When you ascend from the Untergrund Bahn station of Wittenbergplatz your view is obscured by an imposing grey building with the KaDeWe logotype brightly lit against the gloomy Berlin sky.
KaDeWe’s backlit logo stands serves as more than just a waypointer, it stands for KaDeWe’s whole philosophy.
KaDeWe stands for Kaufhaus Des Westens, the shopping center of the west. It is a veritable house of plenty and was designed to inspire shock and awe in the eyes and minds of, not only tourists to Germany, but any East-German Communist that may have strayed west of Checkpoint Charlie.
The glittering jewel to this crown of democracy is the 6th floor, a city block dedicated to edible delicacies from around the world. Escalators rise up into the hall of chocolate within which, currently, is a giant Liberty Bell comprised of chocolate. You can easily lose an hour or two shuffling through the aisles, smiling at some of the choices and sighing at others.
This isn’t Fairways folks: there’s no salad leaves on the floor or dangerous old ladies with their elbows of steel peering up from their trolleys. KaDeWe features only hand carts. You’re not stocking up here, you’re picking up your favorite Maldon’s sea salt from Essex, your smoked eel from Ireland, your bread and cakes from Lenôtré in Paris, your weißwurst (veal sausage), sußersenf (sweet mustard) and bretzels (pretzels) from Bavaria.
Scattered around the floor are small bars where you can order from a menu based on whatever area you happen to be in: fruit juices in the fruit section, a champagne bar or a beer bar in the off license section, lobsters, cheeses…you get the picture.
The best thing about this, dear fellow Germanofiles, is that KaDeWe is on the way home and there’s a direct elevator to the sixth floor. One can get very adept at navigating the confusing floor plan quite quickly.
