One of the most beautiful pieces of Berlin actually is a piece of another city (Al-Hillah, Iraq). Normally Berliners are laid back and like to hang around, drink beer and chat till sunrise. Sometimes they do get excited though, and then they start taking old war-battered stones and piecing them together to (re)form walls. The results are great as can be seen all over Berlin, but the Ishtar gate in the Pergamon museum is where they’ve really outdone themselves.

A place where I spend some time almost everyday is the Marheineke Markthalle on Bergmannstraße in Kreuzberg. It's just around the corner from where I live and a great place to buy fresh food and products from local farmers or all kinds of delicatessen from different countries. Many market stalls also sell freshly prepared food and it's always busy at lunchtime. For saturday mornings try the original french croissants.

A very nice little second-hand bookstore, including a shelve with international books in French, English, and Spanish too. Always nice people to meet and a great selection of art and cook books, for affordable prices.

Cosmoveda is a hidden xberg gem. It's an Ayurvedic supermaket that happens to come with a kitchen with it. There you can find a delicious Ayurvedic lunch menu (with soup, main and a little dessert) in 3 different sizes, prices starting at just 5,90. Not to mention you can shop the ingredients that you just ate in case you want to try to cook Ayurvedic yourself.  

If you like fashion then this is the place to be. The label was founded in 2005 by Nando and Silvia, two spanish designers. I like this place because I love the wool coats and the patterns they create. They support local industry and that is a top of the top for me.