Houses

I mentioned that we saw some wonderful old houses/villas on our tour of Grunewald in a recent post. I was not sure about showing them so I closed the update.


The thought stayed in my head and so I decided to share a few images of the houses I would like to own/to live in/to share with family and friends on visits to Berlin.



I took 8 shots, but decided that was too much to post to this blog. One of the houses is white and tall. On the wall you can just make out a small plaque. It says that Isadora Duncan lived in a flat in the house from 1904 to 1914. As I am sure you know, she was a very famous dancer.

From 1908 to 1912, the composer Engelbert Humperdinck lived in the building. I really enjoyed seeing this part of Berlin. It is amazing that I have lived here so long and never seen this area. Thanks Marga!

My next post will be about the New Year.

Flute

Regular readers of my blog will know that I wrote about Marcel and his flute when he was here in summer. I asked him to bring it on this visit. He agreed.  He carried it in my rucksack on the day out with Marga. Following his attack on the Eisbein, he felt dozy and wanted to sleep, but that was not possible.

Into the S-Bahn to Alexander Platz and change into U-Bahn line 8. Get out at Bernauer Straße. There is now a special exhibition about the Berlin Wall and you can see see and touch part of it - if you wish! I suggest you do when you next visit Berlin.

We went into a small cafe run by a lady called Maria. She is from Poland and Marga recently got to know her. Unfortunately she was not there when we visited. Instead we met a nice assistant from Iraq, who spoke very good German. We had a coffee and after the other guests left I asked if Marcel could play flute.

Marcel looked surprised for he said he wanted to play for Marga in the nearby park. I said. "No way, it is too cold!". The lady agreed, so Marcel unpacked his flute and off we went. It is always a pleasure to watch him play and note how he melts into the notes/music as he plays.

Marga had never seen him play before and was delighted. So was the nice lady in the shop! Here are a few photos of the event. The assistant suggested Marcel should learn the pieces by heart and not read from his music. We agreed. She also said she would tell her boss about his playing and that musicians play in the cafe on a Friday evening. Customers donate cash into a hat to show their appreciation.

Not a bad idea should he start studying at a university in Berlin from next October. A good way to earn a little spending money. He warmed to the idea and said he would learn some pieces by heart. From there we wandered to another bar/cafe Marga knows and had a relaxing chat over a glass of red wine.

Into the U-Bahn and eventually back to my place. Marcel was not tired - I was - and wanted to watch a film I had bought for him. It is in German and called Der Vorleser/The Reader. I thought he would nod off in the first half. He didn't - but I did! And so to bed and a new day ending with his move to Heike's house and family.

Day out

Marcel was over-tired/excited on the evening of his arrival. I have experienced this before so just let him talk and do what he wanted, including eating. He was hungry! And then slowly he relaxed, the first yawn and then slowly steer the conversation towards sleep.


It worked. He slept well and woke mid-morning. He is also lively in a morning and likes to talk a lot over breakfast. It was a special one based on eggs I get from a farmer. He really liked them. Shower, put on warm clothes, and we were ready for the day.

We travelled to the opposite side of Berlin and got out at an S-Bahn station called Grunewald, (Greenwood) which on the way to Potsdam.  Marga was waiting on the platform. She wanted us to see Gleis 17 at the side of the current platform.

From 1941 to 1945, over 90,000 Jews in Berlin were transported from this station to concentration camps and murdered. It is now a memorial. We noted that a few tourists came in the short time we were there. Marga has Jewish roots so it is always painful for her, but she wanted Marcel to see another side of Berlin. I think all tourists should and not only visit the central area.

From there we walked to the grand villas built by the new industrialists following the creation of German in 1871, and rapid industrialisation from which they became rich. Many were Jews, but their wealth did not save those who remained after the rise of the Nazi Party to power in 1933.

Marcel found it all very interesting and was pleased to see a side of Berlin that most tourists don't know about. We ended up on the KuDamm not far from where Marga lives. A nice walk along the street and I took a photo of Marcel as it got dark and the lights came on in the trees.

From there we took a side road towards SB-Savignyplatz and stopped at the famous Zilla Restaurant. He was a famous cartoonist at the turn of the last century. He wrote short texts to illustrate his pictures of the working class at that time. The restaurant is famous for simple homemade Berlin meals.

