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I'm back! :)

2010-04-25T19:27:00.000+02:00

Due to several problems in real and virtual life, I couldn't publish here since many weeks.
But now I'm back, I'll try to fill the gaps as soon as possible. Stay tuned!

Happy new year of the metal tiger!

2010-02-14T17:34:00.007+01:00

And happy valentine's, too!
All we need is love!
The Beatles were so right then singing it. It was broadcast live around the world in 1967. I watched it on tv with my dear grandmother. More than a quarter of a century ago now. Well, actually almost half a century. Can you believe it?! It was only yesterday, wasn't it? Or maybe last millenium, but not t h a t long ago. Sigh.
Today, the year of the tiger started. Metal tiger. Lots of fresh energy, the chinese tradition tells us. I can well do with that. ;)
Happy new year to you all, dear friends, and lots of love to you! Spread the word and the hugs!
P.S.. The fireworks were part of the festivities to the chinese new year at Berlin main station yesterday evening. Wonderful, with lights and sound!

Advices for a good life in 2010

2010-01-25T20:06:00.010+01:00

A poem my friend Bettina sent me last week.

Print it out, put it in a frame that you place where you will see it often, and make sure you follow these advices, at least one of them, every day.

ANLEITUNG zum GUTEN LEBEN von Joseph Beuys

Lass dich fallen, lerne Schlangen zu beobachten.
Pflanze unmögliche Gärten.
Lade jemanden Gefährlichen zum Tee ein.
Mache kleine Zeichen, die "ja" sagen
und verteile sie überall in deinem Haus.

Werde ein Freund von Freiheit und Unsicherheit.
Freue dich auf Träume.
Weine bei Kinofilmen.
Schaukle so hoch du kannst mit einer Schaukel bei Mondlicht.

Pflege verschiedene Stimmungen.
Verweigere dich,' verantwortlich zu sein' - tu es aus Liebe!
Mache eine Menge Nickerchen.
Gib Geld weiter. Mach es jetzt. Es wird folgen.
Glaube an Zauberei, lache eine Menge.
Bade im Mondschein.

Träume wilde, fantasievolle Träume.
Zeichne auf Wände.
Lies jeden Tag.
Stell dir vor, du wärst verzaubert.
Kichere mit Kindern, höre alten Leuten zu.
Öffne dich, tauche ein. Sei frei. Preise dich selbst.

Lass die Angst fallen, spiele mit allem.
Unterhalte das Kind in dir. Du bist unschuldig.
Baue eine Burg aus Decken. Werde nass. Umarme Bäume.
Schreibe Liebesbriefe...

P.S. Now even though I love this poem, somehow I had my doubts. Was it really from german artist Beuys? It seemed english to me. And in a very bad translation. Am I right? Check here for an english version.
P.P.S. Here, we are supposed to watch snails, not snakes. Makes so much more sence. And asks for a better translation.
P.P.P.S. Research has to be continued....

Falling in love with a cupboard

2010-01-23T22:35:00.001+01:00

Isn't this a beauty?! A friend of mine is moving, and can't keep all of her family furniture. So I decided in the spur of a moment, I'll buy some. I was lucky and got this Biedermeier cupboard today.
It's too big for my small house in Vaihingen, but Anna and Volker want it. And I got them a table, and a few chairs plus more goodies from 19th century.
Which I'll be the lucky owner of until I'm moving back to Stuttgart. :)

Have a very happy, peaceful and prosperous new year, y'all!

2009-12-31T15:24:00.004+01:00

"Dinner for one" on tv - a mustsee on new years' eve in Germany!
Another traditon is a song that will be sung all over the world tonight by millions of people: "Auld Lang Syne" by Robert Burns. My favourite version is the one sung by Dougie MacLean. I love it.

Xmas in Finland

2009-12-25T09:16:00.004+01:00

Elsis from Finland (now in Riga) sent me this music video.
Have a wonderful time with family and friends, as I do in Stuttgart!

Merry Xmas from Simon's cat

2009-12-24T07:27:00.003+01:00

And a very merry Xmas from me, too!
Enjoy more from Simon's cat (and all the videos) here.

Friends and collegues from Stuttgart

2009-12-15T21:54:00.003+01:00

What a surprise! There was a meeting of ver.di FB 8 in Berlin today, and Manfred called me this morning to tell me. He asked me to show him around ver,di head quarters afterwards. Of course I agreed to meet my friend since 25 years! We had met in 1985 when I went to my first trade union lectures in Springen, and he was one of our teachers then.
We spent all afternoon talking and exchanging ideas on new projects (f.e. on Fritz Lamm's 99th birthday celebrations next year). At the station, we met some more collegues from old times. More joy and laughter. I waved them good bye and went on to some Xmas shopping.
Sunday, I'll be going to Stuttgart, myself. Home for Xmas...

Xmas market at Domäne Dahlem

2009-12-13T16:44:00.006+01:00

My collegue Ariane invited Doris and me to the Xmas market at Domäne Dahlem where she had a booth this weekend. When not working at ver.di's, she's doing beautiful ceramics. (I wonder how she finds time and energy to do so!)
Domäne Dahlem is a special place, an organic farm and museum with lots of events that attract Berliners old and young alike. And even though it was freezing cold, we came to support Ariane, by buying some of her ceramics, and Doris by selling some, too.
I liked the market today, but I'm happy to be back home with Emil purring besides me. It's so cold outside! Poor Ariane and Paul, still selling ceramics at their booth...

Xmas party @ House of Life

2009-12-12T19:56:00.006+01:00

Since a few weeks, I felt I needed to do something in Berlin - besides work and meeting friends and walking around the capital and looking after Emil. Surfing through the internet helped: I found the "House of Life", a home for disabled people between 20 and 60 who need special care. They are always in want of help, even if it's only giving out coffee and cake on Saturday and Sunday afternoon in "Café Bohne".
I called them, had an appointment today in the cafe, and arrived just in time for the big Xmas party. What a surprise! It was the perfect Xmas party, with a Xmas tree, presents, snow outside, and Father Xmas, too. Several of them, actually, on motorbikes and a truck, bringing more presents and music. We all loved it!
Instead of spending half an hour at the café, checking whether I might like to work there sometimes (for free, of course), I was one of many helpers giving out dishes, presents and smiles all afternoon at this wonderful Xmas party. What a nice welcome!
Curious about Father Xmas on a motorbike? Read more here.

German Court against Sunday shopping in Berlin

2009-12-01T11:46:00.003+01:00

Salespeople, trade unions and churches are happy: Starting next year, shops in Berlin will not be allowed any more to open up every Sunday in December. The Bundesverfassungsgericht, highest court in Germany, put a stop to this.
I'm quite happy with the workers. We can do our shopping during the week, can't we?
Here's more news on the decision, including a video. And here's what ver.di said.

Volker in the news

2009-11-30T16:02:00.001+01:00

When I called home yesterday, Volker asked me to google his name and DFB, the german soccer association. Which I did. And found lawyer Volker Ströbele in the news. Getting famous, are we? ;)
P.S. The pic was taken this October close to Schloss Neuschwanstein in the bavarian Alps, not last week in Frankfurt...

It's Xmas time...

2009-11-29T19:56:00.006+01:00

Xmas is coming closer, with only 26 days to go. Today,the traditional norwegian Xmas tree was set up at Brandenburger Tor.
Shops were open in Berlin this afternoon, and most of the 60 (!) Xmas markets are waiting, so I took the chance to do some Xmas shopping after almost two weeks of staying at home with a cold and a sick cat.
I enjoyed walking around, admiring the beautiful booths, and even had some mulled wine - well, not actually wine: aronia and elderberry juice. Nice and hot, just right with the weather outside. Winter pleasures.

Swedish Xmas market

2009-11-28T20:18:00.003+01:00

It's a tradition with me in Berlin: When the swedish community are holding their Xmas bazaar, I'm there to have a look around, buy some small Xmas gifts, and enjoy swedish food.
Today, Doris and Seàn joined me. We all needed cheering up: Doris because she had to give away one of her two cute tomcats (they didn't get on well together since months, what a pity), and Seàn and me because of our colds that seem to stay forever.
We only made it for just over an hour, but savoured every minute of it. And the pittypanna and pepperkakor we had.

