Kreuzberg, among other things

This afternoon I went for a wander in Kreuzberg to find a button shop that I had read about on the internet, on my way to the Turkish Market. Now for a digression about banks. I didn’t have any cash with me, because yesterday when I went to get some from a machine at Zoo station, before it issued me with my money it said it would charge me 4.95 euros for the priviledge, so I declined their kind offer and went away without. Previously I had “only” been charged 1.95 euros for a withdrawal, and put it down to me stupidly using the wrong card. Today I thought there wouldn’t be the same problem in Kreuzberg as it is a relatively cheap area, but the first machine I went to said it would charge 5.95 euros!!! Again, I declined and went off to find another. This next one threatened to charge 3.95 euros. Off I went again. Finally, I found an ATM which gave me money without apparently charging a fee. I await the bank statement with interest, if not trepidation. I am really confused by our German bank. The account has two cards. One of them is a visa card, and to get cash you have to put money into the visa bit online, then use this card to extract cash from machines. Allegedly this does not incur charges. You can’t use the visa card for purchases, but you use the other (cash) card for such purposes. Confused? You are not the only one. And there there are two new PIN numbers to remember, not to mention the system for logging onto the internet which requires an MBA in financial administration! I’m beginning to think mattresses have a lot to recommend them. End of digression.

So there I was in Kreuzberg, familiarising myself with the charges levied by different ATMs and how banks rip off unwitting customers desperate to get on with their lives without further ado and before their shoes have worn out completely, when what I was really interested in was buttons. Finally I reached Knopf Paul (“Button Paul”), and it is fantastic! It is a small, old-fashioned looking shop with an enormous selection of good quality buttons and buckles piled up to the high ceiling, and a friendly and knowldegable assistant . It has modern and vintage stock. Here are some pictures of Kreuzberg, with Knopf Paul, another great little shop which sells and mends old radios and stereos, and various other scenes that took my fancy.

One of my favourite scenes here is the heap of books with a typewriter on the top, outside a second had book shop. It says so much about Berlin. There is a seat by a little garden which the shop looks after, a whacky installation, a bicycle, recycled stuff and it’s funny. Also, it gives me a idea of how to use those thousands of books clogging up our house. Maybe the Tate would give me so money if…….

As usual, click on any of the small pictures to enlarge them.

Outside a bookshop

Outside a bookshop