Birthdays in October

Birthdays and things in October

Micha starts the month with his 70th birthday on the 4th. Friends are planning a big party - pity I shall miss it! Nephew Andrew will be 32 on the 5th - and I shall be able to buy him a beer at least for I shall be near his place on that day. Frau Direktor Dr. Birgit (Brandt) will be celebrating her over 40 again day with Ian in London, and also on the 5th. Nephew Warren will be 33 on the 12th and I shall be there to celebrate with him. His mother, Frances, follows on the 14th where we shall have a 63rd birthday breakfast before I leave for Liverpool and the flight back to Berlin. 

Marita will be 58 on the 21st, and I shall be at her party with at least one glass of wine to celebrate. One day later my neighbour will be 91. I shall take her some flowers as I did last year. Dianne (Bolton) will be 63 on the 27th. I hope to see her on my visit for it is ages since we met. Tanja Bridge ends the month with her 46th on the 31st October and will celebrate with Adrian and family in London. Happy Birthday to each and all!

What else is happening? I don't have any teaching at the Institute in October.  The concert season at the Komische Oper starts on the 9th October, but I shall miss it. I shall, however, catch the rest of them.  I have to see my allergy Doctor the day after my return for another injection. Next day I start Part 2 of my Photoshop Elements course at the Oldie Centre. That will run each Friday afternoon until Christmas. Looking forward to it.

My private students will continue after my UK break and I'm looking forward to hearing about Jens' adventures in Rome. On the 24th I have been invited to party at Sylvana and Mathias' house for an evening of seeing pictures of their recent trip to Canada with nice food and wine. I note another appointment with a doctor on the 26th but this is with my skin doctor. The new tablets are not very successful so I hope he puts me onto the old ones. This month is also 'Hans free'. I shall not be taking him out until the start of November when I plan to take him on longer tours. He needs the movement.

When I write to this blog  I always remember Jan's words. I once asked him if he read all the text and he replied, "No, not always. Too many words, but I always look at the pictures." Good advice so I shall now break the text into easy to read paragraphs and add some pictures.

The problem is that I don't have any new ones of my trips, so I decided to let your eyes enjoy the images of my recent shopping expedition. I bought things for my bathroom. Now isn't that nicer than reading all this text?  :-)

Waldesruh

Just got back from Waldesruh

Its on the eastern border of Berlin to Brandenburg. It is off the beaten track if you don't have a car. You can go by bus if you have the time we wait if you miss a connection and in the evening they run once an hour!

The weather is superb today. The forecast is for rain and cloudy skies from tomorrow so that must be why so many people were out on bicycles and walking.

We started at this 'rustikalisches' restaurant where the fields and walking paths start. It was full outside and some guests had even come in a horse drawn carriage. The food and service was excellent.

After that it was time to walk and so we set off to explore a new corner of Berlin. A stream flows through the area called Neuenhagener-Mühlenfließ. We walked along one bank and I took some photos to share with you. Here are two which express the area and day well.

Now to watch the results of the general election coming in. See you in England in a few days!

Jüterbog visit

Nice day in Jüterbog

Last Wednesday I headed off for Jüterbog to visit Jürgen and Dieter for a late celebration of their 65th birthdays a couple of weeks ago. They are leaving for a holiday in the Tyrol at the same time as I am in England so this was a good day to meet, and the weather was warm and sunny.

Jürgen is a hobby cook and created a very tasty salmon dish, eaten with a glass of dry white wine. Perfect! We then walked to their garden  where we looked at their flowers and I collected some apples to take back with me. The visit ended with Kaffe und Kuchen and a happy train journey back to Berlin. Always nice to visit them.

Posting this on Sunday 27 Sept. which is election day in Germany. I'm leaving for Köpenick in an hour to meet Oldie Hermann then off to a restaurant in a forest followed by a long walk to lose a few calories. I shall watch the election reports this evening on my return. Although I can't vote, I am very interested in the outcome. Have a nice day each!

