Demonstration!
The German fondness for schedules seems to extend to riots, as every year on the 1 May there is one scheduled in Kreuzberg in the area around Kottbusser Tor. Continue reading
Riot on schedule – 1 May
travel
Weekend of blossom festivals
This weekend we visited the Baumblütenfest in Werder an der Havel (www.obstbauverein-werder.d
Relaxing weekend in the Czech countryside and a visit to Hrad Kunětická Hora
Kunětická Hora castle
Recently I posted about the new kinds of over-the-counter medications I’d discovered in Germany compared to South Africa (mostly herbal). At the time I was busy optimistically trying them all out since I had a bad cough. Sadly, none of them seemed to help, although the good strong ginger, lemon and honey tea that J kept making me definitely soothed the cough. The terrible, choking cough was just going away when I caught another bad cold just before the Easter weekend. We’d already booked tickets to Vienna, from which we would drive to Slovenia, and nothing was refundable so we went anyway.
Spring in Berlin
A German once told me: “They say you can call yourself a Berliner when you have survived seven winters in Berlin.”
So far I have survived three. The first one was the darkest, coldest and snowiest of the three. I just assumed it was always like that, and since the snow was a novelty, it didn’t bother me. But by the time it came to Easter and it was still snowing, I was wishing for spring along with everybody else. Continue reading
Mein Fahrrad (My Bicycle) – a love-hate relationship
On the Oder-Neisse cycle trail
When they predicted wind for Berlin yesterday and today, I have to admit I pooh-poohed it. Bear in mind that I come, after all, from the Cape of Storms. Winds that people exclaim about here are often not more than your average daily south-easter in spring or summer in Cape Town. But this time, I was wrong. Both yesterday and today I returned to my bike after work to find it and others splayed in all directions, knocked over by the force of the gale. Continue reading
Visiting Kruger National Park in South Africa
Can you believe that I’m South African, but I had never been on a safari prior to this trip? (If you have been exposed to the same media as the German girl who once asked me if lions look in my window in Cape Town, then probably not!). Continue reading
Třebechovice and the mechanical Nativity scene (Betlém)
Over the Christmas holidays we visited Třebechovice, a small town 13km from Hradec Králové. This town is famous for its mechanical Nativity scene, which is housed in the Museum of Cribs. In case you have only seen the standard nativity scene with the holy family, some shepherds, the three wise men, two angels and a donkey and cow, have a look of some of the examples of cribs below from the museum – some of them are whole worlds in a box! Continue reading
Christmas markets in Berlin
Market at Potsdamer Platz, 2012
Christmas bling at the Arkaden, Potsdamer Platz
The days are getting colder and darker as midwinter approaches, but visiting a Christmas market is a great way to cheer up. Have a gluhwein (or two or three), take a look at the handcrafted goods (which can make nice Christmas presents) and eat something delicious like quarkbӓllchen, knödel with Mohn, smoked fish, wildbouletten, raclette, cheese fondue, mushrooms, grilled sausages, potato puffs, caramelized almonds and much more. Continue reading
Goodbye Golden Autumn
Although I certainly miss the many months of sunshine in my homeland, one of my favourite things about living in Berlin is the way the city experiences all four seasons very vividly. In winter there’s extreme cold and snow, in spring the trees burst to life with blossoms and the air is filled with the fragrance of flowers; summer days are long and filled with visits to the lakes, and in autumn the trees turn glorious shades of gold, red, orange and pink, as if someone has come and painted them. Continue reading
A reminder of 25 years ago: the Berlin light wall
We were fortunate enough to be in Berlin during the November celebrations of the Fall of the Wall, a momentous occasion on the evening of 9th November 1989. An installation of almost 7000 light balloons was set up along a 15km section of the Mauerweg (path of the wall) across the inner city, Continue reading