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.

My favourite bar of the many around kreuzkölln is Bellman. After its sudden closure and reopening it underwent some changes and is boycotted by some of its former patronage, but for the less principled like myself it’s still a good place to go and they do pull the best Jever in Berlin.

This café is where I go when I want to feel at home and spoil myself with food prepared with passion and care. I spend hours between a coffee and a carrot cake while working on my computer

Cinema with original fifties interior, close to Hermann Platz. Like all cinemas from the York Cinema Group in Berlin, it features a diverse program of independent movies (mostly original versions with German subtitles).

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.