At the vet's

2009-11-24T21:34:00.000+01:00

We had an appointment at the vet's again today, Emil and I. My sweet tomcat seemed a lot better lately, eating and drinking more, and the daily infusions helped as well.
I was right, the vet told me: Emil had put on weight, and his kidneys are doing the best they can. Hopefully, with the treatment I will have to go on giving him, we can help his body. He might make it some more months, or even years. Let's hope for the best!

Finnish Xmas

2009-11-23T16:13:00.001+01:00

My friend and collegue Doris and I met in front of this small house close to Marheinekeplatz in Kreuzberg for our first Xmas market this year. The finnish community had invited us to their traditional Xmas bazaar. Since I had loved to walk around their nicely decorated rooms all these last years, having some finnish Xmas delicacies and glöggi (mulled wine), and buying one of the nicely done Xmas presents and wreaths, we had to go again this Saturday.
They offered no Xmas dinner like before, alas, but delicious peasoup and flame salmon. And of course I had to buy sinappi, Fazer Mariannen chocolate, Fazer rye whole grain bread rolls, like every year, and - how lucky I was! - the Fazer karelian pies they had for the first time. Ah, those memories of Finland the food and drinks brought back to me!
Doris liked it that much, she went back again on Sunday with a friend of hers, whilst I was staying at home trying to get rid of my cold. Didn't work. Sigh.

November pleasures

2009-11-15T19:07:00.004+01:00

November is supposed to be a month of moarning, sorrows, rain and grey sky. Instead, except for a few showers now and then, sun is shining, and last week at work was great. Lots of hours spent on new websites, and successfully so.
Otherwise, I spent most of my time at home, reading and taking care of Emil who still needs infusions every evening because of his bad kidneys. But he seems a lot better.
This afternoon I walked around Berlin center, passing the chestnut guy at Berlin main station close to the river. His roasted chestnuts smelled so good, I had to take some. Hmmm, delicious! Autumm treats...

Snow!

2009-11-04T21:30:00.000+01:00

It's hardly November, and only a few days since sunny warm autumn days seemed to go on for ever. But look at this: Snow in front of my window at work! Nice!
Even though now we know for sure it will be winter soon.

And the winner is...

2009-10-08T13:36:00.005+02:00

Herta Müller, the german author from Romania. She won the nobel prize for literature this year.
I never heard of her before (oh-oh!), let alone read any of her books. Oh dear! So I guess I'll have to go to my local bookshop and buy her new masterpiece "Atemschaukel".
How can I love literature and books and not have heard or read about her or any of her books, yet? Well, it's not too late...

Home is where my heart is...

2009-10-07T14:44:00.003+02:00

True for you as well? I find myself telling people who ask me "Where are you from?" that I live and work in Berlin, my family home is in Stuttgart, and I grew up in Düsseldorf. But my home language is my grandparents' who raised me, and they were from the Ruhr valley. I feel relaxed and at ease in southern Spain. Now where's my home?
And where's yours? Find about more about this question worth pondering about here.

50+ travellers' meeting in Stuttgart

2009-10-05T09:44:00.002+02:00

Last weekend, we had a lovely meeting of CS-members from all over the world, all 50 or more, in Stuttgart. I had to work on Saturday, so I missed quite some hours with the others. But I had a great time all the same. And - can you imagine - I even met a guy I hadn't seen for 12 years. Alexander and I had worked on a show together then. It's a small world!
Back to the meeting: Maya from Switzerland did a wonderful picture show you can see here. Enjoy!

Autumn vacation!

2009-10-01T08:17:00.003+02:00

First day of my vacation, and soon Emil and I will be on the train to Stutgart. Seàn will help us make it to Berlin main station. A new book to read on the way is already packed (the new Kommissar Kluftinger), now I have to decide on what clothes to take. Since the weather is really autumn like now, and since I will not be going to Greece (sigh), that should be an easy task: warm socks, boots, trousers, and sweaters. Not to forget my winter jacket and umbrella!
Two weeks of wellness, reading, good food, and family ahead - here I come!

Spain on my mind

2009-09-20T19:43:00.005+02:00

Yesterday evening, Seàn and I went to the concert of two young and gifted spanish musicians at Mendelssohn Remise close to Gendarmenmarkt. It was done in honor of Isaac Albéniz, a spanish pianist and composer, one of the best, who died 100 years ago.
What a shame I had never heard of him before: His works on Spain are just adorable! I'll have to go and buy "Iberia" soon - most probably the version by Alicia de Larrocha.
And the concert was lovely! I miss Spain...

Saturday pleasures No 3: Fruits at the appleshop

2009-09-19T18:16:00.000+02:00

What a lovely week and even better weekend we had. Summer seems to be back, it's so warm and sunny. But the mornings are as cold as autumn already.
It's the season of pears, plums, grapes, and the first walnuts, too. I bought all of this today, at Winterfeldtmarket and at my favourite apple shop, where they had arranged the fruitbasket you can see in the picture.

My new supertight tights

2009-09-18T19:50:00.002+02:00

Monday, I had been to the doctors to check my skin. Everything fine here, but she was shocked at my venes and advised me to wear compression stockings. Every day. :(
I got these in black today. The spiderman stockings I had to wear only once to have my measures taken. According to this image 3d, my legs are medium size and short. Even worse...
But: I had to buy new shoes, no high heels any more. And who could resist buying new shoes? Some nice Arche, black, to match the stockings. :)

Wasn't me!

2009-09-17T19:50:00.003+02:00

First day at work, and I got mail from my friend Heike. Guido Westerwelle became chancellor, and they blame me for not voting.
Well, I already did, by mail. I only hope they haven't lost my letter!

Last night of the proms

2009-09-13T10:08:00.005+02:00

And I was there! Not in London, alas, but I watched it on tv, sang with the merry crowd, and in lack of flags Emil waved his tail.
My stupid virus kept me from celebrating with Daphne and her friends, I really missed the party. And it kept me from joining the flash mob and protests at Potsdamer Platz in the afternoon. Ah well.
Hopefully I can make it to work tomorrow. Today I'll take it easy and stay inside. Autumn is coming fast, rain outside, grey sky, and dropping temperatures. Just right to cuddle up on my couch with a book and hot ginger tea.
If you missed the last night of the proms yesterday, don't worry: The original BBC version will be shown tonight at 1:05 h on NDR. If you can't wait or will be sleeping then, watch and listen here now.

Dresses from long ago

2009-09-12T16:36:00.004+02:00

Some years ago at Stuttgart Bohnenviertel, I had found this great dress from the 40s, black, with black,red and white embroidery around the neck. I had loved wearing it, it was so special and just perfect on me when working. But since I had lost 14 kilos, it just wasn't great any more. At least not on me.
Then, in Schöneberg, I found this lovely shop, "Mimi", selling clothes from 1850 to 1950 to people who enjoy wearing these old made-to-measure dresses.
Anna brought the dress last week from Stuttgart, and today I sold it at "Mimi". I was happy some other woman might find it here and enjoy wearing it. It's so special and different from the every day fashion we have nowadays.
If you have a close look onto the pic, you will see the couple dressed according to the 30s fashion in the original outfit from these times. So weird, but nobody wonders, not in Berlin...

The chinese way

2009-09-11T16:20:00.003+02:00

Recovering from health problems can be helped by doctors and treatments - but all over the world you will find different ways of doing so. In Berlin, we have the center of traditional chinese medicine at Charité, in old St. Hedwig Hospital in formally jewish Spandauer Vorstadt.
My collegue Doris had told me a lot about it since months, they had helped her fight her allergies. So when I was told I was suffering from allergies myself, I called them and asked for an appointnment.
I was lucky, they asked me to come the very same day, and since then I'm being treated with acupuncture and eating according to their advices. I'm supposed to strengthen my middle by eaten hot or warm food, spiced up with lots of ginger, millet and oats for breakfast, chicken broth ever so often.
My sinusitis is better already, and some head aches vanished the very hour I was lying in one of their rooms with needles in my arms, legs and ears. Quite relaxing, really.
A few more appointments, and my body should be strengthened enough to go on without the weekly treatment. :)

Lunch at Akazienstraße

2009-09-10T16:05:00.001+02:00

I am on sick leave these days to recover from my virus infection. Since it's a pity to stay inside all the time, I asked Sean to join me for some lunch today - somewhere close by, sitting outside to enjoy the autumn sun.
We met at our favourite tree at Kaiser-Wilhelm-Platz, and strolled down Akazienstraße to get some ideas. How lucky we were that "Albrecht" deli had set up their grill and offered food you would hardly find anywhere else: organic salads with freshly grilled organic sausages, either chicken merguez, wild boar, or lamb.
We chose wild boar and lentil salad, and shared some organic austrian beer to go with it. So delicious!
And afterwards we went straigh home where I took an afternoon nap. Yeah well, sick leave...

