There are many lessons to be learned in Berlin, starting with the old adage that it’s unwise to judge a book by its cover. From the street, parts of the city appear to have a full-body tattoo, and behind the façades lie eclectic apartments, gleaming parquet floors, and quiet courtyards. It was in one of those apartments, on Skalitzer Straße, that we learned something about traveling we’ve never forgotten.
We were renting an apartment with friends, they arrived pulling their wheelie suitcases behind them, and we offered to take the luggage upstairs to the bedroom. But they insisted one particular suitcase stay behind downstairs. It contained their coffee machine.
And why not shape your experience as far as is possible, packing or otherwise, especially in the kitchen. We’re taking a solid break for the holidays and look forward to connecting again, well rested and inspired, when we’re all back at our desks in January. In the mean time, here’s a list of the cooking essentials that are traveling with us.
A small but super sharp knife – definitions of ‘sharp’ can vary wildly. We choose accommodation largely based on the kitchen, but no amount of zooming in on the images can show detail on the knife blades.
A collapsible pourover coffee filter – not quite in the same league as a coffee machine but a lightweight way of maintaining a morning ritual.
A foldable salad spinner – After once using every available tea towel in an apartment rental trying to dry salad leaves without a spinner, this portable solution is as indispensable as a knife. The clever Salatschleuder comes from the same city as our travel learnings and is a fabric-mesh lined pouch that is swung in the air. To see it in action, click here.
A thermometer – for cooking our goose (breast) on Christmas Eve
Reading and gifts – two books that crossed our path this year and made an impression are both debut releases: Glass Tower by Sarah Isaacs (United Kingdom: Holland House Books, 2023) and Peach Country by Nondwe Mpuma (Durban: uHlanga, 2022).
Peach Country is a collection of skillfully crafted poetry by Nondwe Mpuma, born in 1995 in Lubaleko, emaXesibeni, in the Eastern Cape. An exception perhaps, as it’s worth judging by the inviting, detailed cover, illustrated by Shakil Solanki. Glass Tower is a coming of age story set in Durban and the Cape during 1997, and author Sarah Isaacs handles hard topics with sensitivity and warmth. Both have a strong sense of time and place unique to South Africa.
May your travels be safe and your journey into the new year peaceful. See you 2024!