Cathy's Birthday

Trippen Shoe Store 

East Berlin Artist Lofts

Museum Otto Weidt

Cafe

Screen made from Eyeglasses

Antiquities Museum

Inside Neues Museum

Billy, the majordomo of the restaurant

All the wines and beer that we drank at Birthday Dinner

Today was Cathy’s 70^thbirthday. When we were young, 70 seemed so old. Now that she has arrived at 70, we realize we aren’t old. We are just two people living life, enjoying all the happiness we can, trying to not do bad things, and trying to make the world a little better. Somedays we feel much younger, occasionally we feel our age.

Cathy had always wanted to go to Berlin, and we knew that Tom would be in Berlin for a medical conference on her Birthday, so we decided to have her birthday in Berlin. Scott, Shumon joined us and Guillermo flew in from New York.

The day started as we went to a German shoe store strangely named Trippen. Cathy really likes how Trippen  shoes fit her and their look. After shopping at the store we asked the salesman if he would recommend any other stores in the neighborhood. He directed us to a clothing store. He said to reach it you enter through a decrepit small entryway and it was at the back, and up a few flights of stairs.

We found the entrance and every inch of wall, floor and banister from that point on was covered in grafitti and posters. It was what we expected to see in East Germany. The rooms were lofts and studios of artists. In the clothing store, Scott found several items that he liked. The manager of the store said we should visit the Otto Weidt Museum in the courtyard to understand why this complex has not been redeveloped.

We walked through the Otto Weidt Museum and once again we were confronted with Germany’s past. During World War 2, Otto had a broom factory for the near blind in the building. He only hired Jews and hid them at great personal risk. It was similar to Anne Frank. They even had a secret room in the back of the building. The museum records his heroic efforts. Because of the sensitivity of preserving the past, the complex will never be redeveloped, allowing the artists a low-cost refuge from the soaring costs brought about by redevelopment. It is amazing to think that an act of bravery in World War 2, reverberates to present day Berlin. After the visit to the Otto Weidt Museum we stopped at the small Cafe next door. It was like returning to the 60's to the beatnik era.

After visiting the museum, we went to an amazing eyeglass store: Kuboraum. We have seen their glasses in Los Angeles and wanted to visit their Flagship Store. It is a very strange store, dark inside, with curtains made of thousands of glasses. Both Cathy and Scott found frames they liked.

We then went to the Neues Museum. It is located on Museum Island and specializes in antiquity. They have an amazing collection of Egyptian artifacts highlighted by a small, perfect head of Queen Nefertiti. How these artifacts survived the war is amazing. We were told many objects were buried underground to escape destruction from the sky, others were stolen by the Russians when they invaded Berlin at the end of the war, others simply are lost. None the less the Neues Museum (and all of the museums of Berlin) are jammed with art. The most impressive part of the Neues Museum to us, was the architecture itself. It has been remodeled in a monumental yet spacious way. Open courtyards for example have been converted in the most elegant galleries. It is a truly beautiful museum.

We returned to the hotel for drinks before heading off to Cathy’s Birthday Dinner at Nobelhart & Schmutzig. They have a strict policy of no photographs although the relented at the very end. The menu has a great quote at the bottom: "Please take memories, not pictures". All of the food is locally sourced from the Berlin Region. It is a Michelin stared restaurant. It resembles a Japanese Sushi restaurant in design, with a long wide wood counter.  The service people in Berlin can be notoriously rude and unhelpful. At Nobelhart & Schmutzig it is just the opposite they were extremely warm, knowledgable and interactive. 

They all spoke perfect English and as they served each course they explained exactly what it was they were serving. 

They paired the food with either wine or beer. I have never had a dinner where they alternated between, wine, champagne and beers, all perfectly chosen to compliment the food. At the risk of being hyperbolic, I can confidently say this was among the best dinners we have ever eaten. It was amazing.

There were so many highlights it would be hard to pick just a few. We would never eat venison, but here it was served perfectly grilled, with absolutely no gamey taste. As they served it, they talked about how the state sanctions a limited amount of hunting to control the deer population in the forests. Even the bread and butter were fabulous. The butter was home made in a crock and aged! Each small course was exceptional. The dinner went on and on for 12 courses! We started about 8:30 and ended at midnight. They even surprised Cathy with a delicious tart and cream to end her birthday celebration dinner. Because the individual portions were small, and the timing was extended one didn’t feel uncomfortably full. This is a destination restaurant. If you like exceptional food, served in an informal relaxed manor in an beautiful room, this is your place! 

Cathy had a magical Birthday!