090909 - 09:09:09

2009-09-09T09:09:00.002+02:00

Great date and time!
Not to me: I was on my way to the doctor then.
The virus is still going strong, despite the needles we had tried to kill it with. Well, everybody had told me to take a day or two off work and stay in bed, and so did my doctor today, too.
Now it's chicken broth and ginger tea, and the same procedure as every year. Sigh.
And it's nice and warm and the last days of summer outside now. I should relax on a meadow underneath a tree looking up into the blue sky! Sigh...

20 years ago - the women's view

2009-09-08T22:34:00.000+02:00

All over Germany and especially Berlin there are meetings, discussions and exhibitions on the fall of the wall and what happened then.
I was invited to join the one at Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung this afternoon, and was happy to go and listen to the women. They remembered how happy they had been in November and December 1989, and how fast they had to learn that being taken over by the west means less rights and chances for women. Even though not everything had been perfect in GDR, they had to fight to keep a few rights they had had then.
It was a pity I wasn't feeling too well, I had caught a small cold this weekend (hot during the day, cold in the mornings and evenings). So I left early to go to the center of Traditional Chinese Medicine close to Hackescher Markt. A short trip of 30 minutes normally, but it took me thrice as long: S-trains are reduced again, they run less and are shorter, and those you're lucky to get are packed with travellers.
I got my acupuncture with some special needles to fight the virus, and left by tram and bus. That way I made it to Gabi's and Tanya's dinner in time. They took special care of me, nice women. But I left early, and will go to bed now. Hopefully my cold will be gone by tomorrow morning. Good night!

Visits No 5: Salvu

2009-09-07T20:32:00.000+02:00

A nice old friend from Hospitalityclub chat biking through Europe since weeks stopped for some days in Berlin: Salvu, a 23 year old student from Malta.
We arranged a meeting through facebook, and spent all weekend together with Gabi, a teacher from Berlin, and Tanya, an art history student from Russia, more friends from HC and Couchserving, both living close to Crellestraße.
Saturday we enjoyed Crellestraßenfest until late at night, when we had a last drink with live music at "Leuchtturm", and on Sunday we had brunch at Cafe Mirell (with more CS friends) and home made dinner at my place. It was great to spend all these hours together.
I should visit Salvu in Malta some day. And will definitely see Gabi and Tanya more often.

Like the old days - fighting against nuclear power

2009-09-06T08:20:00.003+02:00

50 000 came to Berlin yesterday to protest against nuclear power. More than ever before since the 70s and 80s, when Tschernobyl crash woke up many that had been considering nuclear power safe until then.
It's many years since I last left home by bus to take part in one of the biggest protests in Brokdorf in northern Germany, walking with 70 000 through the deserted village, shops closed, doors and windows shut and protected by wooden bars. It took me two days (and nights) to get there from Düsseldorf and back, and now it was only a short right by public transport. The old friends were there, and lots of young people, too.
Farmers had come on their tractors all the way from Wendland, where nuclear power threatens their farms and homes. They keep protesting since many, many years.
The actions in Berlin were colourful and creative. We will be going strong until politicians realize nuclear power is a danger to us and many generations to come. Change to sun, wind and water!
Remember: We only have this one world, and we have to give it on to our children and grandchildren!

Party at work

2009-09-05T10:46:00.000+02:00

Yesterday, the ver.di yard hosted the traditional "Spreeportfest", and Hartmut and I joined it after work. ver.di members and officials were buzzing around, meeting friends and collegues, feasting on wine, beer, and savorous food, some even danced to the music.
I chatted for hours, and left late for a last drink (water!) with some guests of the "Linke" at Engelbecken. Home by 22:00 h, not too late then. And today: going to the "Linke" party close by, and listen to Inken and more friends in the choir "IG Peng". I might join them soon - singing is such a great way of spending your time with likeminded people, not reading or surfing the web on your own all the time. :)

Mother and daughter

2009-09-02T21:26:00.001+02:00

Anna left again today. We went downtown together this morning, and then she walked on to her meeting and I took the bus to work.
We had spent not even two days together, and hardly had had any time to talk. What a pity!
But we still enjoyed every second, and even managed to buy twin cashhmere cardigans at Galeries Lafayette and to go swimming last evening. Now we're pondering on spending a weekend together at the wellness hotel Anna and Volker discovered last year. I hope we'll make it in October!
By the way: Her plane that was due to take off at 18:00 h didn't - Anna made it home about two hours later than scheduled. Dah!

Family life at airports

2009-09-01T07:09:00.003+02:00

Yesterday evening I went to Tegel airport to meet Anna. She's coming to Berlin to join a meeting on demographic change in Germany (she's leading a project on that in Böblingen), so of course she stayed with me. The plane was scheduled at 21:10 h, but when I arrived shortly before 21:00 h, the announcement sayed the flight was due at 00:05. I thought there was a problem with the announcement, but no - Air Berlin pilots had been on strike, and all planes were five to six hours late. :(
I called Anna to ask her about the delay, and - can you imagine - nobody had told them in Stuttgart! She was sitting without food nor drinks and waiting for somebody to tell them when the plane would leave. And now these very bad news from me!
No chance to buy any food, no chance for her friend Volker to bring her any, so I browsed Tegel airport to get her some vegetarian dish for her to eat when arrived. The only one that was for sale then was - a bretzel! (Quite suebian, really.)
Whilst Tegel airport was slowly closing down, sarcastic people telling me there was no planes allowed to land after 23:00 h, and Air Berlin workers calming me down by promising me there would be a flight from Stuttgart to Berlin aorund midnight, I received a sms from Alex.
My son had been on the plane from Stuttgart to the States, and was now waiting in Atlanta for the flight to New York. So all three of us were sitting at airports, waiting for flights. What kind of family life is that?!
Well, as you can see on the pic, Anna made it to Berlin before midnight, and we took a taxi to my place. We went to sleep at once, and when I woke up in the morning, Alex had sent a message saying he was in New York and ready to leave for Times Square. He sure has some stamina, to stay up that late after almost 20 hours of travelling!

The cat is back!

2009-08-29T08:06:00.005+02:00

Simon's cat is back, with a new movie, a book, and a website! Check here and enjoy!
P. S. And hopefully soon I'll find the time to tell you about all those days that passed since my last blogging...

Saturday pleasures No 2: eating out at the greek

2009-08-23T09:26:00.001+02:00

When at Winterfeldtmarket, I often choose some greek snack for lunch. Yesterday, it was for dinner, and very delicious. Some red wine to go with it, since my wine merchant had told me red wine would actually be very healthy for my stomach. Good to know - and it was!

Saturday night in Schöneberg

2009-08-16T10:14:00.002+02:00

Everybody is outside, in one of the many cafès, for some dinner or a drink to cool down from the heat of the day. It's still warm outside, great to walk around leisurely, with a break every now and then for a snack.
So when leaving Saturday jazz at Tiergarten, I decided to walk home, and enjoyed the evening turning into night. You can tell the long days are over, the sun sets a lot earlier now than it did in June. But still it's lovely and cosy, and the lights of "La Cocotte" shine with a warm glow onto guests and passers-by.
I woud have loved to stay a bit, to read and to have a glass of pineau de Charentes. But no empty table, so I'll have to postpone this pleasure until tonight.
And now off to a wonderful Sunday in Berlin! :)

Running people and more sports

2009-08-15T16:55:00.002+02:00

12th IAAF world championships in athletics started yesterday, and today there's friendly people from all over the world running around Berlin center. Not to win a medal, but to do some sight-seeing.
Like these two from Zimbabwe. They were the first I met when strolling along Tauentzien, but for sure not the last. Nice bunch. Pity I'm so not into sports at all. ;)

20 years ago

2009-08-14T20:46:00.003+02:00

1989 - a very important year in the history of Germany when the wall fell and the old GDR as well shortly afterwards.
Berlin is filled with memorials, exhibitions, events to commemorate the so called silent and peaceful revolution of 1989 and 1990 when the German Democratic Republic was transformed and then taken over by the west.
I'm working on a website about these exciting months, and today saw the exhibition at Alexanderplatz. Very nicely done, with the sounds, flyers and feelings of those days.
On Sunday, I'll take a trip by boat to learn some more. So much has changed since then, and sadly not all to the better.

