Hot walk

Phew, but it is unusually hot at the moment. Tomorrow may be even hotter before the onset of autumn from Tuesday. I went on a walk with nine other people (mainly oldies) today. Ideal weather and a very nice atmosphere in the group.

We went to a place I had never been to before. It is called 'Natur-Park Schöneberger-Südgelände'. It has been created in an area that was a railway station/repair yard in the days of steam trains. The tracks were left and 'nature' has just grown over them. I liked seeing large trees growing out of the old tracks.

One of the group studied biology years ago so was able to tell us more about the flora and fauna we saw. I found it very interesting to hear where a plant came from, and how it spreads using the wind or animals or birds to move to other areas - or even to other parts of the world.












We later walked to a hill made from the rubble of Berlin houses cleared after the war. On top there is the Wilhelm-Förster Sternwarte = an observatory. Not the right time to see the stars but interesting to discover the place.

We ended with a two hour meal (as usual :-)))  in the garden of a restaurant.  Now to pack my bag for Brandenburg tomorrow.

October 2011

October starts tomorrow with hot sunny weather - just like today. It is forecast to stay sunny until next Tuesday when autumn will arrive.

Tomorrow I am going on a walk to the south-east of the city to look at flora and fauna. On Sunday I am going to the city of Brandenburg to meet Heike and some of her friends. Lot of chat, food and a concert - I think it is music by Bach. Should be nice. Next Monday is a public holiday here to celebrate the re-unification of Germany in 1990. I wonder who and how it will be celebrated?

Life looks like settling into a regular pattern, very much like last autumn. I am still missing life in Beijing and noting how it has affected how I view life back in Berlin. Must avoid falling into a boring routine which looks very much the pattern until the end of the year.

Talking of year end, for the religious in Europe it ends with a celebration called Christmas. I noted this week that all my local supermarkets have now started to sell Christmas products. I think people will be so 'cheesed off' by this that they will increasingly turn away from this religious humbug - it would also be good if they stopped buying this rubbish in protest! Nice idea :-)

Now who has a birthday in October? Nephew Andrew will be 34 on the 5th, which he shares with Birgit in Beijing who will be 49 on that day. Nephew Warren will be 35 on the 12th, his mother ( my sister Frances) will be 65 on the 14th. Back in Berlin, Harro will be 65 on the 17th, Marita hits 60 on the 21st, my ex-neighbour will be 93 on the 22nd, Dianne in Keighley hits the big one of 65 on the 27th and Tanja in London hits 48 on the 31st to end this birthday month. Happy Birthday to each and all and have a great day with your nearest and dearest.

Shopping again

I have slowly got back into life in Berlin and went to my Oldie Fitness Group session this morning. They were all pleased to see me and asked lots of questions as we stretched and relaxed. It was nice to see them again.

Later I went to my Photoshop Gang session to find I was too early and Stefan wasn't there. I talked to Marco, who also works there, about DSLR cameras. We looked around the internet and got more information. My search was prompted by an advertisement for a Canon DSLR camera in one of the big electrical store chains.

I got lots of information from the Wikepedia web page and from linked pages reviewing the camera. I decided to buy it. There were two reasons. First, the special offer price and second, if I did not buy now I would probably waste the money on food and booze :-(

I returned home, got the money from under my mattress and left for the store. Nice help and advice in the store and so I arrived home to open the box. What a surprise. All the operating instructions were in German, French, Italian, Dutch or Spanish. Nothing in English. In addition I got three CDs about the camera .... but not in English.


I think I shall need next week to read all this stuff before I put the bits together and try to take a shot. Watch this space for results. I had been thinking about buying such an entry-to-DSLR-camera for some time, but talking to Ian in Beijing was the catalyst in doing something rather than talking about it.

Back in Berlin

I'm back in Berlin and shaking off jet lag and sleeping problems.

I had a wonderful time in Beijing and area and wanted to stay. Huge thanks to Birgit and Ian for putting me up...and putting up with me!