Marcel enjoyed his first Eisbein! As you can see :-) Try it when you visit Berlin!

Arrival

I travelled into the city with Dr Peter and Stefan. I then headed off for Berlin main station (Berlin Hbf) as they went to meet friends in a pub. I arrived five minutes before the train from Budapest. Sitting inside was Marcel. The train left at 9.25 am and arrived 9.15 pm. A long journey.

I started looking for him at the end of the train and just missed a call on my mobile phone. It was from Marga.  I quickly moved to the middle of the train, but still no Marcel. Just then I heard someone call my name. I turned and it was Marga!

She had decided to surprise us. We then moved up the train and still no Marcel. As we got to the front Marga looked towards the other platform and spotted........... you guessed right. It was Marcel grinning at us. Always playing games!

We greeted each other warmly and he looked remarkably fresh for someone who had sat on a train for half a day. He just beamed at us. Marga had brought some nice Sekt so we sipped that to celebrate our meeting.

We moved to another platform and talked as we waited for a regional train to my local station. It came in and stopped at the front. A quick run and we made it. Found a seat and relaxed. Mission accomplished! Marcel just had to pose for the camera. Thank goodness nothing had changed:-)

New Docs

Last Thursday evening I had two visitors. Peter and Stefan. The rest of 'Jan's Old Gang' were in distant lands and places. Peter and Stefan had a meeting later with some old school friends so they started the evening by having a beer, or three, at my place.

Two of the 'Old Gang' should get their doctorates this year. Dr Christian (Itzak) will get his this spring and Peter has to do some more writing this year before he submits at the end of the year.

To encourage him I presented him with a copy of my doctorate made out in his name. He smiled - as you can see.

We talked about many things past, present and future plans and wishes, and all in English. We talked about this as well. Interesting that they, like Jan, just switch language without thinking. But then I do that with German. I have never thought English and then translated into German.

A very pleasant evening with two very talented men. I look forward to seeing more of them in 2013.

Family and Friends

After a splendid evening with Marga I entered a quiet day. I opened all my cards at 12 noon just as I poured light white wine into a glass and raised it to family and friends around the world who have joined me in this ceremony for more years than I can remember.

It is always a pleasant feeling to think of them all. I also take my time to open the cards and read every word as I reflect on news sent by each. I also like the comments about future plans and news of family. I never rush this part of my day.  Next is to top up my glass and reach for my telephone.

This year I called sister Frances then sister Pauline in that order. Fran is very chatty and was excited as she waited for the arrival of son No. 1 and family. They arrived as we spoke so I had the bonus of talking directly to them. Leanne is expecting 'Kindchen' No. 3 in six weeks so we chatted about that for some time.

I then called sister Pauline in Cambridge. She was able to tell me that tests for her breast cancer were negative after treatment so she didn't need further medical help. I thought about Jutta and we talked about her. We also talked about her plans for next year and my meeting them in June. I felt much better after talking to her and catching up on all kinds of news. For me the most important was the good news about her health.

I hope you enjoyed/are enjoying a happy family day with lots of good news.

Marga cooks

Yesterday was Christmas Eve in English and Heilige Abend in German. In German, Father Christmas visits families/children in the evening and leaves presents under the Christmas tree.

It is an interesting mixture of the old pagan ceremony celebrating the passing of the day with the least sunshine and hi-jacking of the celebration by the Christian religion/church many years later. In England it is all on the 25th.

I started the 24th with a visit to Jutta and Gerald. Long time readers of my blog will know who they are so I shall not waste time and space repeating it all. They always invite friends for a Christmas Eve breakfast and it is always a delight to attend.

Jutta is still receiving treatment for breast cancer and Gerald is now permanently confined to a wheelchair. It is sad to see them struggling with ill-health when they should be enjoying life after retirement. No justice in this world when one thinks of such a nice couple.

After seeing them I went home to get ready to visit Marga. It is now a ritual that I spend Christmas Eve with her. Just look at my blog covering this day over the last few years. This year was no exception. A warm welcome and splendid glass of red wine to greet me. Lots of chat and more wine before she places her work of art on the table.