Getting ready for the elections

2009-08-13T19:40:00.002+02:00

Berlin streets are plastered with messages and posters whom to elect and why. So is Steglitz where I found this advert for the left wing party "Die Linke".
But oh dear! What a huge mistake they made!
Have a close look on where they put it.

Heavy cycling at the doc's

2009-08-10T20:02:00.000+02:00

Heatwave over Berlin, and I'm due to see my doctor for another check-up. They want to make sure my heart is fine, so I had to go and do some heavy stationary cycling to proove my heart is beating steadily all the time.
Which of course it did.
But before being told the nice news that my health is just perfect (at least my heart is), I was sweating and swearing (only silently), giving my best to make it through all the stages of the test. With the most beautiful, sunny, hot, somewhat damp weather outside.
Oh, how I wished I could have swapped with these guys at the fountain!

Sunny weekend with Micha

2009-08-09T21:31:00.000+02:00

Lots of sun! Too much to stay downtown, so we chose to go to the lakes, for a boattrip on Wannsee, some walking around Schlachtensee, with a stop or two at one of the famous beergardens. We did all of that, and had some nce breaks underneath the shady trees at Loretta am Wannsee (which will be closed down soon, since the owners of the area want to make more money, so they have to leave after more than 30 years) and Fischerhütte.
The beer is some refreshing weizen without alcohol - way too hot to have alcohol before the evening cool down.
In the evenng, Micha left to Stuttgart. But before, he filled up my fridge and deep freeze with lots of meals to last me a week. Nice guy!

Greetings from Stuttgart

2009-08-08T09:03:00.002+02:00

This morning, the bell rang - the postman. He rang twice. ;)
He even came upstairs to bring the mail. What a surprise: Volker had sent me greetings, a beautiful bunch of flowers.
Thank you for helping me with proofreading my thesis, he said. How sweet!
Don't they look ever so lovely!

A man in the house

2009-08-07T17:23:00.003+02:00

There's a man in my house, and the bath is fixed, I have home cooked dinner each and every evening - Micha is just great! He's a friend and collegue from my early years in Stuttgart, when we both worked on the small magazine our union IG Druck und Papier published for the Stuttgart members almost 25 years ago.
He came for a week, to have a close look on Berlin after the wall fell (ok, right, that's twenty years ago, but he hasn't been here since), and decided he'd fix my flat and my food. Our evening meals are italian dishes washed down with lots of rosato. Hmmmmmm, delicious!
Pity Micha is only staying until Sunday!

The BUS

2009-08-05T18:37:00.004+02:00

When buying special and very expensive food for my dear tomcat Emil today, I saw this bus parked opposite the vet's. So like the bus I used to travel with around Europe in the 70s and 80s!
How I miss those adventures, going where my bus would take me, exploring places I had never even heard of, making friends with people living there, enjoying new ways of life. Sigh.
Will there ever be a time like that again? I truely hope so. There's another bus waiting to take me around. Somewhere. Sometime.

Heat over Berlin

2009-08-03T07:47:00.002+02:00

What to do on a hot summer weekend in Berlin? Go to Schlachtensee for a swim. Great idea!
So Seàn and I did this Sunday, took the S 1, walked around the lake surrounded by trees, had some beer at "Fischerhütte" (no hut any more, but a huge beergarden) to cool down, and then plunged into the water to cool down some more. It worked.
But as soon as we stepped into the s-train to get back to Schöneberg, the heat was back. Duh!

Last week in Stuttgart

2009-08-02T22:33:00.000+02:00

My niece Cathy and her son Marius came to Baden-Württemberg to spend a week with friends, party at CSD in Stuttgart, and of course visit Anna and Alex in Vaihingen. Looks like they had lots of fun in the city. :)

Saturday pleasures No 1: churros

2009-08-01T19:45:00.002+02:00

There's so much I love doing on a Saturday in Berlin. One of them is strolling along Akazien- and Goltzstraße to Winterfeldtmarket, browsing the shops, having a bite at some of the foods, and buying some of those I like best.
Which today was - among lots of other delicacies - churros, shared with Seàn. So nice, and so much like Spain, even though this smiling man was from Peru. Looks like I will have to go again next week to try some more.

Ta-daaaah! Health restored!

2009-07-29T19:28:00.003+02:00

Well, almost.
I went to my doctor's yesterday, and got the results of my check-up. Looks like my stomach tends to be a bit upset, but otherwise and in general my health is just perfect. Even my cholesterol is a lot better than a few months ago!
Hah! No more pills! Where's my coffee? Or even better: Where's my rosato?
P.S. The nice guy in the pic is part of a fountain I pass when on my way to/from my doctors at Wittenbergplatz, close to KaDeWe. I'm jealous: he seems so much cooler than me in this weird Berlin heat we enjoy (or suffer from) lately.

30 years ago

2009-07-28T18:08:00.002+02:00

What happened on the 28th of July 1979? No idea? You might google the date and find out!;)
30 years ago today, a very nice dutch guy was born: Friso, Daphne's boyfriend - on and off since two years, but luckily mostly on.
He celebrated his birthday at "Nah-Bar" in Schöneberg last night, I was invited, and we all had a very good time sitting outside the pub, enjoying the summer evening. Only problem was that I was not allowed any drinks stronger than camomile tea. But still:
Happy birthday, Friso! And many happy returns!

Tiergarten pleasures

2009-07-26T20:01:00.000+02:00

Weekend in Berlin in summer means jazz and world music in Tiergarten to me. And lots of others. Some of them like to stay a bit off the main area at Englisches Teehaus, to have a picknick or a game of - kricket! Dressed in white! Unbelievable!
Is there anything at all that you will not find in Berlin?

Baber the barber

2009-07-25T20:35:00.000+02:00

This shop looks so nice and inviting, doesn't it. It's a hairdresser, just round the corner from Crellestraße. I always peeped inside when I passed by, and loved the atmosphere of beauty the rooms and furniture would radiate. But I never went there to have my hair styled.
That changed when Michele told me where she had had her hair done just before flying back to the States: at "Maik Baber".
So I gave it a try on Saturday, and was lucky. Of course. It's more expensive than my last hairdressers "Haarwerkstatt", but more relaxed, and the hairstyles are better. I went for natural hairdye, as they are specialists for this, and my hair turned out a darker brownish red than usual. It will change with time and sun, my hairstylist Marina told me. We'll see.
But the curls are still going strong.

40 years ago

2009-07-24T23:21:00.000+02:00

July 20th in 1969 was a very special day. Not only did the first man walk on the moon: In Germany Bert Stach was born.
40 years later he invited his friends to come to Berlin and celebrate with him. And many came, from all over the country. I only had to take the tram from Schöneberg to Kreuzberg, where cafe, bar and lounge "Johann Rose" was ours for the day.
The party started at 18:00 h, and I was there in time. I preferred to be early and leave early, since my bad hearing would not allow me to stay for too long at parties where music and talks to me are a cacophnony of sounds I have problems to distinguish.
So I sat down outside with my ginger tea (no champagne for me) amongst all those nice guests, and enjoyed my time as long as my ears would last. Which was longer than I would have thought. :)

French Dinner

2009-07-21T19:09:00.001+02:00

To give Michele a special treat on her last evening in Berlin, we chose the french restaurant "La Cocotte". A good choice, indeed. I had had some great dinners with Anna and others there, and always loved it. Their season menues are just lovely, very special and delicious. Whilst waiting for Seàn and his mother, I started with a Noilly Prat and some grignotons.
We had probems choosing from the wonderful dishes, and decided on bouillabaise, couscous imperiale, and champignons farcies. We even had tarte citron and moelleu chocolat!
Oh dear! Doesn't sound like a diet, does it? Today my doctor told me to be very careful with my reflux. No alcohol, no coffee, to start with. Well, sigh. Hopefully only for a month or two.

