The flight was delayed and the wait through customs was well over an hour. But we got here in one piece.
We are staying in Pete’s cousins’ flat in Berlin. We have been here for a meal before but I had forgotten how beautiful it is. It is utterly gorgeous! Beautiful features and comfortable! Incredibly kind and appreciated, as was the money my mum gave us for the flights for our 25th wedding anniversairy.
When we arrived last night, I was too tired to eat or drink and just went to bed. Had a great sleep, waking up and spying a beautiful ceiling rose.
Today would drop to -3, so I made sure to wrap up warm, layering up to make sure I didn’t have a repeat of all those years ago.
On Sundays very few shops are open, this is due to the Ladenschlussgetz, the national Shop Closing Law. A strong tradition of Sunday rest. If I was honest I would like the same in the UK, to push me to do other things. Although wedid pass quite a few shops that looked quirky with things I would defintely like to buy.
We didn’t bring anything with us, so it was a good opportunity to have breakfast in a cafe. There were a lot of options near to us but we walked a bit further and went to a cafe called Melon. it was tasty but the scrambled eggs are definitely not as good as the ones in the UK, no milk or butter. But the staff were very friendly and solicitious and gave us extra sourdough etc.
Last night we travelled on the train, and tram. So it was easier today finding our feet as we headed to a flea market.
Pete made me stop for the obligatory poses on the way! Probably by the end of the holiday there will be a vast quantity of me standing in various places dotted around Berlin looking suitably gormless.
The flea market was at the Mauerpark, we seemed to remember coming here before. The market was fabulous and I bought a funny picture of cats dressed as supercats circling in the sky around the TV Berlin Tower. Once my new office is decorated, this will be in pride of place.
Pete looked at records and although he said they were quite cheap he wasn’t tempted. I wished that we hadn’t had breakfast as there were a lot of stalls selling very delicious looking food!
The Mauerpark translates as the Wall Park and its Death Strip. Now a vibrant park, it once sat directly as the border zone between East and West Berlin. A once no mans land over seen by guard towers, attack dogs, trip wires etc. Wide and exposed so any ‘illegal’ crossings were visible. After the reunification it was created into a community park to symbolise unity and openness.
Some of the inner wall remains – the graffiti new and not originally from the time of the Wall, there were three parts to the wall in total.
When we went up the embankment to look at it we saw a lovely fox passing by and it reminded me of the rabbits that once lived in the Death Strip. They inhabited the no mans and uninhibited and undisturbed, for them this was one of the safest places to thrive and survive in the city.
It did seem strange to be walking along this linear stretch of parkland that was part of something so divisive. At least 140 people died trying to cross from East to West.
This was a 1963 escape tunnel entrance that was discovered in 2018. A large group of men helped to dig the tunnel but some had begun to be watched by the Stasi and were arrested. The tunnel subsequently collapsed.
Walking towards our next destination we inadvertedly walked across The Bridge of Spies. The Gilenicke Bridge, crossing the Havel River, famous for a number of Cold War spy exchanges. I remember seeing it in the Tom Hanks film, Bridge of Spies, which is why I thought I recognised it. In the film it is almost film noir, atmostpheric, dark and brooding. But today it was sunny and looked picturesque!
As we have been here so many times before, we are trying to see some places that we haven’t been to before. We visited the Scharf-Gerstenberg Gallery, as real mix of art. We saw some great, diverse pieces of art, housed in a beautiful building.
As well as art they had a cinema showing a selection of surreal films. I liked the old ones but not the more recent ones, I really didn’t like County Line by Chris Larson as it was quite disturbing.
I liked Vormittagsspuk, by Hans Richter, from 1927, it was more about playing with early cinematic techniques, not shocking, just odd.
Finally after all these years I finally watched the whole of Un Chien Andalou, a collaboration between Salvador Dali and Luis Bunuel. I had friends how had studies it at university and enjoyed telling me a blow by blow account of the slicing ofa womans eye. It certainly batshit crazy! Bunuel filled his pockets with rocks when attending the first screening of the film, fully expecting to have to fight off angry audience members. It actually had a positive reception, which is off considering some of the other imagery, a man picking up two ropes which pull two grand pianos, which contain two dead donkeys, then two stone tablets containing the Ten Commandments, then two pumpkins, ending with a grand finale of two priests. I think they must have been under the influence!
We saw Meshes in the Afternoon, which was from the 1940s, which we had seen previously in New York. So sad to think that we may never return to New York, as I am sure we have both said anti Trump things over the last three years. We are not the only ones, USA has lost billions due to Trumps foreign policies. Maybe things will get better.
Opposite the gallery was a very large Christmas Market at the Schloss Charlottenburg. I have visited Schloss Charlottenburg before in around 1990. I remember being given slippers that wear more like cleaning cloths that we had to wear, cleaning the delicate wooden floors as we went. I remember bemoaning the cost and saying we should have had a reduction of the entry fee as we were cleaning it at the same time!
Wow wow wow! The Christmas market was amazing, I think because the Schloss was such a beautiful backdrop. It had started getting darker and the lights twinkled brighter. I am currently with a student who had to write an academic essay on the economic advantages of Christmas markets. I thought it would be a stretch finding anything academic to cite but I was very wrong, Christmas Markets are very lucrative, so a great deal of analysis has been put into what works and why, the best flow round the markets etc etc.
We had a walk around, so much better than the pale imitations in the UK and probably across Europe. We had alcoholic hot chocolates, one with Baileys and another with Amaretto. I wasn’t certain about the latter, it was a very odd taste combination. We had a type of doughnut with it. When we were being served the man asked us where we were from, we said UK. The next question had us completely floored, South Shields he asked? Never, ever in all my travelling has anyone asked if we are from such a little known place, unless it is a favourite unknown destination for Berliners.
On the way back home we ended up at another Christmas Market at the Zoo.
There was a lot to look at! We really enjoyed it. We set off a few alarms by going too close to the exhibits but we hadn’t noticed the lines. Some looked they were part of the wooden floor. Although it was a faux pas I like to think that it invigorated the staff as otherwise it is mind-numbingly boring for them. Think of it as a favour!
After this we crossed we watched a number of surreal films. I really like the older ones from the 1920s, when they played with newly found cinematic devices. I really didn’t like the one from 2004 by Chris Larson called County Line, it was so disturbing. I enjoyed Vormittagsspuk, by Hans Richter from 1927.
Also finally saw the whole of Chien de Andalou, a collaboration between Dali and Bunuel.
Bunuel had taken stones in his pockets for the first screening. convinced he would need fight off angry viewers. It was strangely given some level of praise. Strange as it was very provocative, the main male lead pulling two ropes which pulled two grand pianos which had two dead bloodied donkeys, which then had two stone tablets with the Ten Commandments, then two pumpkins, then two priests.
We certainly got our moneys worth!
Opposite the gallery stood the Charlottenburg Schloss. I remember going there around 1990 ish. I remember having to take our shoes off to wear these strange slippers. At the time I think I thought it was quite expensive and we should have had a discount for cleaning the floors!
In front of the Schloss was the most magical Christmas Market we had ever seen. By now it was getting darker and the lights twinkled, illuminating the Schloss.
Random Acts of Travelling 