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THE BUZZ | BERLIN<br />
INSIDER’S<br />
GUIDE<br />
“THIS CITY FEELS<br />
so free. You can do<br />
what you want, wear<br />
what you want and<br />
think what you want.<br />
When I came here it<br />
was the fi rst time I<br />
had lived away from<br />
my parents, and<br />
that has probably<br />
augmented the<br />
sense of freedom,”<br />
says soprano Sylvia<br />
Schwartz. After<br />
graduating from the<br />
Escuela Superior<br />
de Canto in Madrid,<br />
Spain, UK-born<br />
Sylvia came to Berlin<br />
for postgrad work. It<br />
wasn’t long before<br />
she was swept up by<br />
the city’s renowned<br />
Staatsoper (Royal<br />
Opera House),<br />
20 | TRAVELLER | DECEMBER 09<br />
BERLIN-BASED SOPRANO<br />
Sylvia Schwartz<br />
tells us the best places to go and<br />
things to do in the German capital<br />
where she’s now a<br />
leading lady. This<br />
month she plays<br />
Princess Pamina<br />
in Mozart’s Die<br />
Zauberfl öte (The<br />
Magic Flute) on<br />
the 21st and 26th.<br />
When I’m hungry<br />
I love Italian food<br />
and the best place<br />
for it is Al Contadino<br />
Sotto le Stelle (34<br />
Auguststrasse,<br />
tel: +49 (0)3 0281<br />
9023). I also eat<br />
at Sulzberger (1<br />
Hannoversche<br />
Strasse, tel: +49<br />
(0)30 3644 7588).<br />
The guy who owns<br />
it is really sweet<br />
and the raspberry<br />
crumble is to die for!<br />
When I’m thirsty<br />
Under the railway<br />
tracks is a place<br />
called Bar 1000 (11<br />
Schiffbauerdamm).<br />
An anonymous<br />
steel door leads to a<br />
chic bar where the<br />
clientèle are decked<br />
out in Prada.<br />
When I want<br />
to shop<br />
I buy so much music<br />
from Dussmann (90<br />
Friedrichstrasse).<br />
If they don’t have<br />
something, they<br />
order it in.<br />
When I need<br />
pampering<br />
The spa inside<br />
Holmes Place (67–<br />
70 Friedrichstrasse,<br />
holmesplace.<br />
de) uses Aveda<br />
products. The<br />
amazing hydrating<br />
facial gets rid of<br />
every last bit of<br />
make-up and makes<br />
your skin glow.<br />
When I want<br />
to catch up<br />
with friends<br />
I like Nola’s am<br />
Weinberg (9<br />
Veteranenstrasse,<br />
tel: +49 (0)30 4404<br />
0766) because it’s<br />
bright and sunny,<br />
even in winter. Sit<br />
by the big windows,<br />
pick up some food<br />
from the delicious<br />
brunch buffet<br />
and order a<br />
hot chocolate.<br />
When I want<br />
to see an opera<br />
Staatsoper (7<br />
Unter den Linden,<br />
staatsoper-berlin.<br />
org) is world<br />
class, but so is<br />
the Deutsche Oper<br />
(35 Bismarckstrasse,<br />
deutscheoperberlin.<br />
de), which gets<br />
some of the best<br />
performers.<br />
When I want some<br />
holiday spirit<br />
I go to the Christmas<br />
market next to the<br />
Staatsoper. It has<br />
the most beautiful<br />
decorations. I drink<br />
the glühwein and<br />
eat sausage – the<br />
whole schebang!<br />
Victoria Larsson
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