This year she decided on a French dish based on beef. She bought slices of beef without fat then soaked them in a bottle of red wine, added an interesting array of spices and let it all soak in. It was cooked with vegetables and served with large pieces of new potatoes. Mmmmmh delicious.

After a break for more red wine and chat, we finished the meal with mince pies imported from England and served with a brandy-custard. Quality was the key word rather than quantity and I was more then happy as we cleared the dishes for a post-eating chat.  Hope you had a great time!

Birgit remembered

Heike called me earlier and asked if I had time to meet and accompany her to sister Birgit's grave. I quickly said yes, for it is always a pleasure to meet Heike and catch up on news.

We bought some seasonal displays of flowers. One for Birgit and one for her father, who is also buried there. We walked through the decorated gardens of the summer houses on the way and enjoyed the creativity of some owners.

                    There were a number of people visiting family graves around us. Not surprising given the time of year when we all begin to reflect on things and people. Here is a photo of Heike after placing the flowers on the grave.

Heike always likes to go to a small family restaurant near where I live. It is the Bomisches Restaurant.

 The lady owner does all the cooking. Traditional, homemade and very tasty! You can see how much we enjoyed the food and a glass of wine to help digest the turkey leg:-)

Now enjoy your Sunday lunch!

Gardens

I met Heike yesterday and we walked though a colony of garden houses. It started to snow and was very cold.

We soon warmed up as we saw some of the ideas house owners had about how to decorate their houses for the season.


There were many more than I share with you here, but I selected these. The one of face/hands on the tree made me burst out with laughter.

I just had to take a shot. Other owners had been more traditional as you can see of the house entrance.

Another had decorated the garden with tradional tree and Father Christmas images. Still smiling and talking about the decorations we made our way through the gardens to Birgit's grave.

Party Time

On Wednesday I went to my Keep-Fit-Group, but not for training. Yes, you have guessed right. It was for an eating and drinking session.

We called it our Christmas Party. I arrived a little late so joined the rest in the munching and sipping session. Very tasty and all of it homemade.

Lots of interesting discussion and topics as the food was eaten and the sekt was sipped! As usual there was something that I just couldn't eat.

You can see a photo of the table as I arrived and you can see what I can't eat. The Gang always ask me if I want to eat this and as usual I answer with, "No, I am not a cannibal!".

It is a delicacy in the north of Germany. It is called 'Hackepeter' and is raw, minced meat eaten with onions on bread or rolls. Yuk! Thank goodness there were lots of salads, fruit and other healthy food.

I took some photos of Kerstin, who leads our group and tries to keep us fit and agile. Here is the best one of her. Very nice! Now for a break, try not to eat too much and add kilos before I return to training with Kerstin and the gang in the New Year.

Hobbit

I've just got back from seeing the new Hobbit film. Same format as The Ring cycle. The Hobbit was written first. I remember reading it just after I arrived at university. My fellow students, nearly all of them 17/18 years younger, were shocked that I had not read the Hobbit.

I got a copy as a gift from them for my first Christmas holiday. I really enjoyed it and later read the Ring and even followed this up with The Silmarillion, which most people don't know about, but which sets the scene for the other books. You can expect this to be filmed sometime after we have all seen the three films blown up from a short novel called The Hobbit.

I saw the film in a multi-complex in Potsdammer Platz. It was in the original language. You can see this on my ticket as (OV). You can see it was in 3D = you got glasses as you bought your ticket and you can see it was in HFR. Can I hear you asking what that is? It means -- High Frame Rate.

See it in this format. I really enjoyed the film. It has adventure, good acting, some great character actors as the 13 Goblins who set out on the journey, witty dialogue, amazing photography and computer based editing. See it after eating all your turkey and Christmas pudding!

A Sign

Time to post a sign of life. I hope you are not stressed as you head into the last week of shopping. Just ignore most of it, as I do. I don't suffer from stress! Just go back to the old pagan 'Fest' idea of food and drink to lighten up winter days. I think they got it right :-)

I've had an interesting week. Busy, but I enjoyed it. Settling in a new group at the institute was the main activity. Next week is more of the same, plus I plan to see the Hobbit on Tuesday afternoon. Wednesday morning, I'm going to the Oldie-Keep-Fit Group. This time not for training but for a 'Fest'. Lots of home made food and always plenty to drink. Nice to forget training for a day!

