Ambassadors

After watching Jan's team play football we returned home, picked up Arancha and headed for another district in Den Haag. It is full of large offices and buildings such as Europol = European Police Central Office. Near to this building is one that houses two tribunals.

One is the  International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY)  and the other is the UN Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals (MICT). A short walk away is the home of The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).

It was The Hague International Day 2016. That means it was an Open Day and the public could enter the buildings, see exhibitions, films, lectures, discussions, talk to members of staff and generally learn what happens in the buildings when access is closed.

You had to register in advance and show some kind of ID to enter the buildings. Jan had organised all this before I flew there. I was really interested to see/hear what they do and the more I learnt the more I wanted to know. I learnt that the OPCW is the implementing body for the Chemical Weapons Convention which is made up of 192 States.


By now, almost 93% of all declared chemical arsenals have been destroyed under OPCW verification. There are still four states which will not allow access to their chemical arsenals. Even so it is a remarkable achievement in disarmament. The OPCW was awarded the 2013 Nobel Prize for Peace. Here is a not very clear photo of it.

We went into the conference hall and listened to a presentation. Unfortunately there were two representatives missing. One from Germany and one from Spain. Being nice people, Arancha and I volunteered to represent our countries. We took part in the debate and found it all very interesting. Here you can see photos of us participating in the meeting. 

We ended our tour and went to the seafront to an Italian restaurant they had heard about but not visited. We settled into our seats and enjoyed the food before returning home and relaxing. In my case to get ready for my flight back to Berlin. A very memorable day and I liked being an Ambassador :-))

Football

Sunday morning and I was in the land of the big ZZZ's. A gentle hand shaking my shoulder woke me. It was Jan to tell me he had made tea and I should have a quick shower for we only had half an hour before we had to leave for football.

Jan has played football since he learnt to stand up and run. I'm really pleased that he still plays and enjoys it. He has played in teams in every country he has studied or lived in. I think that has given him a certain skill and knowledge of players and the game.

Into his car and off we went. I think we drove north-east towards the coast and Amsterdam and landed in a sports area with three football fields. He went off to change and I settled into a nearby 'Kantine' for a breakfast of tea and a cheese sandwich. What else can you put in sandwich when you are in the Netherlands?

I then set off to find where he was playing. I asked some locals where the team from Den Haag was playing and was told in Field 6. I went there but couldn't find him. I looked at the team bench and thought I saw him sitting in reserve. I watched the first half then decided to look further.

Outside the changing rooms I saw him and he said his team was playing in Field 4 - and that his team was not called Den Haag!!  I settled onto his team's bench and got into conversation with some of his team players. I noted some of them were Spanish speakers although they spoke very good English.

As the second half started, Jan's team had two goals but the opposing team had three goals. I like to think my presence changed all that :-)) The game ended with Jan's team winning 6:5. I asked the team if I could take a photo and they instantly jumped into position. A very nice morning and match!

Delft

Delft is an old town south of Den Haag. It is famous for its old buildings and market square which hosts a large market each Saturday. We headed there after a late and lazy breakfast.

We got the bicycles ready and off we went. The weather was sunny, warm and with clear blue skies during all of my stay. I should add that it was the same in Berlin and a couple of degrees warmer.

We slowly and gently cycled south along a river/canal route. The water was green. I think it came from cutting grass on the river banks but I am not sure. It even filled all the little waterways in the town, as you can see.


I really enjoyed the ride and seeing changes in the flat countryside as we journeyed south. All the roads had wide bicycle tracks and there were lots of cyclists. There were also lots of  people on mopeds using the cycle tracks, which surprised me for I consider that dangerous.


We wandered around the large market and I noted at the range of home made and traditional goods on sale - including different cheeses! The market is in the area with a large church and tower on one side. On the other side there was the town hall. You can see them in these photos behind Jan and Arancha.

We went into another square, found seats and we lads ordered beer and Flämkuchen. Refreshed, we wandered further and before we left we found a tent selling fresh fried fish. I could not resist having a taster. It was okay but not as good as you can find in and around Silsden!  Even so it helped my legs to keep moving as we slowly left Delft and returned to Den Haag.

New Friend

I have a new friend. His name is Alfie der Affe. Here is a photo of me holding him. He was rather tired so I picked him up for the camera. I met him when I visited Jan and Arancha last weekend.

When I entered their home he was asleep in the bookcase. After he woke up he jumped around and asked me who I was. We had a good chat between his jumping then he decided to relax again.

He has a good friend called Kid Koala. They do everything together.

