Museum Island & the Bode Museum Cafe, Berlin
Photo: David Bank David-Bank.com Bode Cafe Mezzanine, Berlin.
The River Spree runs through the center of Berlin, and right at the heart, just before the Berliner Dom, it wraps around Museum Island. As the Visit Berlin web site says, Museum Island is home to an extraordinary ensemble of five world-renowned museums: the Pergamon, the Bode, the Neues, the Altes and the Alte Nationalgalerie. And, as I say, one magnificent Bode café!
When I visited Berlin in 2013, my son and I stayed for a week in a large apartment in the Prenzlauer Berg district. It was in the SmartLoft building - check it out if you’re headed to Berlin. We loved it. And as a combination art gallery/apartment hotel, it was very appropriate for a museum trip!
Summer in the City
From our part of Prenzlauer Berg, it was about a 20-minute walk down to the Spree and Museum Island. Berlin was in the middle of a heat wave when we were there – my usual M.O. was walk a few blocks, stop for an iced latte, walk a few more blocks… stop for an iced latte…so sometimes it took more than 20 minutes.
When I did make it down to the Island, I went right into the Neues Museum, to see Nefertiti. It was early and I was alone with her majesty in the sweltering room, except for a guard just outside the door. I’m sure she felt at home. After exploring several floors of the museum, I was ready for a break. When I found the Neues museum café, it turned out to be a very narrow, long room off the main lobby. I love airy, spacious cafes. This was closed-in and dark. The air-conditioning was a powerful draw, but it didn’t overcome the claustrophobia.
Back to Babylon
I pressed on to the Pergamon, and saw the Ishtar Gate and the Pergamon Altar. I had heard they had a nice terrace café, and a terrace sounded better than the narrow café at the Neues. Unfortunately, their terrace café was closed for construction. Onward. I hadn’t read much about the Bode Museum, at the northern tip of the island, and surprises always seem to be best travel discoveries. It’s a breathtaking museum, obviously, and it turned out to have an amazing café.
Two for the Price of One
The Bode Café has a split personality. Once you’ve climbed one side of the double staircase in the magnificent, soaring entrance hall, you reach the mezzanine where there are tables and chairs near the beautifully ornate railings. Through two large doors you enter the café itself, a modern enclave, with a black and white color scheme and large black banquettes against the wall. Green marble tables and black chairs accompany the banquettes. And it’s nice and cool. For a footsore, overheated traveler, it was a very welcome sight. I sank into a chair and ordered water, a salad and yes, an iced latte. A server went by with a tray of very refreshing-looking ice cream floats for a group that was sitting out on the mezzanine - I made a mental note that I must bring my son back for a treat tomorrow. And I did. So we enjoyed the Bode Cafe twice. The second time we sat out on the mezzanine and enjoyed the baroque splendor with our ice cream floats.
I was so glad that I stuck to the adventurer’s mantra, “There’s something better around the corner.” The Bode Café was a palatial reward.
Photos: Mary Ringstad