Late summer

tour down memory lane

Yesterday I celebrated the last day of summer by going on a bicycle ride. I went on a route I have often been on and remember I did the same tour with my nephew Andrew and Imre some years ago. I don't know why I got this idea into my head, but I prepared my 'touring' bike and off I went.

On the S-Bahn to Petershagen Nord then off on the bike to Eggersdorf. I also went there with Andrew to celebrate Herren Tag which is in mid-May each year. Cycled up to the main road and then along the west side of Bötzsee. At the top of the lake I stopped at a restaurant I know and sat outside with a wonderful view of the lake. What a surprise - Hans' brother and his wife arrived a few minutes later and the only free place was at my table.

They didn't recognise me - I was still wearing my sunglasses - but I recognised them immediately. We had a good chat as we enjoyed  lunch together. When you are cycling over a long period you need some solid food in the middle of the day just as you do when you are skiing. I learnt this when skiing in the Czech Republic with Jan many years ago.

I then cycled north along Fängersee and west to Wesenthal, where I slowly cycled over the flat fields with apple trees on the side of the road, before arriving at the long roads protected from the sun by tall trees. This is typical for the Brandenberg scenery east of Berlin. The photos I took are also typical for the area and show the end of summer in the colours and shades of the sunlight and trees.

I then cycled towards Altlandsberg but skirted the town by taking the longer route to Hönow. I discovered the new cycle and in-line skater path to Hönow and arrived there in late evening as the sun was setting. An U-Bahn journey back to my part of the city and a short ride to my flat ended a perfect day with lots of memories. A nice active way to send the summer of 2009.  Where did it all go?

WarnemündeSept.09

A late summer day in Warnemünde

What to do? A day in Warnemünde planned with Frau Bohrmann and her ladies then cancelled at the last moment due to family visits and grandchildren. Hermann and I decided to press ahead with the plan even though it would cost more and so we set off for Rostock last Saturday. It is an important port and ferry harbour on the Baltic coast which the Germans call the 'Ost See'.

Nearly three hours to get there then an S-Bahn to Warnemünde, which is a very nice holiday centre right on the coast. The weather was sunny and warm with blue sky. A perfect late summer day. I posed in front of where the mouth (Münd) of the  river Warne flows into the Baltic sea.

We walked through really nice old areas with narrow streets and interesting old shops and restaurants until we reached the coast to the east of the river mouth. There is a large hotel and lots of beach area and also a 'Kurbad' Restaurant. Hermann said it was very much in demand in the DDR and difficult to get a table. He wanted to have a meal there again.

It was a disaster! We sat on the outside terrace where I took all these photos and then waited and waited for service. Eventually we get a beer and then waited and waited for a menu. After nearly an hour I just walked out and went to a local restaurant. I didn't pay for my beer! Poor Hermann sat there in the hope of service and when it didn't get any better he sadly left and went for a paddle along the coast.

We met there after I had enjoyed a very tasty (local) fish dish and good service. We walked along the shore and then down the river area, which has lots of shops and different places for food. He is an ice-cream freak ( I don't eat it) and so he relaxed in a nice Italian style ice cream parlour and overdosed on ice creams served with fruit and cream topping. I just had a coffee and thought about the fish I had just enjoyed. From there we wandered back to the station and the train to Berlin, arriving home at 10.00 pm.

A nice day inspite of the terrible service at the first restaurant. Alas, this is just one of the things that superficially appears to have survived from the DDR, but which lives on its name and in reality doesn't deserve to be in business. Not a nice lesson for poor Hermann to learn!

Grilling in Schönau

Grilling in Schönau

By now you will know all about my 'Mugglesee Gang' - they were my second teaching group and half have kept in touch over the last 15 years. We last met in May for a bicycle ride on Herren Tag and I posted the story and photos to this blog.

