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Berlin Gelato Week
May. 9th, 2025 12:29 amInstead of having extended pub opening hours, like they have in the UK, the state of Berlin gave everyone an additional national holiday to mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day (here it was described as liberation from the Nazis). With the rise of the far-right in both countries, it does feel a little hollow, particularly with all the jingoism coming from the British side but a day off is a day off and I wasn't going to turn it down.
Thursday also marked the start of Berlin Gelato Week and as we are travelling back to the UK on Saturday, it marked the only chance to try some ice cream. Last year, it was during a very cold week in April and today wasn't much warmer. Furthermore, there were only 45 participating gelateria this year as opposed to 60 last year. However, instead of having just three ice creams, I ended up having eight, although I am somewhat regretting it now with my frequent need to go to the bathroom. My highly sensitive teeth aren't aiding things either, while I do regret the volume of food I ate despite my 27,000+ steps walked.
I decided to focus solely on the U7 line, going from one end to the other and seeing some tourist things along the way. I picked up my map, upon which I had to collect stamps at every ice cream parlour I visited, at the only participating gelateria in Spandau. This was Dolci e Salati, where I had visited last year. They were particularly friendly here and it was a good start to the day. In the middle, I also went and explored a few pieces of Berlin architecture I had been meaning to discover, particularly the Bauhaus Hufeisensiedlung project. Built between 1927 and 1933, this horseshoe-shaped neighbourhood is recognizably Bauhaus and was quite modern for its time. It was social housing at its best, and fortunately largely survived the Second World War. It is now a UNESCO World Heritage site. The blue and white exterior combined with a lovely horseshoe-shaped park with a horseshoe-shaped lake in the middle was quite unique. There was a pub open which I could have visited, but alas the museum only opens on Fridays and Sundays.
Anyway, for simplicity, this was my itinerary for the day:
Dolci e Salati - Spandau - Saffron and Cranberry
Cafe Roberta - Adenauerplatz - Persian saffron with shock-frosted whipped cream
Gia Gelateria - Adenauerplatz - Salted Caramel
Spoonful Berlin - Hermannplatz - Matcha Sesame Honey Crunch
Summertime - Rathaus Neukolln - White Chocolate, Ginger and Lemon Zest (known as Spicy White Chocolate)
Hufeisensiedlung Bauhaus Architecture
Eiscafe am Britzer Damm - Cinnamon Rolls
Schloss Britz
Davalentino - Rudow - Panettone marbled with lavender cream
Salentino Eis - Siemensdamm - Pina Colada
Most of the ice cream parlours were fairly busy, what with it being a holiday, but a few were dead. The one on Britzer Damm in particular was quiet, but then it's the sort of place with no footfall. What I hadn't realised was how close it was to Schloss Britz and as I was there at around 4:30pm, it meant I had a short amount of time to explore. This is essentially a small country estate with an old farmyard, stables, brewery and smithy preserved. There is also a pleasant garden around which I strolled while learning about the new US-UK trade deal. Initially, this hit me quite hard as it looked like a rejection of a potential deal with the EU, but looking at the paucity of it, it looks like Keir Starmer has played a bit of a blinder and it may not scupper a closer relationship at all. There is also a small museum inside the country house, which is of a modest one-floor cream and green design. The main part of the museum can be described as dark, with mahogany furnishings from around 1880. There was also a small guest exhibition called Die Ganze Zeit about time, but as most of this was in German, I didn't appreciate the subtleties. There was a groovy clock though and I'd say it was just about worth the €5 I paid for it (the house itself was €3 and the guest exhibition an additional €2).
As I was down this way, I thought I should check out the end of the U7 at Rudow. I hear so much about it as of course that's where the trains from Spandau end up, while there was an ice cream parlour there. Rudow itself is largely a crossroads but there is a pleasant enough village off to one side. I also enjoyed walking through the gritty part of Neukolln where I saw a happy birthday message written on a mattress next to a bin and a dumped office chair. I could have maybe squeezed in a couple more ice cream places today, particularly if I had gotten up earlier, but eight was probably enough. Most shut at 7pm, but I headed back via Siemensdamm as the one there shut at 9:30pm.
