So I think it's time to briefly write about *real life* in Berlin for this post.
*yawn*
Boring, right? I'll try to make it interesting. ;)
Well, I've recently finished my 4th level German, yet I still feel like a 7 year old when speaking/listening to Deutsch. I have to skillz to survive, just not the conversational to chat with German friends in their language, as I would of course with friends in Vancouver. Makes me sad, but my Deutsch friends are wonderful and understanding. Sometimes they quiz me and I actually understand, and sometimes I've had enough gin/wine/beer to have the courage to actually attempt to use it. Ask me to write something? No problem!!! :D Unfortunately I have now run out of money to continue my education so that's it for this year. Hopefully upon my return to Berlin in July I can continue my studies.
Oh yes, I have booked my return flight home. I leave Berlin March 15th for Londontown to visit with my darling friend Jennifer, Jack & Lyle and also hopefully Larissa & William too! With a quick trip over to Dublin for St. Patty's Day and then I'm home on March 22nd. (more on this later)
I've also recently finished working on a short film titled "Aufzug" ("Elevator"). We shot it in 6 days with about 2 months of prep/post production. It's a wonderful 15 minute piece about people's emotions and coping mechanisms to deal with the apocalyptic, dystopian-esque state of the world as it crumbles around them... all of these stories are told in an elevator. The company was under a deadline for submission to the Berlin Film Fest... they made it. :)
In December I have a trip to Vienna planned with a few friends. Always wanted to go there and what better time than for all the Weihnachten Märkte!!!? (Christmas Markets) Plus I will get to visit with a DJ/Promoter friend Michael who puts on a great monthly Minimal Synth Wave event called Future Echo. I am also lucky enough to have been invited to DJ this time around so I've been busy the past few days re-organizing my music for the event.
I'm really looking forward to it!
I have also moved out of Neukölln and into Mitte with my friend Anne. It's really wonderful to be here. She's a good friend and I am lucky she's offered up not only her flat to share, but *given* me her bedroom for the next 5 months. It's great to be in the city center for the tail end of my year here. Different sights, new habits to form and further understanding of how the city is laid out and connected. I'm now very close to the Neue Synagoge, Museum Insel, Fernseheturm and my favorite falafel spot, Dada Falafel!!! Thanks Hilda and Mr. Sly for an awesome 7 months!!!
I'm going to stop here for today as I have to eat and get ready for a gig at the King Kong Klub featuring Xeno & Oaklander and Martial Canterel.
Schönen Abend!
Thursday, November 17, 2011
The Strawberry Girl
Christine... a very dear friend of mine... I believe we met each other nearly 13 years ago. About 4 years ago she left Vancouver to fulfill a dream and live the life of a seafarer. Today she is in Curaçao. Every year she has made a short visit to Vancouver so we have always been able to re-connect.
This time our re-union was even more unique.
We were gifted with the opportunity to meet in Amsterdam.
To be honest, we didn't do anything touristy at all. No museums, art galleries or the like. We simply wandered aimlessly through the canalized streets of A'dam either by foot or bicycle. We experienced 2 glorious days of sun and somewhat warm weather and one damp and foggy day. We ate *A LOT* of cheese, I tried the pannenkoeken, Christine the pea soup and we both had (on more than one occasion) butter waffeln. We met up with my Dutch friend Marc and he took us out the this incredible restaurant called Bazar (see photos below) and then to the local alternative pub.
Our B&B was on the Boathotel Iris. This was our cabin.
This was our Boathotel Iris.
Some sights near Iris.
Bicycles were *everywhere*!!! This picture shows about 1/8 of what I could fit in my frame from my view point.
Cheese, cheese and more cheese. Did I mention we ate a lot of cheese? Look at the size of that Emmanthaler!!! :O
Clogs with tulip bulbs...
and high heels with chocolate sprinkles! :D
All of the buildings in A'dam are on a slight tilt... thus making you feel forever a little tipsy... always screwing with your vertigo. You can't see very well in the following photograph, but there is a pully systems on all buildings near the rooftop. They are used, along side the tilted façades, to lift furniture into the flats, the tilt allowing room for the furniture to *not* crash into the building/windows. A photo of this system follows.