Later I am going to another party to meet some Oldies who want lessons from January.  On Thursday I teach the group at the AWO for the last time. Sure to be a glass of sekt to celebrate the end of a year of learning/teaching.

On Saturday I am meeting Heike to go with her to Birgit's grave and put some flowers on it. After, we are going to her favourite restaurant in Berlin. It is the little family Bömische Restaurant at the end of my street. Heike really likes the food and atmosphere there.

Perhaps I shall remember my camera and post a photo. On Sunday I've been invited out for Kaffee und Kuchen. Sounds like another pleasant and interesting week. Hope you enjoy next week no matter where you are - with no stress!

Helper

This afternoon Christian arrived to help me. Can I hear the Silsdeners asking who he is? He is Heike's son and all of 18 years. Same age as his cousin and Marcel. I posted a blog about them when Marcel came to Berlin in the summer. You have not forgotten it for sure!

Christian is something of a computer/IT genius and works for a university on their IT systems. Always good to know such talented people!  I had problems with my Asus Eee Baby Laptop. I won't bore you with the details beyond I was finally able to instal an old operating system and get the thing back into life.

I told Christian about the problems and he arrived with his mother this afternoon to solve them. He had found a new Ubuntu operating system designed for a Baby Asus like mine. I watched in amazement at how quickly he did his work, and even solved unexpected problems during installation.

What I need an hour to do he could do in five minutes. I had heard about the generation problem of such things, but it really was amazing to see a young man react to problems, and know what to do so quickly - and all while I was scratching my head to find a solution.

After getting all up and running, we went through two bags of assorted connections/plugs etc and he told me which had to go to the recycling bin. No surprise that it was about 90%. I have also filled two bags of books to pass onto a teacher to read and then recycle. Slowly I am emptying my cellar!

Photos

I've just got back from Sylke's exhibition of photos. They really are worth seeing and follow the theme of things that don't really fit together.  I went there from my lesson with Frau Fox, which went very well.

From there I went to the exhibition. There were more present than I expected, which was nice for Sylke. I was quickly offered a glass of red wine and something tasty on a small slice of bread. I then set off to look at her photos. I smiled and laughed at them.

She has an ability to see the absurd between image and language. Some did not need any comment, such as the one you can see in the middle of those with Sylke in the photo I took. The one below is great. A driving school offers a special summer 'crash' course to learners. Nice! I think that many learners don't need lessons about how to crash:-)

Sylke took some of me with my camera and here are a couple set against two of her photos. The first shows me with an appropriate face for the word 'Puff' in German street language means brothel. Just look at the hut. I wonder if the lady/ies got any/many customers!

The other one is of me sharing a few left-over chips with what looks like a blackbird or a raven. The bird got the lions share:-) What do you think Marcel? Is it better than the one I took of you dribbling Weißkohl from your mouth?

Snow

It's snowing! It looks nice when you are inside a warm room, but.... I really like snow when it is on a mountain, I am at the top and have skies on my feet. A truly great feeling as you make that first push and away you go. Happy memories for I don't know when I shall go skiing again.

My last session was two winters ago when Ian and Birgit invited me to join them in Austria. I don't know anyone now who can ski. Rather like cycling for the 'oldies' I went cycling with have stopped falling off their bicycles and sold them!

I must finish my German homework for I have a lesson with Frau Fox this afternoon. I have to write a letter and so far only completed the introduction. After my lesson I am going to the opening of an exhibition of Sylke's photographs. Looking forward to that and someday being able to handle a camera like she can. She took this pic of me on the left.

Jan is flying into Berlin later today. We are meeting after my Photoshop session tomorrow afternoon. I am interested in hearing about his recent work project and seeing more photographs. No doubt it will all be done with a few beers. It is his Christmas visit for he is spending the holiday season in Spain with Arancha.

This Saturday I am going to a workshop sponsored by ELTABB, which is our teacher association. After we shall sip mulled wine to keep us warm before we go into the dining room for a Christmas meal.  Now to finish that homework:-(

December 2012 things

Now is the second day of December 2012. This month looks to be full of the same things as November, with the exception of three parties on the 19th. I shall have a happy and enjoyable evening of good food, wine with Marga on the 24th.