An afternoon with Michele

2009-07-20T07:48:00.000+02:00

Michele will be leaving tomorrow, and fly back home to Rome. (No, not Italy - Georgia.) Yesterday was our last chance to spend the afternoon together, strolling around Berlin, enjoying the sunny day.
We started off with a late breakfast of tea and sesame bagel at the turkish bakery, and from there moved on. First a tour of "Art Vitalis" fitness center. I'm pondering on joining them, they offer not only the machines, but lots of gym groups (even latin-dance-alike Zoomba, the latest hit), a huge wellness area with sauna, tepidarium, and hamam, a swimming pool, and - what I really loved - have a great outdoor area, too. So you can do some biking or build up muscles in the sun. How lovely! They're quite expensive, but seem worth every cent. And my doctor told me they're good. He should know.
Then off to Pergamon Museum, where Michele sat down a bit musing, soaking in the beauty. (As you all know by now, I love the Ishtar gate best.) And last but not least Englischer Garten and some great jazz. And lots of sun. Finally!

Anna und Volker at the beach

2009-07-19T08:44:00.004+02:00

Can't find them? Well, it looks rather grey, cloudy and cold, doesn't it? Who would spend their day at the beach with a weather like that?
Poor Anna and Volker! They went to France for their holidays, to Maubuisson close to Bordeaux. A beautiful camping site at a lake and not far at all from the atlantic beaches with huge waves to surf on and swim in (Volker) or just relax on the beach in the sun and watch the surfers or read a book (Anna).
But alas! This summer is a rather rainy one, and not only all over Germany. I hope they're not too wet, and enjoy their vacation all the same. Well, there are some sunny spells, at least.
Not last Friday, as you can see on the pic I took from the webcam. Have a peep whether it's any better now here!

Parties and BBQs

2009-07-18T23:06:00.002+02:00

Summer pleasures in Germany: enjoying home made food, some grilled delicacies, and a few cold drinks with your friends outside, preferably in a garden.
Even this wet summer we can't help it, we have to do it. In southwest Berlin, Zehlendorf, at Daphne's as well as in northeast Berlin, Kaulsdorf, at Uli's. (Uli, a collegue and friend since 25 years now, is the laughing woman to the right.)
It was pouring down with rain after a week of stupendous sunshine and warm evenings following hot days. We didn't mind a lot, took it easy, and enjoyed every bit of it. As you can see.

Trippen

2009-07-16T21:52:00.000+02:00

At Köpenicker Straße in Kreuzberg, not far from work, there are lots of old buildings and empty factories. Quite beautiful, in a way, and home to fashionable party locations ("Spindler und Klatt"), interiour design stores ("Exil"), and the Trippen factory outlet.
If you don't know about it, you wouldn't find it. But when you do, a whole new world of shoes opens up to you. Just lovely! Go and have a look for yourself!
Or at least check the extraordinary and very special shoes on their website.

I did it!

2009-07-15T22:11:00.005+02:00

Pffff - time to exhale!
Two days of living on the loo, drinking up lots of weird medicinal fluids and even more water, and staying in the bathroom for hours on end are finally over. I was freezing my a.. off, so to speak, put on the heating (in hot July, go figure), and stayed on the spot reading. Emil tried to support me by staying with me. He seemed to love the heating as much as I did, and cuddled up on the towels in front of the heater.
Not much food for me either since Saturday. I lost two kilo. Think positive: that's not bad at all, is it.
I was a bit worried about the examinations, to put it mildly. Since you are supposed to bring a person to take you home afterwards, anyway, I asked Daphne to come, hold my hand, and distract my thoughts before, and if needs be afterwards as well. Or celebrate.
She agreed at once, skipped her lessons at university, and came early today to give me whatever help I might need.
Boy, was I happy when I woke up after the check-up, and they told me I was fine! Reflux, yes, but nothing to worry about that couldn't be healed with pills, proper food, and time.
We feasted with a very good and healthy meal at the vietnamese restaurant at Crellestraße. And then Daphne checked my wardrobe and took over half my stuff that still looks great, but more so on her than me. I seem to get older. Ha! Who would have thought!
P.S. If ever you feel like seeing a video on the examinations I had - there are some on youtube. Somehow, it didn't seem a good idea to post them here.

Time differences and unforeseen consequences

2009-07-13T21:31:00.004+02:00

We all know Berlin to be located east of Paris. So according to geographical time, the day would start earlier here than in France, even though the time agreed upon would be the same in these two cities.
Who would have thought it might add up to 24 hours? One day early! At least this summer, when Berliners were the first to celebrate "La fete nationale" - on July 13th.
We had fun all the same, commemorating the successful revolution of 1789 with a huge party at Pariser Platz close to Brandenburg Gate. "La Caravane passe" were playing in the evening when I arrived after work. Great way of celebrating a revolution!
P-S. How comes there are balkan beats all over Europe lately? Definitely music to dance to and fill your heart with joy. Maybe we need some of that urgently now...
P.P.S. Especially me. Went to the doctors today, they sent me straight on to a gastroenterologist. Usually it takes three to four weeks to get an appointment for the examinations I need: gastroscopy and - once I'm at it, I might go for that a well - enteroscopy. Not in summer, not for me: Wednesday it will be. Already. Oh-oh! Wish me luck!

Schoko-Laden

2009-07-11T23:50:00.002+02:00

A new chocolate shop! Hmmmm, delicious!
It opened up a few days ago at Goltzstraße. The new owners took over from an old apothecary, and luckily kept all the old interior furniture and decorations. The drawers are filled with drugs now I like a lot better than those before. ;)
Not today, though. My heartburn was really bad last night and kept me awake for hours. I had to go to hospital this evening, they waved me right through the entrance barrier, checked me properly, and decided it was not a heart attack (well, it better!), but acid reflux. Oh shit. Must have been all the coffee I had last week, the danish cake leftovers from Betty I found in my deepfreeze yesterday evening, and last but not least the rose frizzante I enjoyed with it.
I definitely did not enjoy the resuls it all added up to. Have to go and see my doctor about it on Monday. Sigh.

Working underground

2009-07-08T23:16:00.000+02:00

This is where I worked today. Looks like a building site, doesn't it? But it's the entrance to our archives at Behala. I had to browse through books and files on VS, the german writers association, to do a short essay on their history. A nice change from my every day computer work at ver.di. :)
And in the evening: wine tasting in the small, but very well assorted wine shop round the corner. Seàn and Michele joined me, and we had lots of fun and delicious rose wines. We simply had to buy a few and take them home straight away!

Buy-buy. Hertie, good bye!

2009-07-06T21:08:00.000+02:00

Hertie is closing down. Not only the department store at Kaiser-Wilhelm-Platz, but all over Germany. It's a shame, the new owners did nothing at all to make the traditional german chain survive and keep the shops and the jobs. They were great at sucking out all the money they could, and then just left.
Woolworth will close down soon, as well. Even Karstadt and KaDeWe are at risk. What a world!
ver.di gave them all the support they could. But invain.
Now it's "Buy, buy, Hertie", everything is sold out for a lot less, people come for a bargain. But then what? Shopping online?

Summer weekend in Berlin

2009-07-05T21:55:00.000+02:00

Music, arts, markets - and lots of rain between sunny spells. :)
This weekend it was "All Nations Day" at 25 embassies all over Berlin, jazz at English Garden, and Schöneberg fleamarket.
I had a glimpse into the Jamaican embassy, and tried some jerky chicken and exotic fruit salad. Lovely! As were the music and dances.
Instead of Independance Day party at Badenscher Hof, I went to visit Seàn and Michele in their new flat after having tried to survive the tropial rainshowers at Tiergarten. What a summer! It's either hot-hot-hot and very damp, or puring down with rain. Both of which I hate.
I tried to make my friends go with me to the long day of city nature on Sunday, but they were too lazy. We met at Florians beergarden, though, not far from their place, and then on to some more wine and jazz at the English garden. Summer weekend in Berlin.