Picturesque canal scenes are around every corner. The first image is of the Schreierstoren - built 1480 as part of the city's defenses, it became a point from which women would wave farewell to their sailors... only 1 in 3 ever returned safely from a journey.
Taken of the Amrath Hotel - Art Deco architecture, but I can't seem to find a year or any history about it.
Red Light District swans.
Bazar - Turkish restaurant, use to be a mosque.
The loverly Christine.
A whirlwind trip in 4 days... took me 7 trains (an accident on the tracks), 2 loverly Dutch people as guides and 7 hours to get there, but it was worth it!!! An incredible experience I never dreamed could happen.
And guess what?
This time our re-union was even more unique.
We were gifted with the opportunity to meet in Amsterdam.
To be honest, we didn't do anything touristy at all. No museums, art galleries or the like. We simply wandered aimlessly through the canalized streets of A'dam either by foot or bicycle. We experienced 2 glorious days of sun and somewhat warm weather and one damp and foggy day. We ate *A LOT* of cheese, I tried the pannenkoeken, Christine the pea soup and we both had (on more than one occasion) butter waffeln. We met up with my Dutch friend Marc and he took us out the this incredible restaurant called Bazar (see photos below) and then to the local alternative pub.
Our B&B was on the Boathotel Iris. This was our cabin.
This was our Boathotel Iris.
Some sights near Iris.
Bicycles were *everywhere*!!! This picture shows about 1/8 of what I could fit in my frame from my view point.
Cheese, cheese and more cheese. Did I mention we ate a lot of cheese? Look at the size of that Emmanthaler!!! :O
Clogs with tulip bulbs...
and high heels with chocolate sprinkles! :D
All of the buildings in A'dam are on a slight tilt... thus making you feel forever a little tipsy... always screwing with your vertigo. You can't see very well in the following photograph, but there is a pully systems on all buildings near the rooftop. They are used, along side the tilted façades, to lift furniture into the flats, the tilt allowing room for the furniture to *not* crash into the building/windows. A photo of this system follows.
Picturesque canal scenes are around every corner. The first image is of the Schreierstoren - built 1480 as part of the city's defenses, it became a point from which women would wave farewell to their sailors... only 1 in 3 ever returned safely from a journey.
Taken of the Amrath Hotel - Art Deco architecture, but I can't seem to find a year or any history about it.
Red Light District swans.
Bazar - Turkish restaurant, use to be a mosque.
The loverly Christine.
A whirlwind trip in 4 days... took me 7 trains (an accident on the tracks), 2 loverly Dutch people as guides and 7 hours to get there, but it was worth it!!! An incredible experience I never dreamed could happen.
And guess what?
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
The Kely Saga
The next visitor to grace me with their presence was the one and only Mr. Banadyga!!!
Kely's first night out in Berlin was possibly one of the best chances for him to experience the local Berlin Minimal Wave scene. I took him to the King Kong Klub to see Bloodygrave & Die Lust! and Lebanon Hanover knowing he would not be let down by these 2 incredible synth bands... and he was not!
Then 2 nights later Anne and I brought him to Kunsthaus 54 to listen to some fantastic DJs at Resurrection/Ceremonies. Thanks for the Canadiana that was played! ;)
I took Kely on a WWII architecture tour of Berlin over the next few days. Templehof Airport, the Bendlerblock, Olympiastadion and the bunker at Gesundbrunnen U-Bahn Station.
The Bendlerblock was built between 1911 and 1914 for the Imperial German Navy Offices. During the Weimar Republic it served as the seat of the Reichswehr command and the Ministry of Defence. Since 1993, it is used by the German Federal Ministry of Defence. It was also the headquarters of the Wehrmacht officers (Stauffenberg being one of them) who enacted the July 20 plot "Valkyrie" against Hitler. These officers were shot in the courtyard of the Bendlerblock and today you can visit the Memorial to the German Resistance.
Swastika motif in the parquet floor.
Stairwell up to the Bendlerblock exhibition.
This is the Shell Haus built in 1931. We passed it by on the way to the Bendlerblock.
The Olympiastadion was designed by Werner March in 1936. Berlin hosted the 1936 Summer Olympic Games and the Nazis used this opportunity to achieve national and international prestige. All anti-semantic signs and graffiti were removed overnight and the media stopped the persecution of Jews for the duration of the Games. Canada was even once a medalist for these Games.
