We started the morning exhausted. We dropped our bags at the hotel and met our friends. The weather was wet, and it was cooler than in the United States, so we weren’t getting a climate upgrade for the trip. We headed to Bean House for a cinnamon roll and a flat white. We had to eat outside under the awning, but that made the coffee and roll even more inviting.
The roll’s dough wasn’t too thick, which is always my first test of a good cinnamon roll. It was incredibly well-baked—crispy and flaky without being brittle and hard. There was a lot of cinnamon flavor, not just the sugary glaze masquerading as cinnamon that so many places rely on. It was exactly what I needed: a sweet rush to pair with my coffee and shake off the exhaustion.
We weren’t done with coffee yet. We made our way to Romeo und Romeo for a second cup. It’s a gay coffee shop, and sitting there reminded me how rare these spaces have become. I came out 25 years ago. New York had the famous Big Cup. Philly had a gay coffee shop on 9th. Though Pittsburgh never had an exclusively gay option, it certainly had a few where gay men gathered. It’s tough to find a gay coffee shop in the U.S. today.
It was a way to meet other gay people during the day and not just at night. Nighttime certainly serves a purpose, but sometimes you want a cozy place to read the paper and be around gay men. Philly doesn’t have a gay coffee shop today, and it certainly makes me sad. They are fun and lovely places to chat. Romeo und Romeo felt like a small piece of something we’ve lost—a reminder of what used to exist in more cities.
Our hotel was the Mercure Hotel Berlin Wittenbergplatz. Our room overlooked Wittenbergplatz Square, which is a well-known square with a subway station at the base of a famous shopping street. From Wittenbergplatz, we walked to the Brandenburg Gate through Tiergarten. Tiergarten is a fabulous park. Its walkways are manicured in the forest under a well-developed canopy. Even though it was raining, we barely got wet. There are streams and brooks throughout the park, which just create a very peaceful atmosphere while walking through. It’s pretty beautiful. It makes you think about an era where promenading was a key pastime for those who wanted to be seen.
We stopped for lunch at Witty’s Bio-Currywurst at Wittenbergplatz. A friend told me that currywurst isn’t that interesting and is too sweet. Wittenbergplatz has two currywurst kiosks, and Witty’s is one of them. I get it—if you don’t like ketchup, this wouldn’t be very good. But I loved it. And I don’t like ketchup. I always just put on more curry powder. I enjoy a high-quality sausage or hot dog, and Witty’s had that, plus their fries were delicious. This is a good, heavy snack. I like a good, slightly spicy, slightly saucy hot dog, with some fries. Samer and I shared. Super good.
We had hoped to do the Homolulu Berlin bike tour in the afternoon, but the rain got worse and we had to cancel. I was pretty sad to miss that bike tour because I think I could’ve learned a lot from it. I wanted to do some formal queer history of Berlin. It really is such an essential place for the foundations of gay history, especially for gay men. Though obviously critical lesbian history movements were happening as well, Berlin really does feel like it has a strong gay male community. The tour host did give me some links to learn about the history and to do some self-guided tours, which was generous of him.
Before dinner, we stopped at Café Hardenberg for a beer on the walk over. Dinner was at Österelli, a nice Austrian restaurant that specializes in Wiener schnitzel. I had the Krenschnitzel for my main, started with Austrian Frittatensuppe, and had a very nice Riesling. It was a solid meal to cap off the first day—good food, good wine, and a chance to finally sit down after hours of walking.
After dinner, we went for drinks. First was Woof, a low-key, good place to chat. I don’t think the friends we were with particularly loved it—it’s a little bit of an old-school bear bar. The guys were very open and eager to size up any newcomers, so as soon as we walked in, all eyes were on us, which I enjoyed.
We finished the night at Prinzknecht. That was a party. You couldn’t chat much there, but we were there to drink a little bit and hang out. The music was louder, and the vibe was much cooler. Our friends didn’t go with us to this bar, but I think they would’ve liked it more than Woof. Lots of guys were there to party, and anyone can find fun there.
After a long day of walking, eating, drinking, and trying to stay dry in the rain, we finally made it back to the hotel. Berlin was exceeding my expectations.
Next: Germany – Day 2