Berlin
Shopping the ex-GDR
Revel in the retro packaging. Ogle the old-school designs. Reflect, perhaps, on the irony that while there's something indisputably charming about these remnants of a bygone era, most East Germans would have gladly exchanged them for glitzier western goods.
At Friedrichshain's Intershop2000, you'll find a world of Ostalgic shopping that disappeared with the fall of the Berlin Wall. Both a store and a museum, all the products on show are everyday items from the ex-GDR.
Taking its name from a chain of East German stores founded in the early '60s, the Intershops were principally aimed at tourists, although in later years East German citizens were also allowed to purchase - providing, of course, they had the hard cash to do so.
Most visitors to Intershop2000 are also tempted by a reasonably priced memento or two. Drop by, as they say, while stocks last.
Intershop2000: Danneckerstraße 8, 10245, Berlin
Opening times: Wed-Fri, 2pm - 6pm; Sat-Sun, 12pm - 6pm