"Greeked" swastika on replica bell.
Bullet hole on other side of the bell.
Kely and I were able to take a tour of the Gesundbrunnen U-Bahn Station bunker through the Berliner Unterwelten Association. It is one of only a few bunkers in Berlin remaining. The tour really gave you a clear understanding of how it would have looked, smelled and felt to be inside the bunker while an Allied air raid was in progress. *Not* for those suffering from claustrophobia. The tour guides are a wealth of information, and in good humour too considering the subject. Photography ist verboten inside so I only have some of the actual entrance points from the outside, in the stairwell of Gesundbrunnen U-Bahn.
Potsdam/Schloss Sanssousi was one of our last destination. "Sanssouci" means "without a care". This Rococo summer palace was built in 1745 for Frederick the Great, King of Prussia. It is considered the German rival to Versailles (MUCH smaller in comparison by size, but grandeur, pomp and flamboyancy... definitely an equal).
I'd like to give special thanks to Kely for spoiling me rotten!!! You are a dear friend and I will cherish and never forget our time spent together in Deutschland.
September and October were very special months for me in Berlin because I had so many people from home come to visit. Jack & Lyle (well actually from Londontown, but Jack is from Vancity), Bruce & Maddy, Momma & Dad'n, Rachel, Kely and Michael Venus!
Little did I know that only a few weeks later I'd be re-united with yet another dear Canadian friend who I hadn't seen in a year because she herself is living life in another country, or rather on a boat... sailing The Seven Seas... my gypsy pirate sister.
Kely's first night out in Berlin was possibly one of the best chances for him to experience the local Berlin Minimal Wave scene. I took him to the King Kong Klub to see Bloodygrave & Die Lust! and Lebanon Hanover knowing he would not be let down by these 2 incredible synth bands... and he was not!
Then 2 nights later Anne and I brought him to Kunsthaus 54 to listen to some fantastic DJs at Resurrection/Ceremonies. Thanks for the Canadiana that was played! ;)
I took Kely on a WWII architecture tour of Berlin over the next few days. Templehof Airport, the Bendlerblock, Olympiastadion and the bunker at Gesundbrunnen U-Bahn Station.
The Bendlerblock was built between 1911 and 1914 for the Imperial German Navy Offices. During the Weimar Republic it served as the seat of the Reichswehr command and the Ministry of Defence. Since 1993, it is used by the German Federal Ministry of Defence. It was also the headquarters of the Wehrmacht officers (Stauffenberg being one of them) who enacted the July 20 plot "Valkyrie" against Hitler. These officers were shot in the courtyard of the Bendlerblock and today you can visit the Memorial to the German Resistance.
Swastika motif in the parquet floor.
Stairwell up to the Bendlerblock exhibition.
This is the Shell Haus built in 1931. We passed it by on the way to the Bendlerblock.
The Olympiastadion was designed by Werner March in 1936. Berlin hosted the 1936 Summer Olympic Games and the Nazis used this opportunity to achieve national and international prestige. All anti-semantic signs and graffiti were removed overnight and the media stopped the persecution of Jews for the duration of the Games. Canada was even once a medalist for these Games.
"Greeked" swastika on replica bell.
Bullet hole on other side of the bell.
Kely and I were able to take a tour of the Gesundbrunnen U-Bahn Station bunker through the Berliner Unterwelten Association. It is one of only a few bunkers in Berlin remaining. The tour really gave you a clear understanding of how it would have looked, smelled and felt to be inside the bunker while an Allied air raid was in progress. *Not* for those suffering from claustrophobia. The tour guides are a wealth of information, and in good humour too considering the subject. Photography ist verboten inside so I only have some of the actual entrance points from the outside, in the stairwell of Gesundbrunnen U-Bahn.
Potsdam/Schloss Sanssousi was one of our last destination. "Sanssouci" means "without a care". This Rococo summer palace was built in 1745 for Frederick the Great, King of Prussia. It is considered the German rival to Versailles (MUCH smaller in comparison by size, but grandeur, pomp and flamboyancy... definitely an equal).
I'd like to give special thanks to Kely for spoiling me rotten!!! You are a dear friend and I will cherish and never forget our time spent together in Deutschland.
