Music & clubs

My perfect Berlin weekend: Vanessa Pons

A look inside the intriguing lives of Berliners... this time with Vanessa Pons, director of the outdoor designer-fashion fair White Market.

Image for My perfect Berlin weekend: Vanessa Pons
Photo courtesy of Vanessa Pons

Vanessa Pons is the director of the outdoor designer-fashion fair White Market. The next markets take place on July 31 and August 14, in the courtyard of the Kulturbrauerei.

Friday

20:00 Watch the sunset over Bebelplatz from the Hotel de Rome roof terrace (Behrenstraße 37, Mitte), with one of their mouth-watering cocktails in hand.

22:00 Dinner at Kimchi Princess (Skalitzer Straße 36, Kreuzberg). I order my favorites: a Seoul Mule and the Bibimbap for dinner.

Saturday

11:00 Enjoy a hearty “Moskauer Brunch” at Pasternak Restaurant (Knaackstraße 22/24, Prenzlauer Berg), but make it snappy – they charge by the hour. Then flowers at the Kollwitzplatz market.

13:00 Over to the White Market just around the corner (inside the Kulturbrauerei, Schönhauser Allee 36, Prenzlauer Berg) to check out the fashion designers’ outdoor travelling boutiques – this is where one finds the hidden pearls of the Berlin fashion scene. Sit back and relax in the lounge under an umbrella, and get inspired by the fashionistas strolling through.

16:00 Rent a bike at the Kulturbrauerei (Berlin on Bike) and pedal over to Haunch of Venison gallery to check out the Damien Hirst and Michael Joo exhibit (Heidestraße 46, Mitte).

19:00 Pedal on to Ressort beach club (behind Hamburger Bahnhof, Invalidenstraße 50-51, Mitte) for a grilled Würstchen by the river’s edge. Wave at the tourist boats passing by.

Sunday

12:00 Pack a bathing suit and flip-flops in a beach bag, and grab a coffee and a marzipan croissant to go.

13:00 Check out the Frida Kahlo exhibit (Martin-Gropius-Bau, Niederkirchner Straße 7, Kreuzberg).

15:00 Take a dip in the rooftop pool at Soho House (Torstraße 1, Mitte) and read a few chapters of Haruki Murakami’s Kafka on the Shore in a lounge chair.

19:00 Head back home and throw some burgers on the grill. Grab a few movies from the video rental store around the corner.

21:00 Wait patiently until the sun finally sets and the sky is dark enough to turn on the projector and enjoy a movie, comfy on my couch.