On a leafy street in Kreuzberg is Kuratiert, a contemporary illustration gallery and shop selling prints, ceramics, textiles and more by some of the best creators from Berlin and the world. It also hosts regular dedicated exhibitions, and is a great place to browse for gifts, or just inspiration.

Flughafen Tempelhof was once the symbol of nazi-pride when Hitler notoriously comissioned construction of the smallest duty free shop in the world (and a beautiful example of fascist architecture). After the war, Tempelhof became one of the frontiers of the cold war with the U.S. battling the communists (who undoubtedly wanted to get rid of the small duty free shop altogether) via the Berlin Airlift. It turned out to be a huge succes, and enabled the allied forces to remain their presence in Berlin and save the small duty free shop. The real free-market victory will come in about two years though, when project developers will take over and start building houses, blocking my view onto the airfield.

This is the kind of world where I really feel safe. My Berlin home is the the place where my intimacy is, the place where I meet up friends, where I cook for them, where I love. It is the perfect shelter if I fall apart..

The central ‘Mitte’ area of Berlin is packed tight with galleries and museums, which means you can cram a lot into a short amount of time, if that’s what you want. The best of the lot is the Me Collectors Room, which shows off large chunks of the Thomas Olbricht collection alongside other contemporary private artworks. The permanent ‘Wunderkammer’ display offers over 200 pieces from the Renaissance and the Baroque periods, with a solid focus on the strange and macabre. There’s even a Mark Ryden original that fits in nicely.

A small but never-the-less great museum for photography-lovers. It’s there that I fell in love with dear Helmut. Mr. Newton was this man who loved women bodies, dramatic stagings, and his wife. An original who was down-to-earth and respectful despite living a glamorous life. After every visit I feel inspired, more confident and proud to be a woman and own my body. You will find at the Helmut Newton Fondation a collection of his photography work, personal belongings, and condolence letters wrote to his wife after he passed away. In addition of that, a space dedicated to June Newton’s work, a little cinema room as well as two temporary exhibitions for contemporary artists ( check website for more infos ). Helmut Newton will remain one of my human and artistic crush, I can only recommend to pay yourself a visit there to learn about his work, his life, his love. p.s.: and it’s some hundred meters only from the C/O Gallery.