Vote, Rubbish, Wash

I voted in the EU Election at 11.30 CET. No surprise where I put my cross. The voting papers here had 40 candidates/parties. There was a queue, which made me happy. Should be an interesting result. I wonder how the Brits voted in the election. We'll know before we go to bed this evening.

In the last couple of weeks I have been making a note of more 'spoken rubbish' heard in interviews on BBC Radio 4. Perhaps they will make you smile as you read them - and/or roll your eyes in disbelief.

Here goes:- re-localising food / better price points / the noise around nutrition / Muslimness / it's truly terrible (I wonder if the negative is -- it's untruly terrible) / wind your neck in / social and structural issues / to medicalise someone / upstream de-watering / he has been tasked to get a handle on it / to put votes on seats / he's more like marmite /.

You know that I recently bought a new washing machine and am still learning how to use it. I am making progress but had to deal with a new problem last Friday morning. See the photo. The machine started to 'froth at the mouth'! Fortunately the caretaker was in the next building. He came over and diagnosed the problem. The drainage pipes were blocked. I cleaned them and we tested the machine again. All went well. The things I still have to learn!

Potsdam

I went to Potsdam yesterday. The reason was to visit Dr. Peter von Long-Legs. We planned a meeting some time ago which illness stopped. I took the regional train from Alexander Platz and enjoyed seeing the sights en route. As usual, most people in the train spent the journey staring at their smartphones!

In Potsdam we met in the main station and went for a coffee while we caught up on news. Peter wanted to meet in town and not at the university where he lectures. I could understand that he needed a break from his workplace and the old town centre has some nice sights and buildings.

Potsdam is the city in Land Brandenburg where the government and members of Brandenburg parliament sit. The parliament building is part of an old complex still being rebuilt or repaired in the centre of the city. Towards the end of WWII, there was a very big bombing raid on the city which destroyed much of the centre. The new buildings were of the 1960s 'box' style which do not sit too well with the old architecture.

We went into the parliament building for a walk around. I took a photo looking towards the old cathedral and other 'non-box' style buildings. You can see it here. We then took our time wandering around the centre until we came to the main pedestrian shopping area. Peter likes an Italian restaurant there and so we settled down for lunch and more catching up on news. This time I did not eat asparagus. I settled for a pasta dish with a very nice glass of beer.

A slow walk back to the station followed, then goodbyes before I settled into another regional train to take me back to Berlin. A very relaxed day with a talented academic. Thanks Peter!

Neuruppin

Theodor Fontane  30 December 1819 – 20 September 1898) was a  German novelist and poet regarded by many as the most important 19th-century author in the German language. Fontane was born in Neuruppin, a town 30 miles northwest of Berlin, into a Huguenot family. At the age of sixteen he was apprenticed to an apothecary, his father's profession. He became an apothecary himself, and during 1839, at the age of 20, wrote his first work  - now lost. 

He later lived in London and wrote about his experiences there. By then he was married and had two sons. Back in Neuruppin he wrote about his wanderings through the area, which became a best seller. His name and that of his birthplace are always linked. His birth there 200 years ago is being celebrated throughout this year. 

I went there on Wednesday morning with 8 members of 'The Lichtenberg Library Support Group'. I know the lady who leads the group so got an invitation to join in the adventure. A really interesting day out. We took the local regional train and got to know each other before we arrived in Neuruppin. Throughout the centre of the town you can find lots of information placards, such as the house where he was born. We wandered through the area and read all the placards. 


We then wandered to the shores of Ruppiner See (lake) which flows through the town. There we had lunch - and yes, I ate asparagus again! I found the doors to the toilets interesting and wondered if the owners get complaints from female guests. See the photo. We then went to the local museum which is hosting a big Fontane exhibition. We had booked a guided tour so we got lots of information about Fontane and his use of language - including his criticisms of language development. We also got examples of how he played with language and meaning. 

We relaxed in the museum garden before slowly walking back to the railway station and the regional train to Berlin. A really interesting day and one I would not have had on my own. It was better to be in a group and share in the events that make up the day. I would be happy to return for there really is a lot to see and learn about the town and its most famous son. 

