All stories about "Peter And Katherine Duvigneau"

Everyday on Gridskipper we give you a new map. Some are new, some are fetched from our archive, newly updated. Happy Gridskipping Another favorite in the Berlin pastiche of "multi-kulti" is Indian food. Though certainly not as popular as Arabic and Asian cuisine, India's curried stews and lentil soups have a tender place of their own in Berlin's heart. Once again, spicy dishes are prepared to suit fearful palates, so expect a kind of simulacrum of Indian cuisine. Follow the map for some genuine, lovingly made dishes. But if you like hot, be sure to make that clear when ordering.

Spring is in the air, which means drab winter wear ought to be properly stored away. Pretty pastels in breathable fabrics are the essence of this time of year, as are sweet berries, crisp greens, and a fabulous pair of Romanesque sandals. And so, to help you shed the old and bring in the new, I've scoured east and west for the snazziest shops in Berlin. Whether you've a penchant for Tokyo's youth culture or for Sex in the City, there's something here for everyone. Happy spring shopping.

Berlin's fashion scene is full of indie mavericks. These rebels against uniformity have a growing prominence throughout the world. On a given day, you might see busloads of Japanese tourists admiring Konk's playful opulence, or visiting Europeans enduring the dismal walk on Invalidenstrasse in order to shop at Penkov. I myself was rather shocked at just how many designers are not slouching towards the fashion empires in other major cities, but instead are staying put and selling their works at boutiques here in Berlin.

Flaunting sexy lingerie exclusively for one's lover is a thing of the past. The sophisticated woman of today wears naughty knickers firstly for her own pleasure. Nurse-like brassieres have no place in her salacious heart, even if she is "just" going to the office. Now we all know Berlin isn't London, Paris, Tokyo, or New York with respect to finding libidinous lingerie; however, what Berlin lacks in quantity it makes up for in high quality. The following shops and designers are your definitive guide to looking and feeling provocative, even if it's exclusively for your indulgence.

What better purpose should a city guide have other than to show you a city's best-kept secrets? One of Berlin's charms is its many dark streets, which cater to those looking for an authentic neighborhood bar. These are the places so low-key everyone is talking about them. And now we've uncovered the most non-secret secret bars in East Berlin. We've listed everything from the dodgy to the vulgarly nouveau-riche, so get cracking and start drinking.

Part of winter's charm is being able to step out from the cold and into a warm bistro-bar. Amidst the heartiness and understated chic, brooders and the bubbly alike can sit side by side and yield to their respective temperaments without qualms. Some bistros are so smattered with that special something, you want to return over and again. The ones we've selected are interchangeably cafés, restaurants, and snack bars. Each, however, is touched with that panache one looks for when visiting a European city. Should you decide to return to Berlin, I guarantee you'll want to keep these noted for their old-world draw.

Certainties are not always reassuring. Yet if one can rest assured knowing that foreigners are, if anything, barely tolerated in Berlin, then one has already prepared for a principal aspect of visiting Berlin. As good old Benny said: Failure to prepare is preparing to fail -- especially if you've a temper. Preparation can simply mean expecting the occasional offensive remark, e.g. "Why don't you go back to where you came from?" The problem is that the modern-day metaphorical Nazi comes in all shapes and one brain size. Even the punks are not cleared of this unfortunate mentality, so don't be surprised if you encounter some dirty-green mohawk raving about Jews and Zionist pigs. So much for anti-establishment. Unlike the famed Soup Nazi, who is anything but, the following proprietors and servers specialize in a disturbingly fascist mindset.

It's finally happening. Berlin is following in the footsteps of other metropoli -- albeit slowly. As the smoking ban looms, proprietors are gradually getting a head start, creating partially sectioned-off areas for nonsmokers. Others have gone the full mile and slapped the nonsmoking sticker on the door already. Before you know it, the yuppies will raid the city, and Berlin will be another East Village for young bankers. The following cafés are some personal favorites for a quick and yummy bite in clean-air settings. Only keep in mind that a smoke-free café is an open invitation for parents with toddlers.

As the holiday spirit bejewels and bedevils the city, festivities take on an altogether Baroque tenor. Think ornate, eclectic, and dark extravagance. Greek tragedies, bloodthirsty theater figures, sacred rites of passage, and magical fairy tales simultaneously come to life with the nearness of subzero weather. Indeed, Berlin offers so many colorful events you may be hard-pressed to choose. We include here a small sampling for those with especially wolfish appetites and a taste for blood.

