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| The exterior of Berlin's famous KaDeWe department store. |
Happy New Year! How were your holidays? Any big-time, jet-set-styled adventures? Do tell.
I spent Christmas in Milwaukee and Des Moines, Iowa, two of my favorite “sleeper” cities. Wow, these two burgs have gobs of dining and cultural options, but they are sort of under the radar. And then John and I were back in New York City for New Year’s Eve, and the Nixon clan kicked up our heels at the very stylish Bistro Chat Noir on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. Cristina Aguilera was in attendance at the restaurant, and I always love a good celebrity sighting, n’est-ce pas.
But let’s go back a few weeks to our big jaunt through Europe. My last post tackled London’s gorgeous department stores, but John and I also spent a week in Berlin and visited the German capital’s stunning KaDeWe emporium.
If you have ever visited Berlin, chances are you have paid a visit to the city’s famous, sprawling Kaufhaus des Westens (Department Store of the West) that everyone calls KaDeWe. Situated upon bustling Tauentzienstrasse, KaDeWe is the second largest department store in Europe (second only to London’s Harrod’s) and is packed with glittering and glamorous merchandise.
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| John sets out to explore KaDeWe's sixth-floor food hall. But be careful: Don't take pictures as I was reprimanded for snapping away. |
As you probably know from reading this blog faithfully, I am a total foodie and would probably spend my last dime upon truffled mac ‘n’ cheese and booze, so KaDeWe is one of my favorite emporia thanks to its massive, sixth-floor food hall. If you are passionate about gourmet delights, the KaDeWe food floor—two football fields in size—is nirvana. You will find every culinary delight imaginable here, from sausages to Champagne and everything in between. And the floor also features numerous wonderful cafes that proffer lighter fare as well as sandwiches, salads, caviar, Berlin favorite currywurst (sliced pork sausage paired with curry ketchup) and so much more.
John and I stocked up on gorgeous chocolates, terrific candies, lots of dry Riesling wine, sublime cheeses and picnic fare and wandered and wandered and browsed and lapped it all up. So next time you visit Berlin, hightail it to KaDeWe. It’s heaven.
Photos by Jason Oliver Nixon