Just anther cog in the machine

2009-07-04T07:54:00.004+02:00

John Wood, a friend and collegue I know through UNI actions on Second Life, made this beautiful video. He told us about it on Facebook. Don't I love how we're connected through the web! And the video is great!

These boots are made for dancing...

2009-07-02T21:25:00.000+02:00

All over Berlin center, you see yellow boots dangling down from above. It's a very special promotion of a techno club, that had had to close down because of a waterpipe bursting and setting the club under water. They now announce their re-opening. Read more here.
I'm not into clubs, and certainly not into techno, but I like the idea of the yellow boots.

Belated swedish midsummer

2009-06-29T08:28:00.001+02:00

Last weekend, I had missed the swedish midsummer festivities in Berlin. But this weekend, they had some more celebrations at the swedish embassy, with everything that you would expect at a swedish midsummer party: a pole, flower wreaths, dances, musics, the lot. And even more, it was a huge event, and everybody was invited.
I was just in time to listen to "Andra Generationen" and their mix of swedish and balkan beats. You couldn't but dance and move to the rhythm, old and young alike! Great!

Jazz with Volker

2009-06-28T10:02:00.006+02:00

Volker was in town with his collegues, and found some time in between meetings to spend with me. So much to do and see this weekend, but I had chosen just the right event for us to go to after meeting at CSD parade: "Kreuzberg jazzt!" at Bergmannstraßenfest, with Peter Subway and Souleymane Touré, the great percussionist and griot with his talking drums. Volker loved it! And so did I.
Four hours went by fast with walking around the festival area, and listening to the music. We just about managed to buy a new tie downtown before Volker had to join his collegues again. They were off to the VIP area of a boxing match, and I went back to Bergmannstraße, and a few hours later on to Crellestraßenfest.
My neighbours had been partying already all afternoon, with live bands, drinks and home made food, a lot smaller than the Kreuzberg festival, but very cozy and nice. When it finished at 22 h, I moved to Cafe Mirell at the other end of the street, to listen to the blues band playing there. It was well after midnight when I finally made it back home. Emil was a bit angry with me...

Congratulations! I won!

2009-06-26T18:45:00.000+02:00

First time in years, I joined a raffle (if that is the word), and - ta-daaaa - I won! A voucher in the gym just round the corner. A week's sports and sauna for free. Yesss!
I was actually pondering on joining this gym, and was wondering whether I should spend 20 € for a wellness day. No need to do that now. So I'm looking forward to a week of less sun and less heat, and then I'll go to the sauna each and every night. Plus check the fitness area, too, of course. I am so lucky!

Gay night at the zoo

2009-06-24T22:35:00.000+02:00

Since I first heard of the gay night at the zoo a few years ago, I was eager to go there. Last year they didn't do it, but this year they did, and I made it. Seàn and I had bought the tickets last Sunday to make sure we would have some, and met at the elephants' gate.
We were curious to see what it was all about, and were happy it was as nice as we had imagined it to be: our bvg orchestra playing swing (yes, indeed: the musicians are busdrivers and ticketsellers in Berlin public transport), great singers, lots of people dancing and even more swinging to the music, and the usual beer, wine and food. You could walk around the zoo, enjoy the park, but would have no chance to see the animals. Lovely evening. Not to be missed next year.

A long walk home

2009-06-23T20:39:00.009+02:00

Größere Kartenansicht
Not so long, not even 7 km. The weather was beautiful today, summer at last, so instead of taking the bus home after work, I decided to walk it. All the way from Friedrichshain at river Spree through Kreuzberg, almost hitting Neukölln at Landwehrkanal, down to Hasenheide, following Bergmannstraße towards Viktoriapark, and finally Schöneberg.
Two wonderful hours, with a few stops to admire the nature, have a snack or an espresso, buy some dried fruit at Marheinekehalle, and browse through the books at the random bookstore.
I was home by 19:30 h, and felt great! Should do that more often. At least in summer.

The burial

2009-06-22T20:03:00.002+02:00

Today, Emanuel was buried at "Alter St. Matthäus Cemetery". So many friends, neighbours and collegues came to the chapel to give him a last goodbye. Christine Revkin came from UNI in Switzerland, a collegue from Mongolia had sent the mongolian mourning song he had sung for Emanuel on the day they had found him dead in Cyprus.
The ceremony was done beautifully, with warmth and music, reminding us of his life and his personality. It ended with a song by Billy Holiday, his favourite singer.
We were allowed to draw and write on the coffin, and the grave was showered with summer flowers, our last greetings.
We were all very sad. I feel really miserable today, and will go to bed early.

A day of music

2009-06-21T20:46:00.005+02:00

Fete de la musique today, and more than sixhundreds concerts all over Berlin - open air and for free! Seàn, his mother Michele and I had decided to go and listen to some in Schöneberg and Kreuzberg. We started our day with dhosas at "Rani", and then took a long walk around Gay Pride Festival. After which we were so exhausted, we just walked past the musicians at "Salut" back to our homes.
And instead of enjoying music outside, I'm listening to the concert of Berliner Philharmoniker with Sir Simon Rattle at Waldbühne. Live. On tv. With Emil. Not bad either.

Gay Pride Festival

2009-06-20T20:35:00.002+02:00

Summer solstice, and I missed swedish midsummer festivities yesterday! I thought they were on today, but was wrong. I only noticed when I arrived at the swedish church this afternoon. What a pity!
But I made it to the Gay (and Lesbian and...) Pride Festival afterwards around Nollendorfplatz, Europe's biggest street festival for gays, lesbians, and friends. It's even bigger and better than the years before. A huge crowd was celebrating together, stages with music everywhere, people dancing in the streets. I visited my friends and former collegues Manu and Barbara at the "Begine" stand. They had founded this women's pub many years ago and still are very enthusiasticly working there.
I left early, though: too many people squeezing through the streets, and it was getting cold, too. Not actually what I call summer...

Seàn moved in

2009-06-19T22:21:00.000+02:00

He's living in his new flat since today, only ten minutes from my place. Daphne and I were the first visitors, bringing the traditional bread and salt. Plus flowers and some champagne to celebrate.
It's a lovely flat his mother Michele bought and helps furnishing and decorating. We had a great time chatting on how to improve the flat. Daphne and I are quite happy Seàn lives closer now. More chances to visit each other!

Goodbye, Emanuel!

2009-06-15T21:32:00.002+02:00

First day at work after my vacation. Sad news: My collegue Emanuel had died all of a sudden whilst on a UNI meeting at Cyprus.
We are all shaken. He was only 47 years old, a wonderful man as a friend and to work with. We still can't believe it. He was so full of life and joy!
Collegues put some flowers and a book into his room for all of us to write down a last goodbye.
How hard it is to go on with every day work. We are very sad.

I'm back!

2009-06-14T07:34:00.005+02:00

Back to Berlin after two weeks of vacation in Stuttgart and Cologne, and back to blogging. Alex managed wonderfully to make my laptop work again. It runs on Ubuntu now instead of Windows Vista. He did a lot of saving and installing, and now it's perfect. I'm so happy I'm virtually connected to my friends again!
So during the next days, I'll manage to keep you up-to-date with my latest adventures I couldn't tell you about since May 23rd. For a start, here's the goodbye yoga Alex, Anna, and Volker did for me at Stuttgart station yesterday. Nice, huh. :)

My new friend Max

2009-06-13T21:44:00.000+02:00

Saturday was my last day in Stuttgart. Anna invited me to join her for a long walk with Max, a cute dog from the animal shelter. We talked and walked for two hours, Max enjoying it as much as we did. He's a sweet tempered dog, just the right size and mood. He liked me from the start, licking my fingers, waving his tail in joy.
Anna suggested I'd move back to Stuttgart so we could adopt Max and I could take him for a walk whilst Anna is at work. Lovely idea. But for now, Berlin it is. Only three more years...

