May things

I shall be away from 2 May to 25 May. There will be no posts to this blog during May 2012.  Have a nice relaxing month and see you again in June 2012. 

April ended with high temperatures, blue skies and lots of sun. May will start the same according to the weather forecasters. Ian commented that my recent posts were full of trees, flowers and outdoor scenes. I agreed with him. The result of getting out of the house, cycling with Silke and snapping with my new(ish) camera to learn how to use it.

Let's see what comes next. On my return to blogging in June, I have to deal with new formats from Google, which is my blog provider. I have seen many complaints on the internet about these changes. If all does not go well I already have a reserve provider. Let's see how I can  cope with the new technical changes. 

Stats = short form for Statistics. I recently checked stats about visits to my blog. I was surprised to discover that for some time the greatest number of readers of my blog come from Russia. I write the blog for my sister, cousin and family in the UK. They came No. 6 in the listings.

 I talked about this to a number of people. We came to the opinion that many people come to this blog to practice English because simple sentences are supported by photographs. I think I shall have to write a welcome sentence in Russian to welcome them.  

Who has a birthday in May?  Max will celebrate his 29th on 2 May in Berlin. My godson Marcel celebrates his 18th with his family and friends in north Hungary on the 3rd May. Pity I can't be there for a special celebration but we shall spend time together in summer when he comes to Berlin for a language course. Looking forward to getting to know him then. 

Who is next? It's me. I shall celebrate my 69th birthday in St. Augustine with Shirley and family. Who would have believed that? Not me! Looking forward to it.  

Hans hits 61 on the 11th, Trish will be 60  on the 13th (Thanks for e-mail and correction Trish :-)) , Heike D. will celebrate with her family on the 16th. Otto will relax into his 81st birthday on the 19th. Sylvia in Brighton will celebrate her 56th with Mike and 'Gels' on Sunday 20th. On the same day my dear cousin Barbara will celebrate her 67th.  I shall see her one month later when I visit the UK. We can celebrate again in Ilkley. Okay, Barbara? One of my co-teachers, George, will celebrate his 61st with his family in Berlin on the 27th May.  Have a wonderful time each and all! 

Winzer Fest

Yesterday I went to Köpenick. Some of you are asking where it is. It is the next district to the south-east of where I live. You can easily get there with Tram No. 27. They run every 20 minutes. Yesterday they didn't. I waited, and waited and ...... nothing.

I called the local transport company info-call-service. I asked why there were no trams. A lady told me why and in 100% Berlinisch! When translated to Hoch-Deutsch and then into English it means the following.

There was a football match that afternoon near to my destination There was some crowd violence and supporter clashes, so the police stopped the trams. Basta! Just so and no explanation, or concern for hundreds of thousands of people/families/kids stranded.

After a 50 minute wait a No. 27 Tram arrived. Full - no surprise there! I squeezed in. I arrived late at Rathaus/Town Hall Köpenick to see Falk and Elvira anxiously waiting for me. A short walk to the side of the river and an empty table. Time to celebrate the Winzer Fest. It means a wine festival.

You may know that the centre and south of Germany has many wine areas, so it was time to celebrate the previous years wines. Most wines in Germany are white and dry.
 Not enough hot sun to produce the stronger red dry wines. Even so, there are some interesting grapes and wines in Germany many of which are produced by small family wine producers.


And so it was yesterday. I discovered a wine I had never heard of before and ordered a glass. It was delicious! I wonder why I had never heard of that grape/wine. It may be that it is not produced and sold through the usual sale /shop/supermarket network. I had another one as we were joined by Uli, Petra and Amina.  Na, prost!

Mauer Walk

Yesterday I joined a small multi-language/cultural group for a walk. It was in the south-east of Berlin along paths showing where the Berlin Wall was. Because it has lots of information, and well set out tracks and information, it is popular for such groups.

 Conversation moved between German and English for the non-German walkers could not speak German. I ended up as translator for some. A case of the half-blind leading the blind :-) Even so, we all managed to communicate and get what we wanted in cafes.

