A to Z Challenge - Y is for Yummy

It's a cool and rainy Saturday in my part of the world. Let's pop open the canopy and blast far away from the grey and colourless. Let's indulge in a feast of yummy things. And I mean yummy times five senses.

I know just the place!

Sail away with me to KaDeWe® (Kaufhaus des Westens) in Berlin, Germany.

image courtesy of KaDeWe website

This is a department store like no other I've ever seen. It's Nordstrom's® on steroids. A luxurious, sumptuous, elegant, eye-popping, mouth-watering, 60,000 square metres of retail space, second only to Harrod's in London. It attracts 40,000 to 50,000 visitors every day. A dose of yummy if ever there was one!

Coming in the main entrance, I found myself strolling along a kind of boulevard of luxury. Bulgari, Burberry, Cartier, Céline, Chanel, Chopard, Dior, Fendi, Gucci, Hermès, Miu Miu, Montblanc, Longchamp, Louis Vuitton, Prada, Rolex, Tiffany & Co., Tod's, Vertu, Wellendorff and Yves Saint Laurent and more, vie for my attention. But it is the Guerlain® fragrance counter that captured me.

The sculpted glass bottles drew my eyes to wander over and around the shapes and colours of scent. My breath caught in my throat - Shalimar! My mother's favourite and the most expensive fragrance she ever owned. When I was a child I marveled at this shapely bottle that held pride of place on her dresser.

The salesperson noted my interest. I told her of my late mother's love of Shalimar. "We've been making this perfume since 1925. Let me offer you some." She spritzed the golden liquid onto a white card, particles of scent filling the air as well as landing on the card. Instantly I felt my mother behind me, heard her inhale deeply and her murmur of appreciation.



The experience of my mother's presence was warm and lovely, but truth be told, the fragrance on the sample card was not one my olfactory senses enjoyed. A little too floral, complex, and overpowering for me. But Mom, she still loved it.




Now let's stroll a bit more through this yummy store.
Gadgets anyone?

Or for the hard to buy, how about a little something from Fortnum & Mason?

Those who know me will be quick to tell you that fashion is not my thing, not at all. Much to my mother's chagrin, I did not get that gene. But I did find these shoes impressive, and entirely unwearable at least on my sixty-five-year-old feet.

















I'm more of a champagne (also craft beer and single malts) chocolate, and bread girl.
Oh! And look - they have that too!

And sausages, and canapes to take home.

Feeling a little peckish?

I'll settle for something Italian.

Saturday morning in KaDeWe - lots of people - inter-generational families, kids to elders all enjoying a grand experience.

If you are ever in Berlin, spend some time exploring this amazing emporium of all things yummy.





©2018 April Hoeller