On arrival they gently took me around the area where they live, got me a travel card and another card to pay for food at a local 'meal market' where lots of local workers dropped in. How well I remember the 'jiaozi' ladies there :-)

After that, I started to organise my daily trips and travels. I started with sights in the city, then in the second week I booked tours to the mountains and countryside. In my last week I saw all the sights in the city I had't seen in my first week.

I saw many amazing places, scenes and buildings, but walking on the Great Wall of China in the middle of the second week was perhaps the most memorable event. Here is a photo to show that I made it to the top of a very high point.

On my return, I bought a wok and have started to cook delicious vegetarian meals. Ian and Birgit gave me the book to guide me in my new cooking adventure. I have already started work on the 465 photographs I took and will post selected ones to this blog during October.

September 2011

I finished teaching at the institute yesterday and now have a few days for/to myself. I had a Manderin Chinese lesson this morning. Mainly pronunciation and writing down the main words and phrases I shall need to be polite.

My teacher also wrote words on a card to show to people when I need help. Not a bad tip when you visit a land where you can't speak or read the language.

I shall start packing on Sunday. Heike is coming in the afternoon to take me to the airport. My non-stop flight leaves at 7:30 pm and takes almost 9 hours to reach Beijing. Ian and Birgit will be waiting for me and take me to their flat in south-central Beijing. I must remember to take my camera!

I shall not be posting to this blog until my return at the end of September. My nearest and dearest have my e-mail addresses should they wish to tell me how much they miss me :-)

Who has a birthday while I am away? Charlotte will be 20 and about to go to Sussex University on 6 September. A day she shares with Nevand who will be 6. My liebe Andrea will be 26 on the 8th, nephew Stephen in Cambridge will be 41 on the 22nd, Robert 33 on the 23rd and Sylvana 51 on the 25th. Stephen's Papa will be another year older on 27th, nephew Jefferson hits 38 on the 29th and ends this birthday month.   HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO EACH AND ALL!

Biesdorf

The evening before I went to Chorin, I went to Schloss Biesdorf. 


I met Johanna and family and Jutta. A friend of theirs was giving a concert to showcase his very talented 19 year old daughter.


She played five instruments from baroque to jazz. Amazing! She is going to university to study music when the next term/semester starts.

The concert was free and many people brought a picnic hamper with them ... and wine! 


It was a pleasant warm evening as the sun went down on a lot of happy people listening to a wide range of music. 

Chorin

Yesterday I went to Closter Chorin for a concert. It was great!  The evening before I sat in the garden of Schloß Biesdorf.


 It was the home of Herr Siemens many years ago.  Now it is a museum and centre for artistic events. I met Jutta, Johanna and about eight other family members and friends. We listened to a young lady playing five instruments accompanied by her father. A very pleasant evening.

Yesterday the music was presented by the Deutsche Streicherphilharmonie ( The German String Orchestra) directed by Michael Sanderling.  The programme was (1)  Felix Mendelssohn, Streichersinfonie Nr.1, which he wrote when he was only 16. Amazing ... when I was 16, I was gazing out of the window wonder what it was all about!

It was followed by 'An English Suite' written by Hubert Parry. Very English indeed. He is famous for his church music in the late Victorian Period. This piece is pure 'English' of spring on the Sussex Downs, tea with scones, news of the Empire in The Times and all being well with the world. The weather was also perfect.

After the break, we enjoyed a remarkable talent called Da Sol. He was born in Korea in 1989 and didn't get his hands on a piano until he was 11 years old. Then he really made up for lost time. Although rather small in stature he made up for this with a strength of playing, which surprised most listeners, as he interpreted Chopin's Piano Concert Nr. 1.

The audience was very appreciative of all the music and performers and gave all and each a lot of applause - but then very well deserved.  The combination of music, warm sunny weather with clear blue skies and performance skills was perfect. A day to remember for a long time.