Kid is a bit younger so relies on Alfie to explain things including how to live with humans. Not easy I can imagine! Kid is very quiet compared to Alfie. He only speaks when you speak to him and he has a very soft voice.

I told him I liked his fluffy ears and he replied that I wouldn't if I had to wash them. He said it takes ages for them to dry after washing. I suggested he use a hair dryer. He asked Alfie what that was. Alfie didn't know so I changed the subject to what they do most of the day. Both answered 'Sleep when not waiting to be fed'.

I said goodbye to them yesterday morning when I left to take the train to Schipol Airport in Amsterdam for my flight to Berlin. They said they had enjoyed meeting and talking to me and that they looked forward to my next visit. Nice to have new friends!

Den Haag

I've just packed my 'wheelie-suitcase', and will be leaving for Den Haag in just over an hour. I'm flying from Berlin-Tegel airport to Amsterdam. Jan will be waiting for me and together we shall take the train to Den Haag, which as you know, is where he and Arancha live.

I shall return on Monday 26th September. Hope you have a relaxing, pleasant weekend!

Berlin Elections

After the concert, I voted in the election for a new Berlin Parliament from which the government of Berlin is formed. The outgoing alliance was of the SPD and the conservative CDU. Berlin is a city-state and is one of sixteen states that make up the Federal Republic of Germany.

Forecasts indicated the collapse of the SPD/CDU coalition and the rise of a relatively new party called Alternative for Germany = AfD. They were right.

That is what happened yesterday. 67% of Berliners voted who were eligible.  The SPD emerged as the largest party with 21.6% and that was after losing 6.7% of the vote. The AfD entered Berlin politics with 14.2%. They are a populist right wing party, anti-refugee, anti-foreigner in general and some members are known to have links to, and/or are ex-NPD party members. This is the neo-Nazi party in Germany.

There is, and will be more soul searching about what went wrong and what to do now. I have just received an invitation from my local SPD to attend a special meeting this evening at 7.00 pm in my district town hall. Should be an interesting meeting.

Sunday Concert

I went to a concert yesterday. Before that I went bowling with my Muggelsee Gang. I did better than expected and found I could not only lift the ball but throw it! Falk and Uli alternated for top place but that was no big surprise. It was great to later relax with them in a local Croatian Restaurant. I had fish with a glass of light white wine produced and bottled in Croatia. Very tasty.

Two of this gang have a daughter who's boyfriend is studying music and plays in a couple of orchestras. On Saturday night I enjoyed her company and on Sunday I had the pleasure of seeing him play French Horn. The weather even played along for we had blue sky and sun again. I arrived at the Konzerthaus in Gendarmenmarkt at 10.40, settled into my seat and watched the hall fill up.

Nearly every seat was taken and I saw only about ten people younger than fifty! The programme was easy to listen to. The first half was based on Mozart arias from his most famous operas such as Figaro, Don Giovanni and the Zauberflöte. The soprano and baritone were very good and seemed to be enjoying the event.

After a break, when I noted a lot of the Concert Oldies were sipping glasses of cool sekt!,  we all shuffled back into the concert hall for music from Gilbert and Sullivan. The baritone even sang in English and I noted he had a clear accent. This was followed by music from Lehar, Ketelby, Sidney Jones, Millöcker and Richard Strauß. What an interesting mix of music and greatly appreciated by the audience.

On returning home I found the documents I need to vote so off I went.

Changes in Summer

Every season is marked by change. Be it more or less sunshine, rain, cloud or snow. People also change all the time, but we usually do not notice. The exception is when you have not seen someone for some time and/or they are moving between biological periods.

Think of a tiny baby sleeping in a cot, an active eight year old and the start of puberty followed by the shift to adulthood.  All of this takes in many summers. At the opposite end we see signs of ageing often linked to health problems. I note the latter now each time I look in the mirror. I also noted it during my summer in Brexitland.

Daniel spend summer with his family in Moldova. We met yesterday evening for our first English session. I was surprised by two things after a ten week break. First, he had not forgotten his English and could self-correct. This is very important and shows progress. The second was  appearance.

He had aged over summer in addition to losing weight. The latter is no surprise for he went on a diet many months ago and he regularly goes to a gym. I saw it more in his face particularly his eyes. This was also said to me during my summer as signs of aging(US) - ageing(NZ.Aus.UK spelling). Even so, it was nice to see him again and hear all about his family and a special lady!