The highpoint of the month comes on the 27th when Marcel arrives in Berlin for a weeks stay to learn more German. More of this in later blog posts as the month goes by. Next Saturday there is an eltabb workshop followed by a Christmas party. I am going to a new presentation of Sylke's photos, which opens next Thursday.

I start a new class on the 10th, which should run until the end of next April. On the 14th there is an eating session with my Photoshop Gang:-)  The poor geese will loose their legs to provide the main staple for the menu:-(   If you are in Berlin then, watch out for legless geese wobbling about!

We can also think about the growing number of people who will celebrate living on the street, no job, and with food from feeding centres throughout Europe. They can think about the bankers who will be sipping Champagne and wishing each other another fruitful year!

Who has a birthday in December? Michael N. in Marzahn starts the month with his birthday on the 5th. He will be 49. He recently sent photos of his trip to East Africa which I posted to share with you. Stefan, the leader of our Photoshop Gang, will be 52 on the 7th. My brother-in-law Geoff will celebrate his birthday on the 13th, Evie will be 6 on the 18th, Jördis hits 33 on the 19th, Julie B. in West Yorkshire will be 38 on the 20th, Neil in Sussex hits 66 on the 28th and will surely celebrate with Barbara and 'The Lads' with quantities of 'Real Ale'. Ian in Sydney, Australia. will celebrate his 53rd with Birgit and so close this month of birthdays.

Happy Birthday each and all and have a wonderful day with your nearest and dearest!

Stephan

I walked from the Cambridge Day session to Stephan's flat. It is a really nice flat on two floors. He had his birthday on Thursday, but celebrated with a big party on Friday, then again on Saturday for me and a couple who came later.

I think I can hear the Silsdeners asking who Stephan is. Take your mind(s) back twenty years to when I arrived in Berlin. I got a big and cheap but empty flat, in the north-east of Berlin in a district called Marzahn. I have very happy memories of living there, and the students and people I met.

One was Stephan. He was a friend of a friend of A&T, who knew I lived in a large empty flat. He wanted to move to Berlin from the south of Germany and was looking for a flat. We met, got on very well and shortly after he moved in. I then only had to pay half the rent:-)

He studied at Oxford University and speaks perfect English. In fact I would go as far as to say he speaks better English than half the people on the island! He also plays with German words and meanings. We went our seperate ways but still kept in touch. Not much of late, but we met again this summer when A&T were in Berlin. We have since been more in contact via old-fashioned telephone. It works!

 I really think he should have been a Professor. He not only looks the part but is deep thinking, and an intellectual. You can see this in the photos of him I took yesterday. I also threatened to steal some of his furniture. Here is a photo of an old piece I would like to have.  We agreed to meet in the New Year. Perhaps I shall find a way of getting it out of his flat without him noticing!

Cambridge Day

Yesterday I went to Cambridge Day. I can hear people in Silsden asking what that is! Once a year there is a day of lectures/workshops sponsored by Cambridge Examination Board and a number of publishing houses such as Macmillan-Hueber, Klett etc. It is also supported by eltabb, which I co-founded nearly twenty years ago.

It started at 9.00 am and ended at 4.00 pm. It was very well organised and hosted by GLS, which is a private language school in the north-east of Berlin in a district called Prenzlauer-Berg. There were three periods of worshops composed of three topics/presentations each session. I would have liked to have seen all nine!

I arrived late because of another appointment, but quickly settled into 'Making sense of Lexis'. I enjoyed the skills of the women who presented the topic. I didn't learn a lot but it was nice to note I was 'up-to-date'! In the break I met Mathias, my business partner, and we caught up on essential business matters.

We also went to the same presentation in the final session. This was called, ' Teachers' little helpers'. The presenter was very lively and friendly. Thanks Laura! She is in the photo on the right. It was all about free on-line resources provided by her publishing house.

One of the nice things about such sessions is the amount of information you get, prize draws to win new teaching books, and pens. Yes, pens! I now have enough to keep me going for the next year :-)  After the end of the sessions, I walked all of ten minutes north and arrived at Stephan's door. More in my next blog post.