinkling of travel guides as well.
BOOKS
PRO QM
030-2472 8520;
www.pro-qm.de
; Almstadtstrasse 48-50;
11am-8pm
Mon-Sat; Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz)
This treasure trove of the printed word is squarely focused on design, art, architecture, pop
and photography with a sprinkling of political and philosophical tomes (many in English)
and a broad selection of obscure mags from around the world. With floor-to-ceiling shelves
and stacks of books throughout, it's a browser's paradise.
FOOD
BONBONMACHEREI
Heckmann Höfe; noon-8pm Wed-Sat Sep-Jun; M1, Oranienburger Strasse)
The aroma of peppermint and liquorice wafts through this old-fashioned basement candy
kitchen whose owners use antique equipment and time-tested recipes to churn out such tasty
treats as their signature leaf-shaped Berliner Maiblätter.
FOOD, DRINK
1. ABSINTH DEPOT BERLIN
2pm-midnight Mon-Fri, 1pm-midnight Sat; Weinmeisterstrasse)
Van Gogh, Toulouse-Lautrec and Oscar Wilde were among the
fin-de-siècle
artists who
drew inspiration from the 'green fairy', as absinthe is also known. This quaint little shop has
over 100 varieties of the potent stuff and an expert owner who'll happily help you pick out
the perfect bottle for your own mind-altering rendezvous.
SOUVENIRS
AMPELMANN GALERIE
Rosenthaler Strasse 40/41; 9.30am-10pm Mon-Sat, 10am-7pm Sun; M1, Hackescher Markt)
It took a vociferous grassroots campaign to save the little Ampelmann, the endearing fellow
on East German pedestrian traffic lights. Now the beloved cult figure and global brand