The location also played an important part. Closter Chorin was build about 1250AD as the Germans moved eastwards and settled into Slavic speaking land. It was built on a lake north of Berlin. It was famous for its hospital and discovery and use of herbs in treating ailments and diseases.

It continued this work for three hundred plus years until it was closed and sold off in the Reformation. Fortunately, all the health cure recipes had been written down over the years and so were used in other centres for treating the ill and infirm.

What a pity that almost no tourists know about this centre for music for it is only an hours journey north of Berlin.  Just a reminder that there is more than Checkpoint Charlie to see when you visit Berlin - particularly in summer.

Closter Chorin was built on the shores of a lake in a wonderful forest. Calm and quite, which is perfect for recuperation after an illness and treatment.  Also a great setting for classical music. Hundreds came to enjoy the combination --- as you can see from the photos!

Topping Danlap

I've done it again!   I can hear Sven saying, "No, not another one!" Yes, and I really enjoyed it.


The story begins thus: Once upon a time in a galaxy far away, our hero called John bought a laptop.He did it to learn more about such machines and also make it available to Jan for his studies. But Jan had also bought a laptop, so what to do?

He started to use it for teaching, including at the institute where he worked, and lo....it came to pass that he added a projector and all were very happy to use the equipment so John made a profit on his investment :-)

One day Daniel arrived in Berlin to learn German and Jan asked John if he could loan said laptop to Daniel. This he did and all were exceedingly happy. One year passed and Daniel returned the machine before he returned to Brazil.

Poor laptop looked well worn and tired but John put it back to work and earned more money. Nice!  Poor laptop got older and slower and could not keep up with pace of technology. Things began to malfunction and this morning poor laptop died. Oh no, I can hear you all cry!

Yes, so John had to remove parts of poor laptop before he hands it to a dealer and makes €30,-. Here are two photos of poor old trusty laptop giving up its valuable bits before being sold off for scrap!

Szczecin

The first Saturday this month I went to Szczecin.  'Oldie' Hermann was my travel companion. A good choice for it turned out that he knew the city very well and could show me the main sights.

Szczecin has in interesting history and is part of the story of German settlement in the old slavic speaking areas of what is now the east of Germany and Poland. It was the seat of a 'Furst' - this is usually translated as Duke - who ruled Pommern/Pomerania.

 It figures in the expansion east under Frederick the Great and the first division of Poland. It also formed part of the later state of Preussen/Prussia. When the borders were changed in 1945, it was incorporated into the new Polish state and  formed one of its two major port-cities. The other is Gdansk.

It was bombed extensively by UK-USA planes in the last war, particularly the port area and inner city were destroyed. Some fine old buildings survived, including some which were later renovated and restored to their original appearance. I was particularly interested to photo these.

The white building is the Furst's city palace and the large and imposing buildings go back to the Preussen days and the founding of Germany in 1871. They were used either for government, administrative, police or education - and they still are!

There is a really nice part of the inner city on high ground overlooking the river. People call it the balcony of the city. There are some nice restaurants there and we had lunch in one with a nice view of the river.

The weather was warm and sunny so there were lots of tourists. It was also in the school holiday period so I noticed a lots of families with young children. As usual, the local people were as pleasant and friendly as I remember Polish people were to me on my holidays there many years ago.

Emily

Last week I played host to Emily and her sons. She is a close friend of one of my friends in Brighton and asked me to show her around Berlin.

A really interesting time for me for they asked to see sights that are not on the tourist maps. Quite a challenge!

I did it and they liked the mix of seeing the usual tourist things and wandering off the beaten tourist track. When I had to teach they did the tourist bits and we went to Potsdam on their last day.

That evening they left for Budapest. That was the next part of their five country tour. I am sure they will have had a great time there. It is a really interesting city and well worth a visit.