I'm off to a bowling allee soon to meet my Muggelsee Gang for a period of throwing a ball. I wonder if I shall be able to lift it never mind throw it? After, we are off to a Croatian Restaurant for an evening of food, drink and chatting. Enjoy your evening.

More Please

I can't get enough of this weather. More please! I'm afraid the forecast is for it to end tomorrow with rain and only 20°C over the weekend. No....I want more sun and blue skies. I don't know about where you live but here in Berlin the locals change with the weather. The even smile more in addition to drinking more Berliner Pilsner! They look better in light summer clothes and are more relaxed with each other.

It is very dry and the leaves are falling from the trees even with 30°C and blue skies. The trees clearly know what to do and when! I took this photo of my favourite tree in the garden only one hour ago. It shelters us when we have breakfast or coffee and cakes there. I do not know if you can see but there are lots of dried, brown leaves on the grass.

I'm listening to BBC Radio 3 at the moment to a piece called "II Trionfo del tempo e del disinganno" by Georg Frideric Handel. A German composer who happily settled in Brexitland and was a great success. The title translates as "The triumph of time and enlightenment' and it was his first oratoria. Written for four voices and is a tale of the fragile nature of beauty when faced with time. Yes, I know this well :-))

Since settling back into Berlin I have read four books. Here you can see three of them. The fourth is in German and I gave it to an Oldie yesterday. At the moment I am reading a collection of short stories in German, a book about German Grammar and dipping into my Spanish course book when I have the courage!

This morning I finished a book while enjoying the sun on my balcony, then had a haircut, and went to the bank. This week started with teaching English on Monday and Tuesday, having Kaffee und Kuchen with an Oldie, watching political programmes on TV for there is an election in Berlin this weekend.

Tomorrow I join Kerstin and the Keep-Fit Oldies, then meet Daniel for an English session. Saturday is meeting my Muggelsee Gang for a Bowling session and Sunday is Election Day. This starts for me with a concert at The Konzerthaus at 11.00 am. I shall vote after that then get ready for another week.

Which one?

I had a great time last Sunday. It was my first visit to Andrea's flat and I took the S-Bahn. Wonderful warm weather again and I was lucky to get onto a train at Ostkreuz. There was some kind of open air pop festival one station down at Treptower Park on the side of the River Spree. The place was packed with 'early-twenty-somethings'.

I continued and finally arrived at my station. I then got lost for there were two opposite signs for the street I needed. After a lot of wandering about and getting lost again, Andrea called me on my 'Handy'. She gave me directions and I later rang the doorbell.

During my wandering to find the place, I took a couple of photographs of neighbouring houses. My problem is to decide which one I would live in. I really like the older and smaller one with its garden. The larger house has its charms but then it would certainly cost more. My feeling is still to move into the smaller house :-))

Very nice lunch followed by a family with kids arriving. We later went into a local park where the kids enjoyed the swings and slides. A really pleasant time and the sun was still shining as I made my way back to my part of the city. Thanks to all for a memorable day and next time I promise I shall not get lost! I wonder how much the smaller house costs!

Warm Week

Its been an ideal, sunny, warm week here with temperatures between 27 and 32°C. I even noted that the sun was shining in Silsden! as I bought myself a pair of summer shoes last Monday. The forecast here is for it to continue until Thursday.

What have I been doing since my last post? On Monday I wrote a lesson plan and headed to the AWO building to meet my Monday Oldies. Most were there, two still on holiday and one new member. A really happy reunion. The same on Tuesday and they all happily went home with homework to do!

On Wednesday I dozed in the sun in the garden then went on a bicycle ride to get a bit of excercise and movement. In the evening Father F. from my family arrived with son 2 and daughter P. He wanted to use my internet cable to update his Windows operating system to Windows 10. The kids just wrote, drew images, ate cakes and smiled:-)) We could not download the update and neither of us knew why not.

On Thursday, Oldie Herman braved the warm weather and decided to visit me. For him it was a big adventure involving using his mobile zimmer frame. Not sure that is the correct name but it has wheels and he can sit on the top of it when he is tired. He also enjoyed sitting in the shade in the garden and having a light lunch followed by an afternoon doze. It's all part of being a certain age!

On Friday I met Kerstin and her Training Oldies and noted I need to return to more regular training. Problems with knees even after cycling. In the evening I went to a welcome party for the new tenants of the flats recently built in front of where I live. I am also their representative  at housing association meetings. Really nice people, food and even a glass of cold beer.