Müggelturm

Turm means tower and Müggel is the name of an area including Grosser and Kleiner Müggelsee (lakes) to the south-east of Berlin. There is also a small town called Müggelheim near the lakes. It is one of my favourite areas to visit, which I usually do on my bicycle.

Last Tuesday I met my SPD Oldies at 2.00 pm. We jumped into some cars and headed for Müggelturm. The tower was built in 1960-61 on the top of a hill called Little Müggelberg. At ground level there was a restaurant very popular with visitors in summer. The tower has no lift so you have to climb 126 steps to get to the top and enjoy the remarkable views of the lakes, rivers and forests. I did just that and took some photos.

The others had settled into the restaurant to enjoy 'Kaffee und Kuchen'. A few wandered around the terraces but did not try the 126 steps. Many of them now have walking problems and have to use a stick or zimmer frame. I was hungry so ordered a hot meal, including asparagus, which I enjoyed sitting in the sun on the terrace with a view to the small lake and connecting river.

The original restaurant closed in 1990 when the DDR ended, and the complex remained closed until 2014 when a new investor began to modernise the complex. This includes a new restaurant, lifts to the terrace, and car park at the foot of the tower. Reconstruction and modernisation is still taking place. The next time you come to Berlin try to visit the area and enjoy walking up the 126 steps. If I could do it then so can you. The views are well worth the effort! 

Lazy Week

Since my last post I have had a rather quiet week with nothing remarkable. In fact, Wednesday and Thursday were lazy days with no appointments. I spent the time washing, cleaning and reading texts about elections in India and the history of the major parties. On Monday I met Barbara who checked my German letters/notes and later met Thorsten who got my WLAN radio working again.

Today I did some training with Kerstin's Oldie Gang then went for a haircut. Same shop but a different barber. Yes it is a traditional hairdresser = just for us 'boys'. This time I had a new hairdresser. He comes from Niger and speaks French, but only German with me. I asked for a summer short cut and he did an excellent job. I shall certainly ask for him next time.

This evening I am going to my local museum. I have been invited to the opening of an exhibition by a local photographer. The mayor will be there as well as prominent people from the 'art' world. Tomorrow afternoon I shall be at a 'Familienfest' in the local shopping centre. The SPD candidate for the EU election next weekend will be there in addition to her predecessor. I shall be helping on a stall.

Yes, the EU election is only a short time away. I recently got some interesting booklets with lots of information about the EU institutions. I fear that not enough people in the EU know enough about the functioning of the EU and division of powers with the EU nation states. I found the booklets informative. In addition, there have been some interesting programmes about the EU on non-commercial TV stations.

Spring Market

That is how I interpret the German word, 'der Frühlingsmarkt'. I went to one yesterday afternoon. It was in the grounds of the "Bürgerschloss in Hohenschönhausen, which is a sub-district in the north of the district of Lichtenberg. I live in the south of the district. The word 'Bürgerschloss' is a strange combination of two words. The first word means 'citizen' and the second can mean castle, palace or even villa. It was originally built by a minor aristocrat then was taken over by the local council in the 1950s.

I am a member of a voluntary group which supports the activities of the local museum. I was asked to go to the market yesterday to help on the museum stall to promote its work and tell local people more about its activities - and to sell books about local history. I sold more books than other supporters - which surprised me!

The local Mayor was there and gave a speech, as did other members of the local council. I wandered through the garden area and enjoyed seeing so many people enjoying themselves. Of course there was always a queue for 'Bratwurst' = grilled sausage. Here you can see the men who worked hard on the grills. There were lots of information stands, different snacks and drinks on offer and play areas for children.

I spent some time at a stall offering information about the EU and the forthcoming elections. I also got into conversation with people who wanted to know what was happening in the UK about Brexit. I just smiled, shrugged my shoulders and said I only knew what was on the BBC Radio 4 news each day, and that no-one knew what was going to happen. Or if they did, they knew more than I did!  I really enjoyed my time there and helping to promote the local museum.