We started at S-Bahn Friedrichsfelde Süd, after introductions and the first coffee break! We followed the tracks starting with a long avenue of cherry blossom trees. This was donated by the Japanese Government in memory of those who died trying to cross the Wall. There are many memorials along the walk.

Teltow Canal forms part of the east-west division. It was dug to link the River Spree to the Havel so that goods could be transported quicker. You can still see barges on the water, but all I saw was a tourist steamer gliding along.

The walk ends in Kleinmachnow, but we continued to S-B Wannsee, near the same named lake. There we relaxed in a large garden full of Berliners eating and drinking - just as we were! It was the hottest day of the year and brought out people to enjoy the blue sky and greenery.

I am shortly taking the tram to Köpenick to join my old Müggelsee Gang for some wine sipping at a Wine Festival there. Looking forward to seeing them again, and it promises to be even hotter than yesterday. Perhaps I'll drink a cool beer instead!

Pankow

I got back from a visit to Pankow a short time ago. I met my Photoshop Gang for a session of photo taking for backgrounds and images for our next session.

We talked about this and the summer break. For reasons too complex to go into we are meeting again in October. I do not like the long break, and was not alone, but there is nothing we can do about it. It is all about 'funding'. I think that says it all!

We enjoyed meeting on a warm sunny spring day. We could clearly see that winter is history and are now in spring - and heading for summer. I selected four of the thirteen photos I took to share with you and give you a glimpse of spring in Pankow.

On reflection, I note that I have posted more shots of spring, flowers, trees, parks, blossom this year than any year since I started this blog. I think it is a positive development - oder!

Treptow

During a very cold spell last winter, Silke and I cycled to Treptow to take some photos and let me learn more about my new(ish) camera. I posted to this blog about it.

We decided to repeat the ride last Tuesday. It was a pleasant morning, which later turned to cloud and rain in the evening. We got the best part of the day!

I cycled to her flat where we had coffee and a chat about plans for the tour. Near her flat is group of protected flats, because of the design from the early 1920s; in front of which are two lines of cherry trees. We stopped and took our first photos. Here you can see two I saved.


Off again until we reached the River Spree, which runs through Berlin. Turn right along the bank and cross the river via a cycle way built on the side of the S-Bahn bridge. A nice ride, but not one on the tourist guide to seeing Berlin.

More photos and then on the other bank we entered Treptow Park. There are many things to see here for tourists, particularly the Russian Monument to those who died taking Berlin at the start of 1945. Lots of coaches at the entrance as we cycled into the park.


We cycled south until we came to a small steep bridge to take you to a small island in the middle of the river. This is very popular in summer. I have been there before and also posted photos/reports to this blog.

We had lunch by the side of the water then cycled around the small island taking photos. On the was there, we stopped at a small garden within the part and took some photos of the arrival of spring on plants.

I played around with filters and changed shooting controls. All designed to learning more about the camera how to take different photos of the same scene. We left as the weather changed. I had to go to my German lesson with Frau Fox and Silke had another appointment.


 A really pleasant time enjoying the arrival of spring in Berlin. I think we all enjoy the colours after the dark and grey of winter. Well, I certainly do!

Charley

As you know Silke has a blog.  She also has a site for sharing pics with profis. I saw this and liked it. I asked if I could use it on my blog and she gave permission.

As you can read there was (perhaps still is) more than one Karl Marx. I think I can hear the neo-cons wailing, 'Oh not, not more than one of him!'.

I found this photo interesting for its simple and basic form and statement. Plus, this Karl from Berlin died on 7 March 1943, which is two months and one day before I was born.

He was 62, a Christian (see the cross) married and a father. I wonder what he died of and if any of his children, or grandchildren, live in Berlin.

 I also wonder if life was hard for him with such a name during the Nazi period.  Makes you think doesn't it?

Advice

I recently got some advice from Ian. He read the story about my recent fall and the reason for it.

 He very kindly e-mailed to say I should get into training to jump higher over chains when a tram approaches.