Saving Justus

2009-06-11T22:58:00.002+02:00

Thursday was a holiday in Baden-Württemberg. We had planned to go hiking, not too far away since there would be sunny, but also rainy spells and lots of wind in the Stuttgart area, and even thunderstorms in Allgäu where we had meant to go before finding out about the weather. Before leaving, Anna called her cats Felix, Emily, and Justus so they'd be safely inside the house whilst we were off.
Felix and Emily came running soon enough, but Justus was not to be found. Anna looked for him in all the sheds and corners around our house, but couldn't hear a reply - well, it was difficult to hear anything anyway, since the wind was so heavy. After almost an hour of shouting, Anna heard a whining and meeow coming from high up in the shed. Justus had found shelter in the garage, and from there had moved on into the shed. It was locked, of course, and he was looking for a way out, too scared to remember his way in.
Anna asked for help, and we all came to hold the ladder whilst she climbed up and tried to save her sweet but scared tomcat. He was desperate, and she couldn't reach him. The poor darling climbed all along the shed to find a way out, but whereever we told him to try was too afraid to jump.
In the end, Felix went into the garage to guide him back. It took the more experienced and adventurous cat one hour, and then she was sitting where Justus had been, trying to squeeze through to get back down. No chance! And she's a lot smaller than Justus is.
We were afraid for both of them now. But only five minutes later Felix was back through the garage - without his friend.
What to do? In the end, our neighbour and owner of the shed came and allowed us to open the shed and look for Justus inside. There he was in the darkest corner, almost paralyzed by fright, looking at Anna for help. It was Alex who saved him by struggling onto the board where the tomcat hid, grabbing him by the neck, and holding him tight all the way down to safety, even when falling on his back and having to struggle to get up again. Justus was wriggling like mad, and hopped down as soon as he was outside the shed and back to freedom, whizzing into the garden and into the house in a second.
What an adventure for all of us!
No chance for a long hiking tour now, the action had taken most of the day. Still Volker, Anna and I felt like some walking (Alex preferred to stay at home and work on my laptop). So we went for a long walk through the woods to Bärenschlössle where Anna invited us to a coffee and a cake, and from there on to Schloss Solitude. Volker was happy at last, since there he had all the wind and space he wanted for his kite which he had carried along through the woods. Three hours of fresh air and brisk walking got us hungry again, so another break at Bärenschlössle to enjoy some tipical suebian meal and a beer. A nice day, after all.

Visits - No 3: Kliment

2009-06-05T22:42:00.001+02:00

This time it was I who visited a friend: Kliment, the nice Bulgarian who hosted me in Helsinki and then we had met again and again in Greece and Germany. He moved to Cologne to work at the university some years ago, and had invited me ever so often to come and stay with him for a while. And finally I made it!
I left Stuttgart early in the morning and took the train along the beautiful Rhine valley to Cologne. Having found the right stop of the boat to Drachenfels - the meeting point for the exam celebrations tomorrow -, a Kölsch and some local food at "Gaffelhaus", I went to the cathedral to meet Kliment.
There he was, waiting for me, smiling broadly with wide open arms. He took me to his new lovely flat in Mülheim, made me feel at home, started knitting a soft shawl for my aching shoulder as soon as he heard about it, showed me around his favourite walks along the Rhine and to the art park, cooked a delicious dinner, and all the time we discussed, debated, chatted, and enjoyed each other's company.
When walking around, we found a ver.di truck, that had stopped there on the tour to promote minimum wages in Germany. Big surprise! It's the first time I had ever seen one from close by.
Tomorrow, Kliment will take me to the meeting point. He's so nice, isn't he.

Visits - No 2: Betty

2009-05-29T08:06:00.001+02:00

Lari was gone since five hours only, when I took the bus to Berlin Central Busstation to meet my friend Betty from Copenhagen. She had hosted me in 2006, and now finally she is my visitor for a few days.
It was cold and windy all day, lots of rain, and the weather forecast says it will stay that way all the time she's here. We'll enjoy our time together all the same, and find lots of great things to do together. Museums for one are always great when it's raining outside, and Betty wants to see many of them.
The bus was one hour late, and I was freezing in the cold, but when she finally arrived, all that was forgotten. At home, she took lots of small parcels out of her pocket, most of them for me, and one for Emil. Isn't that ever so nice!
In the evening, we went to Museumsinsel to meet some Couchsurfers from Berlin Beach Camp and show them around the museums. In the end, we all decided they can manage on their own, and Betty and I chose to go to Gemäldegalerie. We chose only a few paintings to admire, and then went back home to sleep.
Today, I'll have to work, and Betty will go and have a look around more museums. And in the afternoon, I'll join her for a tour around Berlin.

Visits - No1: Lari

2009-05-28T10:48:00.002+02:00

Even though you might not guess so from the picture: Lari and I had a great time when he came for a short visit! He's looking a bit puzzled, but that's only because of the huge choice of fruit in the turkish shop. He had to buy some food to take to Berlin Beach Camp - the main reason why he came all the way from Helsinki to Berlin.
Since we had become good friends when travelling together around the Baltics in summer 2006, we had to meet and chat a lot to catch up on each other, before he moves on around Europe. The small backpack, tent and sleeping bag are all he needs right now. His beautiful flat where I had stayed for so long is sold, and his belongings parked in a small room of 3 m2.
One day, when he knows where he will study and move to, he'll take them back again. For now, he lives on the money the selling gave him, and enjoys life whilst visiting friends. Not the worst way of spending your time!
Hopefully, we'll meet again some day. Whereever, whenever...

Celebrating at Brandenburger Tor

2009-05-23T07:21:00.009+02:00

Our republic is celebrating its birthday today. On May 23rd, 1949, the constitution was ratified. One more reason for Berliners to have fun at Brandenburger Tor. 250 000 will be there, and I'm going to be one of them. In the evening, Daniel Barenboim and the Berliner Staatskapelle will play Ludwig van Beethoven's 9. Symphonie. Something not to be missed. Read more here.
I will leave Thomas Gottschalk, Pur and more to others, though. And meet Seàn and his mom at Winterfeldtplatz market instead. More plans to furnish the flat he bought.
P.S. In the end, we all went to the celebrations. I stayed longer to listen to Beethoven's 9th, Ode to Joy. 200 000 did, and no chance to get close to the stage. So I stayed in front of one of the many screens, besides a booth selling "Uerige" my favourite beer from Düsseldorf. (More joy!) The crowd loved the rehearsal, and the artists had standing ovations.
The new (and old) president was there, too, sitting in the VIP area between Angela Merkel and Guido Westerwelle, his promoters. Such a pity, Gesine Schwan didn't make it today.

Viruses and remedies

2009-05-14T08:03:00.002+02:00

I caught another virus first, then it hit my laptop. Alex helped by advising me to get the debian live cd published by PC Welt. Now at least I can meet friends again virtually.
But for the stupid flu that is buggering me, there's no such remedy. Just be patient, drink lots of hot tea, and sleep a lot. Duh! And it's summer outside....

A flower to Mother's Day ;)

2009-05-10T09:14:00.001+02:00

Not really. I'm not into Mother's Day at all. But here's a flower that you don't see blossoming often, the biggest you can find. But, of course, last week in Berlin.
And even though I'm only a few km away, I only saw it online. Luckily, since it may look beautiful, but the smell is - yuk! More here.

Sing along Crellestraße

2009-05-09T21:06:00.007+02:00

Today was one of those days in my street: celebrating our neighbourhood. All the shops and cafes, the sidewalks and the small square were packed with musicians and singers, and we were all invited to listen, dance, and sing along. Maike and Dagmar came to join me, and we had a great afternoon, like everybody else. Read the program here.
What a lovely idea, to fill a street with music, voices, laughter, applause! More of that, please!

Opening our exhibition

2009-05-07T20:55:00.002+02:00

Hartmut and I had had a hard week, but all the effort we put into our work was spent rightly: The opening of our exhibition on Siegfried Aufhäuser, one of the most important trade unionists and politicians of the 20th century, was a huge success. Read more about him on our website.
After the speeches and discussions, people delighted in small talk, food and wine. I was home at 11 pm. Tired, but happy!