Busy

Busy, busy since my return from England. It started with a series of calls from the Institute asking me to teach through August. I accepted for it will pay for my China trip :-)

Yesterday I was in Glashütte to enjoy a cello concert. It was given by Milka and others who are learning the cello. It was nice to see her again with husband Sven and their children. A great time. The bonus was that their little boy let me pick him up and cuddle him. When I put him down, he wanted more cuddles. How to melt one's heart!

On Saturday I went to a workshop for teachers. It was about English as a Lingua Franca. There is a new academic movement exploring this and slowly we are getting books with teaching tips for practical work. It was really interesting and I learnt a few new things. Can't be bad!

Just been to the dentist. Trying to save the root of a tooth. Not sure about having it out rather than risk having dental treatment in Beijing. We decided to wait and see how I reacted to treatment this week. Perhaps the wisest decision.

This week I'm teaching each day, tomorrow is an 'oldie' meeting to eat chicken and chat! On Friday I have been invited to an evening concert in Schloss Biesdorf. This is followed by another concert in Kloster Chorin to the north of Berlin on Saturday. Another busy week!

Raining

It really is raining here. The last couple of weeks in July were very wet. It is the school holidays so not very nice for the kids and families who don't have the money to escape to warmer climes. They have to spend their holiday period here. Not nice to have so much rain!

Shirley is celebrating her birthday with family and friends as I write these words. Hope you are having a great time Shirley. Jan is thinking of packing and driving to north Spain on Wednesday to join Arancha. They are then going to the south to spend some time alone on the beach, swimming and having fun. Great! They deserve it.

I am still waiting for Daniel to get this act together. He has sent me e-mails for a week and we still haven't met. He is over from Brazil to visit friends and his old haunts in Berlin. At the moment he is in the Baltic states so hopefully we can meet when he returns.

Very busy month coming up. I am suddenly 'flavour of the month' at the institute. Another student asked to have lessons only from me. I will be teaching there three days a week throughout August. Can't complain for the money will cover my next travel plans!

Supposed to be going on as bicycle tour tomorrow with five oldies. I wonder if we shall do this given the weather. Watch this space. Now where did I put my large umbrella?

August 2011

Tomorrow is the start of August and Shirley's birthday! I should have been celebrating with her family in St. Augustine but it wasn't possible. Hopefully next May to celebrate my birthday - nice idea!

I returned to Berlin at the start of July after a pleasant and interesting stay in England. I liked seeing family and friends again but find living on the island rather inward looking. When looking outward - it is only to the USA!

July was a mixed month of getting back into life in Berlin, including treatment for my back/neck. It is now much better but still not 100%. I think it is a matter of time. I can now join my Friday gang for training which helps my back/neck.

I have recently been asked to take on teaching at the institute, which I accepted! Nice students and look forward to teaching them in August. The extra money is also nice :-)

My diary for August is starting to fill up with teaching, training, concerts in Berlin and Brandenburg, workshops, my weekly German lessons and the occasional weekend trips when the weather is sunny! I also have to find time to prepare for something special in September.

Who has a birthday in August? Shirley starts the month with her birthday on the 1st followed by Beatrix celebrating her 38th on the 6th August. Nicole will be 66 on the 21st, Jürgen 67 on the 24th, Angelika 59 on the 25th, my sister Pauline will be 67 on the 26th followed by Dieter's 67th on the 27th. Jan will be 28 on the 28th. He shares this day with Bernhard who will be 51 and they end the birthdays in August.

Happy birthday to each and all. Have a wonderful day!

Chopsticks

I recently went shopping with Marga. I bought some chopsticks and a can of dried peas. I wanted to practice how to use chopsticks.

Marga lived in Hong Kong, Singapore and other places in the 'East' for many years so can use chopsticks without even thinking or looking. I can't so we bought the essentials and she came round to help.

First she showed me where and why the lower stick goes, then the upper stick and also you have to move it forward or backward depending on what you want to pick up. Nice theory....then the practice.

At first I couldn't do anything....then slowly I managed to get hold of a pea. More tongue hanging out of mouth moments and then I was able to lift it .......but no, it fell to the ground.

