8 hours in Berlin

You may ask, so if I had really been to Berlin, where are the shots of the Brandenburg Gate or the Reichtag in the background? Well, my kitchen has a fridge to prop the camera on, Berlin didn't. So you'd just have to take my word that I was in Berlin :)

Wait! I do have proof, but not by way of photos. I've been lucky to have had visited the fantastic city of Berlin a few times, either by leisure or business trips. I've seen the major sites and museums. So now I thought of discovering Berlin in a different way--by fleamarket-hopping. I did it once before and had stumbled unknowingly into little pockets of colorful communities in Berlin--to my extreme delight. These micro-communities are the Berlin for the locals, which made ol' tourist me fall in love with Berlin even more.

Anyway, so back to my proof. After renewing my passport at the Philippine embassy in Berlin, I took the U-Bahn over to the Bergmannstrasse area, on the hunt for Colours Kleidermarkt, a second-hand store hailed in one of my guidebooks. It did not disappoint; Colours was a whole floor of vintage and second-hand goodies from scarves to 80's dresses to kitschy Oktoberfest wear. Some items were priced individually, while some were priced per kilo! My proof(s) that I went to Berlin? A butter-yellow kimono-sleeved tunic/blouse, a tiger-print fur skirt, a blue weird high-waisted long-ish shorts (which I need to fix or at least style properly), a 60's shirtwaist dress (which on hindsight is too dark and too big), and a silk (I think) square scarf! And all that for a little over 20 euros. Wowza, what an achievement. Haha!

Spending a day in Berlin, I wanted an outfit that's comfortable to walk in, so I wore my Chucks. (They weren't originally gray--I'll tell you the story next time :)) I'm loath to pair up sneakers with skinnies, because I feel like Ronald McDonald with my size-9.5 feet, but--oh well--sometimes comfort just simply trumps fashion. Plus, the Chucks ended up not looking too Titanic-ish on the photos :)

This is also the first time I layered statement pieces of jewelry...I like it. It's inspiring me to see what else I can mix and match, although I've tried before and found it not so easy. Practice, practice! :)

shirt - H&M, blazer - Zara, pants - Zara, shoes - Converse

necklace - H&M and Bijou Brigette