It has been a great day, while today it is worth noting that we are now four and a half years living in Germany. This means we're 90% of the way to getting permanent residence and/or citizenship, although I do feel somewhat muted about the whole thing. It is still lonely here and while a few people have asked us to come out, I have felt I have retreated into myself of late. Hopefully our three-week UK trip will be the kick start I need.
Thursday also marked the start of Berlin Gelato Week and as we are travelling back to the UK on Saturday, it marked the only chance to try some ice cream. Last year, it was during a very cold week in April and today wasn't much warmer. Furthermore, there were only 45 participating gelateria this year as opposed to 60 last year. However, instead of having just three ice creams, I ended up having eight, although I am somewhat regretting it now with my frequent need to go to the bathroom. My highly sensitive teeth aren't aiding things either, while I do regret the volume of food I ate despite my 27,000+ steps walked.
I decided to focus solely on the U7 line, going from one end to the other and seeing some tourist things along the way. I picked up my map, upon which I had to collect stamps at every ice cream parlour I visited, at the only participating gelateria in Spandau. This was Dolci e Salati, where I had visited last year. They were particularly friendly here and it was a good start to the day. In the middle, I also went and explored a few pieces of Berlin architecture I had been meaning to discover, particularly the Bauhaus Hufeisensiedlung project. Built between 1927 and 1933, this horseshoe-shaped neighbourhood is recognizably Bauhaus and was quite modern for its time. It was social housing at its best, and fortunately largely survived the Second World War. It is now a UNESCO World Heritage site. The blue and white exterior combined with a lovely horseshoe-shaped park with a horseshoe-shaped lake in the middle was quite unique. There was a pub open which I could have visited, but alas the museum only opens on Fridays and Sundays.
Anyway, for simplicity, this was my itinerary for the day:
Dolci e Salati - Spandau - Saffron and Cranberry
Cafe Roberta - Adenauerplatz - Persian saffron with shock-frosted whipped cream
Gia Gelateria - Adenauerplatz - Salted Caramel
Spoonful Berlin - Hermannplatz - Matcha Sesame Honey Crunch
Summertime - Rathaus Neukolln - White Chocolate, Ginger and Lemon Zest (known as Spicy White Chocolate)
Hufeisensiedlung Bauhaus Architecture
Eiscafe am Britzer Damm - Cinnamon Rolls
Schloss Britz
Davalentino - Rudow - Panettone marbled with lavender cream
Salentino Eis - Siemensdamm - Pina Colada
Most of the ice cream parlours were fairly busy, what with it being a holiday, but a few were dead. The one on Britzer Damm in particular was quiet, but then it's the sort of place with no footfall. What I hadn't realised was how close it was to Schloss Britz and as I was there at around 4:30pm, it meant I had a short amount of time to explore. This is essentially a small country estate with an old farmyard, stables, brewery and smithy preserved. There is also a pleasant garden around which I strolled while learning about the new US-UK trade deal. Initially, this hit me quite hard as it looked like a rejection of a potential deal with the EU, but looking at the paucity of it, it looks like Keir Starmer has played a bit of a blinder and it may not scupper a closer relationship at all. There is also a small museum inside the country house, which is of a modest one-floor cream and green design. The main part of the museum can be described as dark, with mahogany furnishings from around 1880. There was also a small guest exhibition called Die Ganze Zeit about time, but as most of this was in German, I didn't appreciate the subtleties. There was a groovy clock though and I'd say it was just about worth the €5 I paid for it (the house itself was €3 and the guest exhibition an additional €2).
As I was down this way, I thought I should check out the end of the U7 at Rudow. I hear so much about it as of course that's where the trains from Spandau end up, while there was an ice cream parlour there. Rudow itself is largely a crossroads but there is a pleasant enough village off to one side. I also enjoyed walking through the gritty part of Neukolln where I saw a happy birthday message written on a mattress next to a bin and a dumped office chair. I could have maybe squeezed in a couple more ice cream places today, particularly if I had gotten up earlier, but eight was probably enough. Most shut at 7pm, but I headed back via Siemensdamm as the one there shut at 9:30pm.
It has been a great day, while today it is worth noting that we are now four and a half years living in Germany. This means we're 90% of the way to getting permanent residence and/or citizenship, although I do feel somewhat muted about the whole thing. It is still lonely here and while a few people have asked us to come out, I have felt I have retreated into myself of late. Hopefully our three-week UK trip will be the kick start I need.
