Four Days in Heidelberg, Rothenberg and Sinsheim.

A view over the rooftops in Heidelberg to the River Neckar.

Tomorrow morning at 07.00 I leave Timmerlah on a coach tour of Rothenberg, Heidelberg and Sinsheim.  I've never visited these places before, so I'm looking forward to being introduced to what I'm told is a very beautiful city.  We are staying in "Gasthof Hirsch" in Rothenberg.  I'm pleased to say that the weather is cooler, so we expect a lovely trip in comfortable temperatures.  I return on Thursday evening the 2nd August.

Gasthof Hotel Hirsch Rothenberg (Hesse) - Reviews and Rates ...

www.travelpod.com/hotel/Land_Gut_Hotel_Hirsch-Rothenberg.html

The Olympic Cyclists pass through Dorking, my old home town.

I watched the olympic road race cycling   this afternoon, and got quiet excited to see the cyclists pass through my old home town of Dorking in Surrey, up the Box Hill Zig Zag to the top, and onto Esher, through Richmond Park and eventually to the finish line at Buckingham Palace.  It was a pity team GB missed out on the medals, but the race was very exciting to watch.  I've walked from the bottom of Box Hill to the top, and it took me longer than today's entire race, but then I don't have road racers thighs.

The temperature  here is only 25c today, and thank goodness it is cooler, as yesterday at 32c was enough to make me lose the will to live!   Timmerlah is a nice little village, but in order to walk the .75 miles to the tram stop, I have to cross open, unshaded fields,  and in these high temperatures, I would suffered heat stroke half way along the path.   I do need my daily walk, but today I made up for my lack of exercise with an early 2 mile stroll, and later with a walk to Weststadt and back for some shopping, a distance of about 2.5 miles, and I feel much better for it.  Now I can sit and watch the olympics and not feel guilty.

This afternoon I did some last minute washing, so that tomorrow I can do the ironing (I hate ironing,) and pack my suitcase for my holiday in Heidelberg.   On Monday I leave Timmerlah at 07.00 for a coach tour to Rothenberg, Sinsheim and Heidelberg with Timmerlah friends, and the tour schedule tells me I'm in for an interesting few days of sightseeing and a stay in a nice hotel.   July has turned out to be a very busy month.   I need a holiday!  

The cyclists somewhere in the Richmond area.

Early Morning Sunrise and Afternoon Haymaking.

A Friday morning sunrise over Weststadt at 05.40.

Thursday was too hot all day, and at choir practise last night, we were all happy to stop half way through and drink a freshing beer, water or a cup of tea.  Thursday night and Friday morning early  were equally warm, and it was almost impossible to sleep well.   I made a cuppa about 05.40, peered out from behind the blinds  to see the sunrise over Weststadt, accompanied by a low level, white mist that covers parts of the fields.  If it weren't so hot, I would find it a beautiful spectacle, but I muttered a few "Weather God expletives" under my breath, drank my tea and went back to sleep until 08.30. 

The fields this year have grown hay and rape seed.   The same fields last year grew mountains of beet, (for months I  thought they were turnips,) and a few acres of cabbages out towards Weststadt.  Last week in the middle of one field, two men and a women with a clip-board were examining the crop.  This week the warm weather has cooperated with the need to harvest,  and two massive Claas harvesters arrived in the field on Tuesday morning to gather in the crop.  They have another day of good weather before the anticipated storms arrive tonight and Saturday morning.  Thankfully it will be cooler, and my mild, heat induced headache will disappear.



Harvesting on Tuesday afternoon.

This similar scene above on Wednesday morning, shows a dust of chaff blowing up from one of the yellow harvesters.  The machine is the same colour as the crop, so is not easy to see.  This Friday afternoon I'm out drinking tea, and when I return home this evening the whole field will be safely gathered in.

It has not been an easy week in this 30c/32c heat.  I cannot take my usual daily walk across the open fields to the Weserstrasse tram station and I miss my daily exercise.  On Tuesday in the heat, I caught up with a friend I hadn't seen for two months, Wednesday I walked in the Buerger Park with the English speaking walk group which consisted of just two of us, but in the shade beside the River Oker the walk was lovely.  After a day in, I sang with the choir on Thursday evening, and after tea this afternoon, I might settle down to watch the opening ceremony of the London Olympic Games on Eurosport, although by 22.30 here, I might have fallen asleep in my reclining armchair.  Fingers crossed for a successful games.

Up Front with the Driver!

Now for one of the highlights of my weekend, a driver's eye view from the cabin of the IC 2045 coming home from Wuppertal on Monday afternoon.  The day was hot, and the driver had left the sliding doors open, so I stood and watched the action.  Here the train is speeding over a canal bridge, and look, no hands!   His windscreen of squashed flies and other detritus needs a bit of a wipe over!   I mentioned to the driver, that I didn't think it would be possible to get such an interesting view on the "Swindon to London Paddington Intercity!"   It was a very exciting few minutes at high speed, and one of those moments that sends a quiver down your spine.  Fascinating!  The train had started its journey in Cologne and terminated in Leipzig, a journey across much of Germany.