Don't worry; said Marga. Try again. I did with the same result. More comforting from Marga and then I did it. I picked up a pea and put it in my mouth.

 I was so pleased I did it again and again. Marga took some photos to record this momentous event.

The big question is why I am practicing to eat with chopsticks! Answers on a postcard to ........

Topping a Lap

Some of you will know that one of my hobbies is destroying computers! I have posted pics of Jan and I working with hammers on these machines and with 'auch' comments from Sven in the comment box:-)

This time I decided to 'Top my Laptop' alone. A great feeling - try it! It was sad to force open the insides of my trusty Asus, which I have used for over 5 years. I posted its death on this blog earlier.

I replaced it with an Acer Aspire, which I am using to post to this blog. First time I have used it for writing the blog. The Acer has a 16:9 screen. I prefer the old square window of my Asus, but I am slowly getting to know the Acer.

I prepared for the event by getting my toolbox into the kitchen and finding the main tools I would need to end the Asus. I needed some time to remove lots of little screws so I could get into the machine. I quickly removed the screen from the main housing.



But the Asus fought back and I cut myself on some parts of the machine. You can see a photo of my hand bleeding and drops of blood on the table. 

Inside I found a treasure trove of circuits and welded on bits. I quickly found the mother board and removed it. This was then destroyed. I shall be taking all the remains to a local computer shop.

The owner has offered me €30,- for the bits and pieces of any value. The rest he will send to a special recycling centre. Bye bye Ausus!

Books

A few days after I returned to Berlin, I got a ring on my door bell. It was a nice lady from Deutsche Post to deliver a small parcel. What a nice surprise!

Inside was a copy of, John Osborne: A Patriot For Us by John Heilpern. It is a biography of one of the most important English language writers in the post war period.

I then remembered my last day in England. I went to Ilkley with Fran, Barbara and Rachel. We wandered along The Grove and ended up in a bookshop. I said to Barbara that I would like this book but did not have the space/weight allowance in my bag. She did not know his name and asked me why I would like it. I told her why and she just smiled at me.

Later Fran and I walked to Betty's Tea Room and noticed that we had lost Barbara and Rachel. They later caught up with us and we had a superb strawberry cream tea at Betty's. I thought no more about it until I opened the packet.

All was clear. She went back and bought it while I wandered off in the direction of The Grove. Many thanks again Barbara for such a wonderful surprise gift to remind me of a very special afternoon in Ilkley. 

Here you can see it with two other books I bought and carried back to Berlin. I can recommend them all. The one you can see on the right I bought with Lynne. We are reading it together and commenting per e-mail and telephone calls.

July things

Posting late into July, but better late than never. I'm getting back into my routine plus sorting out my new Acer laptop. For some reason Windows 7 Service Pack 1 will not download and install. I wonder why. I notice that nothing has fundamentally changed at Microsoft since my defection to Apple!

I am allowed to train with my Oldie group each Friday. I have also joined three other Oldies who like to cycle about the place. My first tour with them is tomorrow. Dentist appointment today - trying to hang onto a tooth. So far okay. Went to a workshop about teaching Intercultural Competence yesterday. It was great and I learnt a few more things. Back to German lessons and did my homework this morning.

I am also applying for a visa to visit China in September. I have to sort out health insurance before I can complete the form. Just a matter of time before I join the queue at the embassy to get the important stamp on my passport. Let's see what happens.

Who has a birthday in July? Jutta had her 63rd on the 2nd and Adele will celebrate on the 26th. Happy Birthday to both.  There were a couple of other memories this month. The first was remembering David who died three years ago on the 3rd, and that Lew got his doctorate on the 14th in 2004. I was present at both events!

Teapot

Teapot

I had a wonderful time in 'Blighty' and got back last Sunday. I should have returned on Saturday but I got my dates mixed up - and had to buy another ticket. I think it was a case of having another 'senior moment'.