Phoney

In my last post I showed you a photo of Imre offering me a bottle of wine and something wrapped in paper. I asked you to guess what it was/could be. It is a pity that you can no longer posts comments to my blog. I removed that function when someone tried to hack into the blog. Well! Did you guess correctly? The answer is a 'Smartphone'!

I am still surprised by that present. I am well known for ignoring smartphones, and the abilities to post rubbish and insults to other people, offered by smartphone programmes. I suppose the answer is not to open such social network accounts and respect the right of other people to have a different opinion.  I shall do that as I start to learn how to use my surprise present.

Each Monday afternoon there is a nearby meeting for 'seniors' to learn such things. I shall be there on Monday asking questions such as, "What does that do?", "Do I need it?" "Can I just ignore all that and just phone?". Here is a photo of the new smartphone. On the left you can see my trusty simple mobile phone and on the right is a reserve I give to visitors to use when they are in Berlin.

My Day

Yesterday was My Day. I really enjoyed it although I did not throw a big party or gather lots of people to celebrate with me. Looking back over the years, I've always had a low key day and even in childhood it was only celebrated within my family. I remember other children at school celebrating their birthday with big parties, to which I was sometimes invited, but that was not something I experienced as I grew older.

Yesterday started slowly with a light breakfast, then I got ready for the day. I did some reading before I settled into mid-morning with the first coffee. I then started to open my cards. For me, this has always been the highlight of my Big Day. I get a lot of pleasure from opening the envelopes and reading the messages. Here you can see the cards I opened yesterday.

At midday, the bell rang and Imre arrived. He had asked to visit and I had agreed. He expressed surprise at the number of cards before opening his bag and presenting me with a bottle of red wine and a small package wrapped in paper. His present was something of a shock and not what I expected. Try to guess what it was. I'll tell you in my next post :-)

We then went to a local restaurant and settled down to enjoy the daily lunch offer. Lots of talking as we munched away. We walked through the area to get some exercise after lunch and returned to my place where we later enjoyed 'Kaffee und Kuchen'. The latter was strawberry cake - very tasty!

In the evening I went to a number of meetings and returned home late and ready for bed. As I closed my eyes I thought about all the people who had sent me cards and telephone messages, and so I began to sleep with a big smile on my face!

May Day

I had a very mixed but interesting May Day yesterday. It started at 6.30 am when the alarm went off. Lots of Green Tea woke me up, then I showered and got ready for the big day. I arrived at my local S-Bahn Station to find two faces smiling at me. It was 'The Boys'. We quickly caught up on news then into the bicycle section at the front of the train. Members of my Muggelsee Gang were already there.

It took nearly one hour to arrive at Spandau. This is a town in the north-west of the city and not far from the border with Brandenburg. Our hosts live there and have a nice garden house in the green and watery area to the west. With greetings completed, we set off on our tour of the area and soon left the suburbs of Spandau for the woods and cycling tracks taking us into Brandenburg. We saw many other people on bicycles or jogging through the woods.

We had a picnic stop on the side of the Havelkanal, which was most welcome. This marked half way stage of our tour. Back onto the saddle and off again. I made a few short stops to take photographs. Here is one of Lake Falkensee. The weather got better as the day advanced. We started with light rain and cold winds but by the time of the picnic, the sun was breaking through and we had blue sky.

We arrived at our destination mid-afternoon. This was our hosts garden house. Here you can see a shot of the house and garden. As most of us relaxed over a glass of sekt, beer or wine, some of the group were busy grilling and getting a meal ready. Very tasty. This was eaten with lots of talk before we retired to the garden to enjoy the sun - and a few more glasses! Here you can see a photo of them. The Boys left early saying they had to do homework for school, but that they had really enjoyed the tour and picnic. I was happy that they had found the time to join in.

As we moved into evening we hit the road and returned to Spandau station, jumped into an S-Bahn and started the journey home. A very mixed, but enjoyable day, to celebrate 'The Workers of the World Day'. Hope you enjoyed your day as much as I did!