Yesterday we met at Larissa and Karl-Heinz's house with large garden on the outskirts of Schönau, which is north west of Berlin. It was a late summer reunion. After coffee and cakes, we went for a long walk though a new protected wild landscape garden, where I saw deer running around.

On our return we had a good appetite. The centre of the grill party was real Thüringen Wurst which Falk had brought from a local butchers on a recent visit there. Mmmmh....delicious! I add a photo of one I ate with great relish. After grilling and with glasses full we sat around the open fire in the garden and sang traditional German songs. It was a first time experience for me and I could even join in one song with a chorus about a tree in a meadow.

Got to bed after 2.00 this morning so feeling a little tired and fragile. Weather has changed for the worst so had to cancel a cycle tour planned for today. That is why I have time to write this post. Think I'll read my history book then go back to bed soon! Have a nice lazy Sunday

Tony in Berlin

Tony in Berlin

Nice evening with Prof. Dr. Tony last Thursday. He was on a quick visit to a conference in Potsdam so we met up for a chat, meal and of course a good Berlin beer! We last met 26 years ago when we graduated from Sussex.

As expected, he returned to the US and started on a successful academic career so that he is now a full Professor. On the way he married and has a son and daughter. We have kept in touch with each other via Ian of London Banker fame. As soon as we met and started to talk it was is if we had last seen each other only 26 weeks before! I took a few photos of him so that he could show them to his daughter.

Typical tourist views but nice non-the-less. We shall be keeping in touch more often and he invited me to stay with him and his family next spring. Thanks for a great evening Tony and hope to see you next on your home ground.

Unter den Linden

Unter den Linden on a late summer Sunday

From the Post Museum, we went to nearby Potsdamer Platz for a light meal then walked to the buildings around Unter den Linden starting with the  Brandenburger Tür. The weather was nice for a late summer day and so there were lots of people, mainly tourists, seeing the sights.

On the right of the Tür is the Max Liebermann house, on the left is a bank, then the new USA Embassy, next to the German Central Bank building which in turn is next to another commercial bank and then the Adlon Hotel. In the middle is a small park area with fountains and places for people to sit and relax. There is also the entrance to the new U-Bahn line going to the Hauptbahnhof.

Post Museum

Post Museum Berlin

Last Sunday I got a call from Oldie Hermann. "What are you doing today?". "Nothing," said I. "What about seeing the Post Museum?" We met in town and set off for a museum I had never heard of before. It is on Leipziger Straße and you should put it on your list of places to see when next in Berlin. I was surprised I had never heard about it before.

The building is superb as you can see from some of the photos. It dates back to the building boom when Berlin became the capital of Germany and was started in 1872. The museum is officially called Das Museum für Kommunikation Berlin for it has much more than the history of the postal service. Interesting sections are about the telegraph, telegram, radio, tv, computer and internet. There is also a nice display of pens, pencils, ink pots, postcards and postboxes. I include some in the photos.

The presentation and display is really good and easy to wander round and understand with a lot of information given in German and English.

Flying to UK

Off to see family and friends in October

Yes, I have booked my flights and got confirmation just 10 minutes ago. I am flying from Berlin to Liverpool on 1st October leaving at 16:50 arriving at 17:50. Hope 'Our Baz' and Pam can meet me at the airport and I can spend the night with them. I want to see their garden and fishpond again.

Then off to Silsden, Addingham, Ilkley, Sutton and to the fabulous 'Cas' to see Alan and Lynne. A trip without seeing them is hardly worth thinking about. I am not sure I shall make it to Cambridge - actually I am not sure I want to given the reception in August 2006! I'll see how the mood takes me.

I am flying back to Berlin on 14 October (It is sister Frances´ Birthday then) at 13:30 from  Liverpool and arriving in Berlin at 16:25. Just in time for a nice ride home and cuppa tea or something else two hours later!  See you all then so order the extra fish 'n chips and the pork pies. Mmmmmh.......the taste!