Marga sent me an e-mail this morning asking me if I was okay for I had not posted to this blog for some time. That was the spur to post this report. I have been rather busy getting into my weekly pattern plus sorting out future travel plans - thanks Shirley for your understanding, visits to docs for back treatment and shopping.

Yes, I went shopping. I came back with some money for a new laptop. You may remember that my Asus died some time ago. Next to the electrical gadgets store is a departmental store. I wandered in and found a teapot I liked. I bought it then decided I should use the rest of the money for the original purpose.

I finally bought an Acer Aspire, but only after checking the competition and prices plus asking a few people for their experiences of this brand. So far I am happy with it, but it has taken time to set the thing up and burning programmes I used to get on disc!

I have also started work on the photos I took in 'Blighty'. There are 130 to work on so please give me time.  Now to show you my new 'classic' teapot!

Bag Packed

My Bag is Packed

I've already packed my bag for the flight to Liverpool tomorrow then later to Silsden. As you know, I should be flying back from Provence in the south of France today, but due to my fall the Doc did not allow that.

Hannelore and Peter called me from Claviers yesterday evening to get the latest. They also told me that they went to visit friends on Tuesday who have a house at Cannes overlooking the bay. They also have a boat so they spent the day swanning around the Cannes coast and enjoying a picnic. My seat on the boat was empty! The friends said they would repeat it the next time I am there. Nice of them!

Packing a bag for England is not quite the same as just getting back from a boat tour around Cannes, but I feel I really need a break from my corner of the world and routine.  I hope the airport hassle and security over-the-top do not spoil the flight.

Barry 'n Pam are picking me up and I am looking forward to relaxing in their superb garden tomorrow. My Doc only gave me the 'All Clear' for me to fly to Blighty on Tuesday morning, so I have been busy contacting people about visits and travel plans. I'm sure it will all work out.

In case you have forgotten what Silsden looks like, here are a couple of old photos. I shall be back on the 3 July so there will be no posts to this blog until after that date. Have fun everyone and enjoy the next few weeks!

Shopping

Shopping as therapy!


Thanks to all who sent messages in response to my fall. Very much appreciated. Last Wednesday was the worst day. I should have been on the flight to Nice, but I was still in Berlin. I felt depressed, slow, didn't  know what I wanted to do and very tired after not sleeping properly for a week.

I took all the tablets prescribed and slowly noticed an improvement. I began to sleep in more than two hour sessions, but could still not sleep lying on my bed! Good job I have a nice leather sofa!


Today I had my first physi session with the 'Boss'. He is blind but you would never know it when you meet him. The session was perfect and I hope he helps me in the remaining four meetings. He has a perfect mix between talking to you and probing, finding the problems and giving the right treatment.

Then I went to my local shopping area, checked my bank account, smiled, and went shopping as therapy! It worked. First stop was a department store with very fine mens perfumes! A heavy overdosing on the Hugo Boss range which started from €74 per bottle began the process of 'spirit uplifting'!

A saunter to the next aisle and I added on overdose of Wolfgang Joop coming in at nearly the same price! The depression began to lift. I have learnt not to mix too many and only stay in the finer,  expensive range - and that is what I did.

I moved two floors above to the 'Gentlemen's Department'. They were having a sale. I looked through a number of clothes then found two things I decided I had to have both for quality and reduced price. The first was an 'Esprit' sweater in a simple classic design, and cream coloured. Perfect for my mood!

Then, with the help of an 'elderly assistant', I found the last 'Rovers and Lakes' shirt in classic blue and white stripes.  I paid €19,00 in total! The full price was €59,00! It pays to shop around, but then again I was just in the right store at the right time - as opposed to being in the wrong street at the wrong time a week ago when I had my fall!

I then went into a store selling everything to do with electronic gadgets. I found an electronic weighting machine reduced to €9,- and thought this really was my day. I wandered around the store and found the laptop section.

Oh la la....a special offer of a laptop from Compaq Presario and at the crazy prize of  €299,-.  I decided this last generation laptop was not really the machine I was looking for. Let's see what is on offer in July/August when I return from the UK.