He sent me a photo to show how it is done properly. Here it is -

Thanks Ian, I shall get into training as soon as I can contact this guy to be my coach :-)

Different things

This is a post made up of different things. Two days ago I copied a nice photograph taken by Andrea of herself with brother Jan. Andrea and her mother are visiting Den Haag, and also to see the tulip fields.

 I think the photo was taken on Andrea's mobile phone, and if so then the quality of such camera-phones has improved markedly!

 I am sure they had a great time - I did! Don't they look great? I just had to share with you. Thanks, Andrea!

Yesterday I went to a workshop. It was organised by eltabb, which is a teacher organisation I co-founded just after I arrived in Berlin. Happy memories :-)

The topic was 'Coaching in Language Teaching'. I had no idea about this so registered for the event. My experience of coaching/a coach was on a sports field when I was at school.

It was really interesting. I discovered I had been 'coaching' in 1:1 lessons with managers for years, but didn't realise it. I noticed that we had moved away from language/grammar but didn't know I had strayed into coaching. Here is a pic of members/teachers listening to the presenter. A nice gang of very talented people.

Yesterday I e-mailed Shirley to bring her up-to-date with my travel plans/arrangements. As a result, I looked at mobile phones and using them in the USA.  I found them all then realised that we live in a strange mobile phone world, if you stray outside the borders of your home country. Just look at this photo. I have four mobile phones. It's crazy.

The top left is my phone for use in the UK. The top right is the mobile for when I am in the USA. The bottom left is my old/reserve phone for when I am in Germany and the bottom right is the Nokia I use each day in Germany.

I charged them, then realised the Nokia with the T-Online USA chip may not work anymore. Why? The company recently closed down its US operations! I think I shall just throw it into the bag and worry about it when I arrive.

How many mobile phones do you have hidden away in drawers, suitcases, travel bags?

Garden flowers

Here are a few photos of flowers and flowering bushes in my garden. I took them as an experiment to change focus, and foreground, to background shots.

I like them for the colours, and to remind myself that spring in now on its way even though the temperatures are not so high.





 Even so, in the U-S-Bahn,  I noticed the 'brave' young men who had donned shorts. I wondered if it was just a bit too soon, but they didn't seem to notice!

Garden

On settling back into Berlin I decided to have a look around my garden. The idea came from Marjan in the Netherlands when she asked me about where I lived.

 Last Wednesday was a sunny spring day. After teaching my 'Oldies' I came home and took my camera into the garden.

I took a mixture of shots of the front of the flats and my back garden. Then I took a few of the flowers and bushes in the garden.

I hesitated about posting to the blog thinking it would not be interesting. I later had a conversation with someone. They thought it important for such a blog as mine, which is based on daily life and routine.

Okay, so here you have the shots. Actually, I was interested in playing around with the camera and trying different adjustments. Silke and I are planning a cycle tour next Tuesday to get more photos.

Top left: A view of the front of the flats.
Top right: A view of the back garden and the back of the flats. You can note that the balconies are on the back where we get the sun in the morning. My flat is in the middle on the right.

Bottom left: The seats, table and waste bin for grilling and picnics in warmer weather.
Bottom right: A shot behind the big trees in the middle of the garden towards the back of my flat.

der Künstler

The day after I returned to Berlin was the 'Exhibition Day'. You know I go to the Photoshop Oldie Gang led by Stefan each Friday afternoon.  The first picture on the left is of this group. On Tuesday we had an exhibition of our work covering two years.

More people came than I thought. I invited Silke and was pleased to see her there - with camera and lots of lenses. She has posted a nice report on her blog about the event.

Stefan had set up a large flat screen showing all our work, plus a large poster and another TV screen in the dining room, and copies of our work set out on picture frames for people to peruse at their pleasure. Very well organised Stefan!

The start was an introduction to The Gang. As Stefan introduced me, I stepped forward and gave a gracious bow to the people which was greeted by lots of clapping and smiles. You can see this in one of the photos here.

I missed the last lesson because I was in Den Haag but Stefan had prepared a picture of me pointing to myself as a jig-saw puzzle. I really liked this and he allowed me to take it home. I now have it hanging in my kitchen. There is a photo of me with the picture taken by Silke.