I was not travelling on one of the very fast  ICE (Intercity Express) trains, but bought a cheaper ticket on this similar train, but with stops at Bielefeld, Guetesloe, Minden and Dortmund amongst others.  These places I remember so well from "BFBS" British Forces Broadcasting Service during the 1960s,  which provided home news and music  for servicemen in post war Germany.  The names still have a historical feel about them.

At this time the train was 40 minutes late, due to a signal failure near Cologne, but at Hannover station it was due for a 20 minute stop, but restarted after only 5 minutes.  I arrived in Braunschweig only 9 minutes late, but it took me another hour to get home to Timmerlah, where I immediately switched on the kettle and caught up on my day's tea drinking.  It was the end of a lovely Remscheid weekend with friends, and an interesting train ride home. 

Altenberg Monastry on a Warm Sunday Afternoon.

This delightful sculpture is set into the wall of the old Cistercian Monastry at Altenberg.  The figures were about 0.5 metre tall, and shows Stephen Harding and the three other abbots who established the first Cistercian monastry at Citeaux. Stephen was born in Dorset around 1070 and was placed in Sherbourne Abbey at an early age.  He later gave up the life of a monk ,and travelled the continent as a scholar.  In France he met Robert of Molesme, Albrech and Alberic of Citeaux, and together they established the first Cistercian Monastry.   Within a few years the brotherhood had formed many monestries, including this one near Cologne in North Rhein-Westphalia. No one person established the order, but it was the leadership of Stephen that secured its success.  He died of old age in 1134, and the order thrived until its secularisation  in 1803, when the monastry fell into disrepair and was plundered.   Money for its rescue and repair was provided by the Bavarian Kings, and over the years it has been refurbished. I cannot find a history of the Monastry in English, but if you click on the link below there are some lovely photos of the whole site.

Altenberger Dom – Wikipedia  de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altenberger_Dom



The Nave.

There is so much I could write about this beautiful place, and I hope you can find more information in English on the internet.  I love the little cupboard doors below, they are reproductions, for when the monastry was plundered in the 19th century, everything of value was stolen.  The church is now furnished with 13th/14th century works of art acquired from other places and with 20th/21st century sculptures, reliefs and copies of furnishings in other churches.

I arrived home on Monday evening from Remscheid, and it has been very hot ever since.  I ventured out shopping on Tuesday afternoon, and again for a walk in the shade of the Buerger Park trees on Wednesday, but today (Thursday) I am staying in the cool of my flat until I go singing this evening.  The temperature is predicted to be 30c today, much too hot for me to even put my head out of the door.  Friends everywhere, drink plenty of water today.

Ohh, I'd like some cupboard doors like these!

The huge west window, one of the largest stained glass windows in Germany.  The colour here does not reflect its true glory, the yellows and ochres being much more intense.

A Visit to Cologne.

I was glad I'd reserved a seat on the Friday afternoon train to Wuppertal, because every possible place to sit was occupied, and that included the floor.  It is holiday time here, and the train had started its journey in Leipzig and terminated in Frankfurt, stopping  at many places en route.   E and H met me after my three hour journey, and we went straight home to Remscheid for a welcome cup of tea, (well several actually) a pizza and a good "natter."   On Saturday we visited Cologne, to be shown some of the sights by E's son and daughter-in- law who live in the city.  We began our tour  in the massive Cathedral, the foundation stone of which was laid in 1248, and which is the most visited monument in Germany, and yes, it was very busy.   The photo right, shows the nave and some of the hundreds of visitors of all nationalities.  I prefer quiet visits, but I don't think that would ever be possible in this place.  I cannot mention all the treasures we saw, but the most celebrated work of art is the "Shrine of the Three Kings," created by Nicholas of Verdun in the 12th century to hold the remains of the "Three Wise Men," whose relics were acquired by Frederick Barbarossa at the conquest of Milan in 1164.  The shrine takes the form of a large reliquary in the shape of a basilican church, and is made of bronze and silver and decorated with architectual details and figures in enamels and gemstones.  The shrine was opened in 1864 and found to contain bones and garments.  

Cologne Cathedral - Wikipedia, the freeencyclopedia en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cologne_Cathedral

Just a five minute walk away from the Cathedral was our second visit of interest,  the "4711 Eau de Cologne" shop.  E's son is a manager in the business, so we had a priviledged visit to the museum and watched a video about the history of the company founded in the 19th century.  The collection of old bottles and labels over the last two hundred years was particularly interesting.  As you leave the shop, to the right of the entrance, it is possible to rinse your hands in the fragrance, (the basin can be seen in the photo right of centre beside the column), and the refreshing perfume stayed with us all the afternoon.

Customers in the "4711" shop in Cologne.