September and October were very special months for me in Berlin because I had so many people from home come to visit. Jack & Lyle (well actually from Londontown, but Jack is from Vancity), Bruce & Maddy, Momma & Dad'n, Rachel, Kely and Michael Venus!
Little did I know that only a few weeks later I'd be re-united with yet another dear Canadian friend who I hadn't seen in a year because she herself is living life in another country, or rather on a boat... sailing The Seven Seas... my gypsy pirate sister.
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
The Chronicles of Rachel
Next guest to Berlin... RACHEL!!!
This was her first time to Germany, so I had to make sure she received the deluxe tourist treatment and I did my best to show her all the most memorable locations in Berlin, Brandenburg.
As tradition, I met Rachel at the airport with beer in hand, because drinking in public is not poo-pooed in Berlin. This made Rach veeeeeery happy, as there was a flight change so she actually arrived in Berlin about an hour later.
First area of exploration was my hood - Neukölln. We went to the Neukölln Arcaden for a spectaular view of Berlin, then Zimt & Mehl for a delicious brunch and then walked to Treptower Park.
Remembering the homosexuals... the pink triangle.
Huge storm coming our way. Somehow was managed to escape it.
The prisoner's block. Most rooms had an installation from a different country to remember those that suffered and died.
After this we had a loverly dinner at Cafe Einstein, at the recommendation of my Berliner friends (whom I met in Vancouver) Lars und Jörn.
This was her first time to Germany, so I had to make sure she received the deluxe tourist treatment and I did my best to show her all the most memorable locations in Berlin, Brandenburg.
As tradition, I met Rachel at the airport with beer in hand, because drinking in public is not poo-pooed in Berlin. This made Rach veeeeeery happy, as there was a flight change so she actually arrived in Berlin about an hour later.
First area of exploration was my hood - Neukölln. We went to the Neukölln Arcaden for a spectaular view of Berlin, then Zimt & Mehl for a delicious brunch and then walked to Treptower Park.
Next stop was the Ritter Sport Factory/Museum/Shop where we had custom chocolate bars made. Mine was dark chocolate with rosa pepper and chili! Es war sehr lecker!!! Delicious!
From here we made our way down Unter den Linden toward the Brandenburg Tor and the Reichstag.
September 15th we got up early and made our way to the Ravensbrück Concentration Camp memorial in Fürstenberg/Havel, about an hour outside of Berlin. This was a women's camp with a few male prisoners and also some children. This was not a death camp though, it was a work camp.
Remembering the homosexuals... the pink triangle.
Huge storm coming our way. Somehow was managed to escape it.
The prisoner's block. Most rooms had an installation from a different country to remember those that suffered and died.
The next day was dedicated to Marlene Dietrich. Anne join us this day and we went to the Friedhof III cemetery in Schöneberg where Marlene (and Helmut Newton) are laid to rest. Then we walked to her flat, which was nothing to speak of so I have no photograph, so we made our way to the Deutsche Kinemathek Museum für Film und Fehesehen to pay homage to her beauty and grace. There was an extensive collection of her costumes on display. I died and joined her in Himmel.
After this we had a loverly dinner at Cafe Einstein, at the recommendation of my Berliner friends (whom I met in Vancouver) Lars und Jörn.
The next day was very leisurely. We got up late and went to the Art Nouveau era Stadtbad in Neukölln to have a swim. We weren't aloud to take photos inside, but I took some of the light fixtures above the main entrance.
Not sure if this was our last day together, but I took Rach back into Mitte for some window shopping at the Hackescher Hofe, to the Radisson near the Berliner Dom to see the huge fishtank elevator and then to Barbie Deinhoff's for drinks for our last evening together.
Oh yeah... and I have one last photo to add. Anne and I have started to frequent a Mexican Restaurant in Kreuzberg called Santa Maria. They have tacos and tequila shots for €1/ea every Tuesday, so we go there a lot. Sort of becoming a staple. I brought Rach here twice. Here is total destruction after a meal of delectable little corn tortilla tacos, tequila and margaritas!
Thanks Rach... it was a blast and a delight to show you around Berlin. Thanks for all the treats and goodies. You are a doll. *smooch* Love and Misses!!!
Devi
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