There was a glass of orange, or sekt, to start the event and then a meal to end the exhibition. I shall miss my 'Photoshop Gang' during the long summer break and look forward to autumn when we start again.

Amersfoort

Jan and Arancha drove me to the station to get the train to Amersfoort. After dropping me off, Arancha took Jan to his football match (They lost :-( ) then went home to complete some important work without noise and distraction.

I thought about them as the train took me inland to my next stop. Jeff and Marjan live in Amersfoort. We met nearly thirty years ago when Jeff arrived at the university in Brighton to study for a doctorate. They became part of 'The Brighton Gang'.

Later they moved to the Netherlands where Marjan comes from. Jeff got a good job in an institute directing funds and projects to the south of Africa and then they started a family. They have two boys. Actually they are now taller than I am and it was great to see them again.

It was important to meet when we did and catch up on latest developments. I brought them up-to-date on what other members of 'The Brighton Gang' are doing, and I learnt of a sudden change in their lives.  I had some time with Marjan on the Monday before she took me to the station so I introduced her to my blog.

She was pleased to read it and learn how to steer around to find information about previous posts and people. She agreed that I take a shot of her with this blog showing on her laptop. Thanks Marjan and Jeff and let's keep more regularly in contact. I had a lot to think about as I settled into my seat on the train back to Berlin. Thanks both and here's to the next time!

A Couple

Jan and Arancha must be in the running for the title of 'The Perfect Young Couple'. I would vote for them.

To spend a weekend in their company is a pleasure.  I felt immediately at home in their new flat and every minute with them. They have an easy going, smiley, laughing relationship of give and take.


I decided to show a few photos of the happy couple to end my story about seeing them in Den Haag. Jan's mother and sister will be driving to them in two days. I hope they have as happy a time as I did.



The last photo is one Jan took of me just after I returned the bicycle. There is something typically John-Jan in this shot. Realistic, but slightly crazy and long may it be so :-)

Thanks Jan and Arancha for a memorable weekend!

Scheveningen

After more cycling we arrived at an incline and with lots of puffing and huffing, from me, we got to the top and our first view of the sea. We had arrived at the coastal resort of Scheveningen. Pronouncing this word is one of the ways you can tell a Netherlander from a non-Netherlander.

The way you pronounce 'Schev' in  Dutch is different from the way a German speaker would say it. I got some advice and help from the two nice ladies in the info centre I mentioned earlier. You have to put the sound into your throat and roll it around. We had some laughs until I began to get it close to how it should sound!

We hit the sand dunes and took in the view. To the right is the Pier with hotels lining the beach. On the beach there are endless restaurants offering all kinds of food and drinks. To the left you have the same but without the Pier. There is, however, the harbour in the distance.

We took a few shots then I said I was hungry. We decided to find a place to rest and eat. We walked towards the Pier and eventually found a restaurant offing a set price fish dish. It tasted very nice and went well with my glass of Chardonnay.

Here you can see some of the views in the difficult to say resort of Scheveningen! Jan took two very different shots of me. The second one shows me tired of waiting for my fish!

Den Haag Tour - 2

Back onto our bikes and off we went again. Through the old city until we landed at am impressive looking building. Lots of tourist buses stopped so that the people inside could take photos posing with the building as a backdrop.






It is the Court of International Justice in Den Haag. We also posed - as you can see from the  photos. Nearby is a small monument to world peace and justice. I also later took a shot of the building from the back. I don't think many tourists get the chance to see it from the back.




We stopped at a small cafe for coffee. We sat in the garden in the sun, so I was able to take the shot. From there we cycled through a park and landed in an area full of Embassy building. Most are rather grand in the style of the 18th Century.

We cycle north again until Arancha said, 'Stop!' We had arrived at her school where she learns German. I quickly got her to pose for a shot. I was surprised by the security gates. She explained that staff from embassies also learn in that school, and it is in the embassy area. Now we can understand the security gates.

From here, we continued north in search of the sea.