Finally, a photo of breakfast on my balcony this morning. Just the right temperature and conditions to enjoy a simple but traditional breakfast before I set off to my doctors and shopping as therapy!

A Fall

A Fall and Results

The final day in May brought the worst thing. I meet Lee and Gerry in the afternoon but in the evening a thunderstorm started. We were at S-U-Bahn Friedrichstrasse and crossed the road. The lights changed to red for us as we got to the middle section for pedestrians.

I didn't notice a stone was higher than the others and tripped over. My head narrowly missed going under the wheel of a car. I fell to the the right damaging my foot and calf. I stopped my head hitting the ground by taking the fall on my outstretched arms. Ski-fall training but the street is harder than snow!

For the first few days I only noted problems with my foot-leg which slowly went away. It was replaced with a growing pain in my back which moved into my shoulders and back of my neck. By Saturday I could not sleep and was in permanent pain.

My German teacher gave me a stick to help me to walk slowly, my chin stayed on my chest so I could not see anything in the middle/higher vision range. I also found my old neck support and pain killers. You can see them here.

I went to the Doc this morning. He put me on a course of tablets to relax the tense muscles in the shoulders and neck, plus a course of physiotherapy. If that doesn't show signs of working by early next week then it will be hospital :-(

I called Hannelore and Peter in France to cancel my holiday there. They were very understanding and told me to come later in the year when I am better. Here is a pic of what I am missing plus my new tablets!


What a way to end one month and start another!

June

June and Things


June started with summer weather and visitors from Blighty. A very nice time with them all. It offers to be a quiet month based on travel of different kinds. Teaching at the institute has dried up and my private students want less help due to travel and business trips.

May was a very mixed month. My bicycle was stolen, Asus Laptop died, tea and coffee pots broke, kettle burnt out, my rucksack developed large holes and other small annoying things happened.

On the other hand, I bought a nice birthday present and had fun learning how to set up a W-Lan radio. I also had some interesting days out, cycle tours and more than one birthday meal!

Who has a birthday in June? My i-Mac is 4 years old today. I wonder if it will outlive my Asus? On the 19th June my father would have been 99 and my mother 93. They shared the same day.Teresa has her 'over 50' birthday on 23 June.  Hermann will be 74 on the 25th and that's it until July.

Happy Birthday to each and all and have a great day!

Breakfast

Special Breakfast

The day after the Herren Tag bicycle tour, we went to the Reichstag for breakfast. Not a bad way to start the day.  The Reichstag, in case you don't know, is the home of the German Parliament and just opposite the Chancellors office, which is very close to the President's Palace.

The building was re-designed in the 1990's, after re-unification, and Norman Fosters design was accepted. It includes a large glass dome with circular walkways open to the public.


 You can enter the building by registering for a conducted tour, or for a meal in the restaurant opposite the dome.

Andrew and the lads wanted the second option, so I organised it for them. They invited me to join them as their way of saying thanks for my help. I quickly and gratefully accepted.

They even got there before I did. Through the security check then into the lift to the dome and restaurant. We sat on the east facing terrace = into the morning sun. Wonderful! The service was first class as was the breakfast.

They took a lot of photos and I took a few.

After breakfast, Andrew wanted to walk to Brandenburger Tür, which we did, then on to Friedrichstrasse and eventually to Lafayette, which I think is his favourite store. Then to Checkpoint Charlie and finally to Karlshorst to return the bicycles.

Having done that, they decided to have a beer at the Havana Bar opposite S-Bahn Karlshorst. One beer led to another, and another....and even to thoughts of food!

I could not resist taking a photo of Andrew trying to consume his lunch. He managed most of it!

I headed home and they headed into Berlin for more fun + more beer! I really enjoyed my time with them and banter with each other.

One thing I noticed was how often they used a Blackberry to send messages. I think I am too old for this 'cultural development'! I prefer to talk face to face.