Europe's churches are so immersed in history, bloodshed, and opulence that visiting isn't only about indulging one's faith. Many of Berlin's churches are nearly identical, thanks to the German Empress and Queen of Prussia, Auguste-Victoria, whom Berliners lovingly referred to as the church zealot. Her devotion resulted in a boom in church-building during the late 19th century, especially in places of prominence. But one of the repercussions of World War II was irreparable damage to many of the city's churches. Some were rebuilt, but others were eventually destroyed and turned into parks or empty lots. One was blown up simply to make room for the Wall, a tribute to another kind of God.

For some travelers, half the fun in finding an English-language bookstore in a foreign country is in the quest, following one's intuition down a small side street and reveling in the discovery. For others -- travelers with control issues -- finding an English-language bookstore requires research, an action plan, and a complete printout paper-clipped to your travel map. So while this post is naturally of interest to both types of English-language book lovers, it is clearly directed at the latter category. Rest assured, whatever neighborhood you've chosen to explore, we've just the right Berlin bookstore to set your Apollonian mind at ease.

Berlin is sometimes referred to as Prussia's Venice, and though the cities are nothing alike in terms of appearance and spirit, they both enjoy an abundance of bridges and waterways. In fact, most of the area's approximately 400 rivers and lakes are interconnected and make for great canoeing and camping trips -- or in our case, they offer great settings for the city's numerous boat restaurants. Thanks to limited vacation destinations for former West Berliners and East Germans, the vast waterway was created in order to pacify the restless natives. The result is you can enjoy an outdoorsy pioneer vibe without actually leaving the city. Just keep in mind that the following boat-dining tours are more about the nature and the food and are nothing like those brazen techno boat-parties for New Jersey locals.

Flavors of the Caribbean and Latin America are almost inaccessible during the long winter months in Berlin. All the more reason we've decided to search for Latin sabor. Much to our surprise, we've found everything from the best Peruvian tamale in town to learning how to mambo like the toughest New York boricua. Though you can be sure you'll never happen upon a Puerto Rican Day Parade or a non-Latino who knows the difference between tostones and plátanos, Berlin has much to offer in the way of this booty-shaking culture.

It's altogether cruel to go to an Asian restaurant expecting spice, layers, and fragrance and end up instead with a diluted zing of MSG. Welcome to ethnic in Berlin, where most restaurateurs, for fear of frightening away patrons, tone down on marvelously rich spices. Thankfully, and for reasons wholeheartedly self-serving, Team Duvigneau has hunted down Berlin's authentic ethnics unafraid to show their true colors.

Previously we presented you with hotels in both East and West Berlin. But perhaps you would prefer Potsdamer Platz, where all the action once was, and which was for many years thereafter nothing but a wasteland. Since Reunification, one is now able to reside more or less prominently in the newly resurrected Potsdamer Platz. This once was the true heart of the city, minutes away from former Anhalter Bahnhof, itself Europe's largest train station at one time. Totally destroyed in World War II, now the area serves as, amongst other things, a golf range, empty lots waiting to be filled, and sites for "modern" (a.k.a. hideous) architecture. And there are plenty of hotels in which to lavishly live it up, minutes away from all the fancy parts of town. Also close by is the former government district around Wilhelmstrasse, the Sony Center, the Berliner Philharmonie, Brandenburger Tor, and more.

We brought you Part 1, so here as promised is Part 2. Old faithful Kurfürstendamm, shopping DMZ of the West, is rather a large project to tackle in just one go. Don't forget to drop into Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedaechtnis-Memorial-Church, or just hang out on the Breitscheidplatz and enjoy the fun medley of tourists, performers, and drunks. Don't miss the fall sales! Keep in mind, if you're looking for fancy, you just need to walk up and down Ku'damm -- the usual suspects are not hard to find. We've taken the side streets, like your pal Bob Frost, to locate more venues for emptying your bulging billfold.

If you're looking for a quaint Berlin neighborhood with narrow side streets, then good old Kurfürstendamm (known locally as Ku'damm) will be particularly loathsome. The bustling strip is the city's commotion center for shopaholics of all demographics. In order to better help you sort out the good from the waste of time, we elbowed our way through the shopping mile and selected some of our favorites. Do take out time from retail therapy and visit the skeletal remains of the Gedächtniskirche, built by Kaiser Wilhelm II. Spared from demolition after World War II, it stands as the city's reminder of its notorious past.