Perfil de Heike

Ich war an einem dieser typischen Junitage im Tarifa - grauer Himmel, aber trocken - und hatte Kaffeedurst. Ich setzte mich draußen an den netten kleinen Tisch an der Tür, zündete mir eine Zigarette an und wartete. Nachdem ich aufgeraucht hatte, habe ich meine Zeitschrift durchgeblättert. Ganz. Von Service keine Spur. Mir wurde es zu langweilig, und durstig war ich noch immer. Ich bin aufgestanden und in ein Café gegangen, in dem es einen Service gab.

This little building on the narrow side of the castle courtyard is a nice cafe and restaurant, offering home-made cakes and regional cooking. It’s very nice sitting in the covered entrance area, sheltered from the wind and rain and with a good view over the courtyard. My Apfelblechkuchen (apple “sheet cake”) was so tasty, I took a picture of it after the first mouthful! Website under construction.

Fanoe Lys is a little shop for homemade candles of very good quality (lys is the Danish word for candles). During the summer you can watch how the candles are made and even try yourself.

Selbstgemachte Kerzen, Kerzen aus eigener Herstellung, dänische Kerzen, und auch Kerzen zum selbermachen: Fanö Lys ist eine kleine Kerzenwerkstatt, in der in der Saison auch Kunden bei der Herstellung zusehen können und sich auch ihre Kerzen selbst ziehen und gießen können. Zur Werkstatt gehört ein netter kleiner Laden, der das ganze Jahr geöffnet hat. Die Kerzen sind von sehr guter Qualität, brennen lange und gleichmäßig, und alle farbigen Kerzen sind durchgefärbt.

There are three branches of Konditorei and Cafe Rothe in Schwerin. We visited the oldest, in Puschkinstraße, and it was lovely. On a cold and rainy October day, drawn by the warmth and the aroma of fresh baking into the little cafe, we sat down by the radiator and it did us a world of good. The bitter hot chocolate warmed the cockles of our heart :) A tip for non-drivers: The bitter hot chocolate with orange liqueur!

My very favourite place for sushi! Ishin, near Checkpoint Charlie, is a simply furnished room offering very good food, decently priced, served by friendly waiting staff: Simply perfect! No matter when I turn up at Ishin, they seem pleased to see me and bring me my sushi swiftly and courteously, just how I like it: Always fresh, always delicious. The atmosphere is akin to that of a snack bar, but the fish is of a quality for which I would expect to pay much more elsewhere.

A little jeweller’s and watchmaker’s shop. Not at all trendy, no single overwhelming design. Just one of those small businesses which every neighbourhood needs: Jewellery and watches. New watch batteries. Wedding rings. Or a new watch strap. Friendly and efficient. And with my new Schreiber alarm clock, even I can wake up at the right time!

Chocolate, chocolate, chocolate! A shop devoted to chocolate - marvellous. With B. Sweet there’s finally something completely new in Ottensen, and it’s so scrumptious! The shop may have a purple logo, but all the dark and delicious things are inside. I sampled bitter drinking chocolate and iced chocolate, and now I’m addicted. If you haven’t come across the shop - take the little street opposite the second Mercado entrance, between the optician’s and the jeweller’s. Keep left, walk three steps forward and three steps up, and you’re there.

Not only good wines can be bought here, but also tasty cheese or chocolate and marzipan. Sometimes you have to wait until they finish giving advice to someone else: a good opportunity to look at the Balitc glasses!

I don’t know whether garlic potatoes really are Greek, but at Nostalgia bei Sotiris they’re absolutely delicious. And when the weather’s nice you can enjoy them out in the back courtyard. You can also make reservations - even at Christmas when it’s busy!