Seàn buys a flat and goes shopping

2009-05-04T20:39:00.003+02:00

And I helped him doing it. :)
First we had a huge brunch at Cafe Mirell, talking about how to furnish the flat Seàn will buy soon in Geßlerstraße, not even ten minutes from my place. I helped writing the letter to get the flat, and as far as I know, it worked. The date with the notary will be next week.
Then I can start playing with colours and designs to make this flat a real home for Seàn. I am looking forward to it.
This hard work done, we went shopping at "Galeries Lafayette". They were open this Sunday, no idea why. Berliners always find some weird reason to do shopping on Sundays. Maybe it was the installation of this green wall above the doors. Then again, maybe not.
We enjoyed inspecting all the latest fashion on the upper floors and the delicacies in the basement. We bought cheese and tartes d'abricots (two for the prize of one, we couldn't resist, even after all the brunch we had had.) Hmmmmm, de-li-ci-ous!
And today, surprize-surprize, some collegues came to my office, bringing two bottles of ver.di wine, a cute bunch of flowers, and a letter from my big boss Frank Bsirske: Congratulations for working with the union for 25 years now. Hurrray!
And I will get a bonus of 750 Euro plus an extra day off. Hurrray!

Sweeten up your day

2009-05-03T10:22:00.000+02:00

Saturday morning was lovely and sunny, it reminded me of the new sunglasses I need. "Eyes and more" offer great designs for reasonable prizes, and a special reduction in the new branch at Wilmersdorfer Straße. I went there, had a close look, and decided to skip it. Why is it that hard to find good protection against the sun when you're older and your eyesight is not what it was in your thirties?
To heighten my mood, I went to the spanish shop at Kantstraße just round the corner, and had this lovely breakfast, lots of sugar and milk included. Not what my doctor would advise me to have, but well - once in a while won't hurt.
From then on, the day ran smoothly and nice, albeit not much spring cleaning done. I managed to watch "Last chance Harvey" at Odeon, and liked it. A sweet little piece, with two actors just matching perfectly. And next week: "Pranzo di Ferragosto". At Odeon, as well - of course.

Mayday in Berlin

2009-05-01T22:52:00.003+02:00

A normal 1st of May in the german capital: lots of demonstrations, marches, riots, but thousands of Berliners having fun at the wonderful events to celebrate the workers' day today. More than 10 000 joined the trade unions at Brandenburger Tor, more than 20 000 the Kreuzberg Myfest - with "Ton, Steine, Scherben" from the good old days, and I didn't know :(
I met lots of friends and collegues, my kids called to wish me a wonderful day (how sweet!), and I enjoyed myself a lot, walking around in the bright sunshine for more than six hours. No sunburn, but a browner shade of pale.
I was impressed seeing the singing busdrivers on stage who fight for better rights for busdrivers. They are attacked quite often lately, since bad social chances led to more violence. The way they fight is quite new, and quite successful. Read more here!

Good bye, Hermann!

2009-04-28T21:27:00.003+02:00

My former boss at ver.di, Hermann Schmid, is leaving ver.di headquarters to lead a more quiet (?) life with family in Waiblingen. And to travel more, run more, learn how to play a guitar, read more - well, do all the things you got bags of time to do when not working any more. Lucky guy!
We gathered at ver.di gallery to say good bye and party a bit. Lots of presents, lots of speeches, Frank Bsirske - our mutual boss - was there, too, and many, many friends and collegues. We all loved Hermann's speech on his work seen as a marathon run a lot. Pity it's not on youtube...
P. S. But a posting about it is on his blog now. Read more about the great Goodbye here.

Sun and wine in Köpenick

2009-04-26T20:10:00.003+02:00

Blue sky, bright sunshine, and temperatures rising to 25 - everybody in Berlin rushed outside to enjoy this first day of summer. The parks were crowded, so were the lakes, and the many festivities: Baumblütenfest in Werder, Winzerfest in Köpenick (one of the many highlights celebrating the 800 years anniversary), Maifest in Neukölln, opening of Landesgartenschau in Oranienburg... What to see? Where to go?
Since Dirk had told me about Köpenick old town and the lovely small french epicerie and bar "Le petit paradis", I chose to go there. And he was right! The cafe and cakes were to die for (see for yourself here), the wines and cheeses and titbits they offer as well, and the walks around the old center and along Müggelsee were just lovely.
I hadn't been here since a few years, and it did change a lot. I was even more astonished to see what Köpenick looked like in the early 60s, before some DDR politicians decided the old buildings had to be torn down. The exhibition in "Gallery Grünstraße" is still on, and well worth a visit.
As is the famous town hall with the monument of the so called Hauptmann von Köpenick, of course. But not that much to me.
Today, all the streets were crowded with people and funfair booths. The wine offers were best inside the castle. But I wasn't tempted at all to drink wine on a hot spring afternoon or eat greasy sausages. Instead, I sat down by the waterside, smiled into the sun, and had some sparkling water and the banana I had brought.
I didn't leave without a souvenir, though. The tourist office had a map with all the information you need when biking through Berlin (hope I can start soon), and just after managing to go past a shoe shop with great offers of "Think!" shoes, I found another one with even better offers since it was closing down. When browsing around idly, I glimpsed the one and only sweater they had, linen, black stripes on light beige, perfect when relaxing on a boat, and it was my size, and not even a fifth of the orignal prize. So I left with a new sweater, instead of with a hangover. :)

Meeting Friends

2009-04-25T19:32:00.004+02:00

Saturday is shopping day. And whom did I bump into when strolling along Hauptstraße with heavy grocery bags but Christel, my dear old friend from ver.di. We hadn't seen each other for months, so decided to have a coffee together in one of the many cafes close to Akazienstraße. We had fun, as you can well see.
Later - after a long day of hopping into and out of the flat, getting my household ready at home, and doing more shopping in Schöneberg - I called Susanne from Düsseldorf. We hadn't seen each other for years, so decided to have a coffee in Cologne, when I'll be there for the school celebrations in June. Looking forward to it!
And last but not least I spent as much time as possible with my dear old friend Emil, the travelling tomcat. He loved being back home that much, he purred almost all the time. :)

Greece calling

2009-04-24T20:10:00.000+02:00

Actually, it was Peter who called and suggested a meeting of his friends going to Greece together this October. Great idea! I will have to stop in Gelnhausen on my way to Düsseldorf where my classmates from 40 years ago will celebrate our anniversary. I can't believe it's been that long ago...
Well, anyway, I was happy to hear news about our trip. Peter had booked some apartments in Elea, close to Maloi in Laconia, a small fishers' village at the west coast with a beautiful beach. How lovely the sunsets will be with the sun sinking into the sea!
Every morning when changing busses at Potsdamer Platz, I look at this advertisement and smile. I will be there, soon!
In the afternoon, the vet called with news on Emil. His kidneys are really bad, but luckily I had had a feeling that something was wrong, and had insisted on the examinations. So we found out just in time, and Emil will be fine for some more years with a special (and costly) diet, lots of love and patience. All of which I'll gladly provide.

An apple a day - or a lemon

2009-04-23T20:13:00.002+02:00

Two recipes to stay or get healthy I was told yesterday, and am glad to pass on to you:
1. No colds any more with lemons in the mornings. First day one, second day two, and so on up to five on the fifth day. Then down again to one on the 9th. To be repeated once in a while.
2. Less cholesterol with a garlic shot. Take some vodka or alike, mix with fresh minced garlic, leave for a while. Take in a glass of yoghurt. First day one drop, second day two, etc. up to ten, then down again. Be careful to take one drop only, not a whole glass! Repeat if you feel like it...
Before going to the vet tonight, I went shopping and bought the required ingredients. Hope it will work!

Emil is sick

2009-04-22T19:48:00.002+02:00

Emil and I went to the vet last Monday to check on his heart. It's fine, well, at least a lot better than it used to be. He will have to continue taking his drugs twice daily, but who cares. Not me, I'm quite used to making sure he does swallow them.
But there's something wrong with his kidneys now. The vet wants him to stay in hospital for 24 hrs, so they can do all the examinations required. I'll have to take him there tomorrow evening. Poor dear! Cross your fingers he'll be fine!

Fountain fun

2009-04-21T21:22:00.003+02:00

This boy has fun at Kaiser-Wilhelm-Platz trying to bike across the fountain without getting wet. He was so proud when he managed!
And I had fun watching him on my way home from working out. Twice a week, I do my exercises at rehasport fitness center, sometimes three times. Half an hour only, but my shoulder is a lot better now!