Yesterday afternoon I met all of the Family and we went to a big shopping centre at Köpenick. It is two S-Bahn stations down the line. They had never been there before. We met Werner and his wife Herta. First stop was at a large electrical shop where I bought a new electric cable for my laptop. We then went to a large ice-cream parlour where everyone tucked in - except me for I do not eat ice-cream. We then bought sports shorts and T-shirts for the boys before more window shopping and the journey home.

In a few hours I shall take the S-Bahn system to travel to Andrea's home. There I shall enjoy lunch with guests to celebrate her birthday in the sun shine. One image in this post is of me sitting with Gabi during the ride to Bremen. It is her 50th birthday today and I know she is planning a BIG party. Hope the sun continues to shine there :-))

Whisky and Whiskey

Whiskey = Ireland, Whisky = Scotland. The difference an 'e' makes :-)) After having new taps installed yesterday morning/afternoon, I did a few things then jumped into the 27 Tram. I left it at Köpenick Town Hall and went looking for some of my Muggelsee Gang.

I've mentioned them a lot and told you about different excursions with them over many years. I got an e-mail from Falk saying some of the Gang were meeting to enjoy the "Köpenicker Whiskyfest". I replied that I would join them.

I went there last year with the same people and posted a story on my blog. It was nice to see them again and we soon found a range of whiskys to try. Yes, most were products from Scotland. We sniffed the glasses, sipped the first drop, said what we thought about the taste, then sipped even more.

It was a warm evening and I needed liquid so I bought a half-litre of one of my favourite beers. I returned to the gang where we managed to chat and exchange news over the noise of the band. They dressed and sounded like an Irish band until the introduced the next song.

They spoke perfect German, with no Irish/English sounds in their German. I guessed they were born in Germany with one parent coming from Ireland. The drinkers/audience joined in some of the songs and even danced along to the traditional songs. There was a really happy atmosphere.

I decided to find something from Ireland. I took my time to checkout each booth before finally finding one offering a range of Irish Whiskey. I selected one offering a strong peat taste and took it back to the gang. The first sip made my eyes pop out, my nose turn up and ears spin around! I had never tasted anything like it.

I sipped it slowly as the evening turned dark, the music continued and we sipped even more wonderful liquids from Ireland and Scotland. We are meeting in a few weeks for an evening of bowling but I don't think there will be such a range of tastes on offer.

Taps

The thing we turn to get water is called a tap in English and der Wasserhahn in German. The plural is simply the taps = die Wasserhähne. Now look at the changes in the German from single to plural compared to a simple 's' in English. The delights of learning German :-))

Last Friday morning I had to wait from 10.00 am for a knock on the door. The knock came at 11.10 am. It was the Wasserhahnmeister = the specialist to change taps and water pipes. I met him when he came to change the shower system in my bathroom a few months ago.
 
He started work on my kitchen sink. The pipes underneath the taps have been dropping water for some time. I watched with interest as he got to work and effortlessly removed the old and installed the new. While doing that, the Hausmeister (caretaker) arrived to see that all was going okay.

Such repair work is only possible be reporting a problem to the Hausmeister and it was good of him to drop in to see how the work was going. Then I got the surprise of the morning. They installed new taps on the sink in my bathroom and then a new tap/shower connection to my bath.

Wow!! -- but I told them it was not my birthday and it certainly was not Christmas! They just smiled and said it was time I had a complete set of new taps. The taps certainly look shiny and new. Must keep them polished !!

Oldies visit Oldie

Yes, it finally happened last Thursday afternoon. The morning started with sun, blue skies and a visit from Angelika for a chat with coffee and cakes in the garden. Marita joined us. Later, Angelika dropped me off at my local U-Bahn station. One Oldie and his son were waiting for me there.

This Oldie is Horst and he is all of 81, but looks much younger. He also goes to Kerstin's Keep Fit Sessions for Oldies. He left his wife at home to look after their dog and arrived with his son, who kindly donated the old laptop for The Family. His name is Thomas.

We set off for Hönow where, as you should know by now, Oldie Hermann lives. We caught a local bus to his place. Hermann's cousin was visiting him by chance, and it was nice to talk to her again. Hermann had got the dates mixed up for our visit but that wasn't important. We had brought all the cakes and sekt we needed for the visit.

Over coffee and cakes we exchanged news, heard about future holiday plans, talked about the past (of course!) and took a few photos. Here are two. The first is of me posing and the other is of two Oldies and a Not-Yet-Oldie. We were able to sit in Hermann's garden as we chatted and enjoyed the late summer weather.  A happy Oldie meeting which we hope to repeat before the cold and snow arrive.