Anticipation

On the 14^th January 2013 FCP 2 set off leaving the snow of England behind, trading it instead for the snowy streets of Berlin. Our objectives whilst on the trip were to attend trade shows at Berlin fashion week as well as soaking up the exciting and unique culture the historical city has to offer. Having never been to Germany before I was unsure of what it would be like, and my ignorant mind seemed only able to conjure up images of war and men in lederhosen, so armed with this and my VERY limited knowledge of the German language, hello, goodbye and glue stick (hence the title of the blog) I embarked on a new adventure with the course girls. 

When arriving in Berlin the first thing that struck me was the cold… my god it was cold! A soft blanket of snow lay over the city and its clean and clinical look juxtaposed interestingly with the urban graffiti which spanned a great deal of wall space within Berlin. On first glances the city appeared unique and unlike anywhere I had been before, the streets seemed a lot quieter than other big cities I’d visited such as New York and London and there was a much more relaxed and laid back vibe. Just as well because the first thing that was needed after arriving at the hostel was a good long sleep in the new room we would be calling home for the next 5 nights. Gute Nacht. 

First Impressions

After some extensive napping following a full night of travel we ventured out of the hostel for some exploring of the local area and to find some food. We were staying at the Hotel Transit loft, located near to Alexanderplatz and Senefelderplatz on a quiet but architecturally beautiful residential street. The hostel was an old converted 19^th century factory with high ceilings, big rooms and some of the friendliest most helpful staff I've ever come across, even helping us to order a Chinese take away! 

 Hotel Transit Loft

Immanuelkirch Str.

The area around Senefelderplatz which we spent our first evening exploring was cultural, beautiful and felt very European, with cute cafe's and restaurants lining the wide streets and park squares. Berlin is famed for its graffiti which is found in all areas of the city, and even here in what seemed like an upmarket neighborhood it still littered the walls and buildings. Unlike London graffiti which I must admit I am not a fan of, here it adds to the unique and distinctive atmosphere of the city and made it feel like you are in an art gallery whilst wandering the streets.

 A gorgeous old fashioned door concealed beneath layers of graffiti, it shouldn't work but it does

 The exterior display of this home and gardens shop in the Senefelderplatz area caught my eye with its pretty vintage feel 

Tree lined streets dusted in snow. 

After much walking we eventually found a cute little Italian restaurant which looked warm and inviting so decided to stop for some food. Despite a few awkward moments incurred by the language barrier when asking for water, and Jade being accused of 'ruining food' by the poor Italian waiter whom she asked for ketchup, I had a lovely meal in brilliant company. Perfect. 

 Jesse and her 4 cheese pizza

 My HUGE vegetarian pizza. yummy yummy

Fashion Week

Bread and Butter
One of the main objectives of our trip was to attend the trade show Bread and Butter to gain information and research for a trend report. The trade show was staged in The Airport Berlin-Tempelhof which was an amazing location as it had a strong industrial feel to it and they cleverly used the airports features to showcase the brands. On arrival you were greeted by B&B trade show guides going round on the luggage conveyor and then proceeded through the airport security to enter the show, highly innovative and helped to create a strong consistent feel to the experience.

The Airport Berlin-Tempelhof

When choosing an outfit to wear the main thing i had to factor in were the -4 degree conditions (not easy weather conditions to dress well for) However I opted for lots of thinner layers and wore a cream shirt under my embellished Topshop jumper, then teamed with with a leather jacket, black jeans and a burgundy Primark hat.

 I loved the industrial look of these old storage containers which had been used as rooms to showcase different brands, so innovative and interesting to look at. 

 The simple yet beautiful lighting used at the cafe area

 I LOVE THIS JACKET

They had cleverly used the old airport shops as showrooms for the brands.

Coming home with a suitcase full of lookbooks and freebies was a massive bonus, it took a good few cups of tea and late nights to get through this lot of reading. 

Seeing the Sights

The Reichstag 
On the first day we braved the freezing temperatures and headed to The Reichstag building, one of the most popular tourist attractions in Berlin and a spectacular architectural masterpiece.

 A very snowy Berlin

 A spiral walkway lead to the top of the dome and then an alternate spiral lead the walk back down

Although a grey and industrial looking view, the snow and mist created a magical feel to the skyline

After the Reichstag we walked through the Tiergarten Park towards the Brandenburg Gate. The park looked so beautiful in the snow, almost surreal as the dark of the trees contrasted with the bright white of the snow, however due to the lack of feeling in all our feet thanks to the cold we headed into Starbucks where we stood and drank coffee whilst admiring the gate. 

Our walk then continued down the Unter Den Linden which eventually lead to Alexanderplatz. On the way we passed the Berliner Dom which was unbelievably beautiful in the bright snowy conditions as well as a multitude of other beautiful buildings, if you can stand the cold, winter is a truly amazing time to see this city. 

Alexanderplatz 

Our next stop was Alexanderplatz, after being told it was somewhere we had to visit I must admit I was surprised with what was there. A concrete jungle is all it can be described as. Utilitarian structures in straight lines, and lots and lots of grey! Despite the initial shock, after spending time in the area we soon began to understand that it is this unfriendly looking environment which is infact the charm of the place, I'd never been anywhere else like it that's for sure. 

Jade in her element at the shopping center at Alexanderplatz. PINK!