My first question was, "Why is the fragrance called 4711?"  During the Napoleonic wars in 1794, when Cologne was occupied by the French, all the buildings were numbered, and this one just happened to be house number 4711, simple!   The original substance was a medicinal cure for stomach troubles, a mixture of alcohol and the juice of citrus fruits.  It status was later changed to a fragance in order to avoid certain taxes on medicaments.  It contains a large percentage of alcohol, which is still drunk by some, and which becomes a problem when exported to muslim countries, when it has to be sold in special bottles to prevent the alcohol being imbibed.  It smells too sweet to drink, but I prefer beer anyway!

 4711 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4711

The twin towers of the Cathedral, the railway bridge and a distant television tower on the skyline.

The view above is taken from the "Cologne Triangle" an office block built in 2006, with a viewing platform at the top.  The 360o view of the city was breathtaking, just a shame it was a little chilly up there!   We later attempted a visit a Chocolate Museum, but once we saw the long queue at the entrance, we thought it better to go home to a nice piece of cake, tea and coffee. I saw so much of interest, and too much to write about here, but it was a wonderful visited on a thankfully cool day.  Later that evening we enjoyed a barbecue in the summer house at the bottom of E's garden, where five of us drank beer and schnapps, and tucked into wurst and salad.    What a lovely day with good friends and much spoken German.  Of course I can speak several languages if I drink enough beer!

KölnTriangle – Faszination Hochhaus – das moderne Bürohohaus ...www.koelntriangle.de/index_eng.htm

 

A Weekend in Remscheid, southeast of Dusseldorf.

The Wilhelm Roentgen Museum in Remscheid.

Well wonders will never cease!   This morning it is bright and sunny, just in time to take the sunshine with me to my friends in Remscheid.  I must not speak too soon, as the weather has had a tendency to change at the snap of my fingers recently.   I'll catch the 14.51 train from Braunschweig and will arrive in Wuppertal at 18.12, to be met by my friends who'll take me by car back to their home.

Last night on "Radio Okerwelle" our choir sounded wonderful.  The broadcast lasted an hour, and our conductor and members of the committee talked about the history of the choir and its members.

The photo above shows the "Roentgen Museum" in Remscheid, which I'd like  to visit.  Wilhelm Roentgen discovered X-rays in 1895, and received the Nobel Peace Prize for Physics in 1901.   Roentgenium, element 111, is named in his honour.

I return in the evening of Monday July 23rd, so watch this space.

"Gliesmaroder Turm" and Singing on "Radio Okerwelle" FM 104.6

The photo left shows a storm looming above Braunschweig at 4pm  this afternoon.  It was as if night had come, and 10 minutes later the heavens opened with torrential rain and high winds.  I took shelter in a glass roofed Shopping Mall, and watched the rain beating down upon the roof. This is the worst summer weather I have experienced in my four years of visits here.   Never mind, apparently a change is on the way, and the jetstream is set to move further north and bring some warmer, drier weather, not only here but to the UK too. 

I was in town early to catch the 4.40pm  S-Bahn to "Gasthaus Gliesmaroder Turm" in Berliner Strasse, for an early choir practice, for at 7pm our conductor was going to "Radio Okerwelle 104.6 FM" to talk about our choir and to play a CD of our singing.   Fame at last!  I hope to tune in at 8pm and listen to the programme.

The photos below show the "Gasthaus" where we hold our choir practices.  The modern exterior hides an older building which was built before 1406 on the old Market trade route, as a fortified tower for the Brunswick Militia.   It was destroyed in the sieges of the city in 1492 and 1550 but later rebuilt.  In 1763 it was sold and demolished, but in 1763 this guest house was built on the site.   

The Guesthouse with beer garden to the rear.

The tower has rooms on several different levels, in an assembly of half timbered structures, and the western side is partly slate-clad. At the moment red geraniums are blooming in the windowboxes, and below you can see the main entrance.  We sing in an upper room, where from time to time bats arrive and fly around during our practice.  You may remember that one evening last year 15 or so were swirling around the room without knocking into us or to one another.

The main entrance with geraniums blooming in the windowboxes.

Cabinetmaker's Lions and a Lion Fountain.

Today, between the showers we visited the Municipal Museum, founded in 1861, and newly reopened after being closed for four years for renovations.   Built from 1904 to 1906, it is one of the largest museums in Germany, and is a spendid place, with an entrance atrium two floors high.  It was a bit of a flying visit, as we only gave ourselves 1.5 hours to see what will take another 5 hours to view at a rough estimation.  We visited an exhibition on the ground floor of paintings, ceramics, wood  and glass designed by Walter and Thomas Dexel, artists and designers, whose  work influenced the design of household objects in the city.  This gallery led into an exhibition of old musical instruments mostly from endowments by Theodor Steinweg, including pianos, clavicords, violins, violas, a serpent, flutes, lyres and harps, to name but a few.

In the 17th/18th century there were 300 piano makers in Braunschweig, including the famous Steinweg, who later moved to America and became Steinway, and still famous for making concert grand pianos.   The Shimmel works in Braunschweig continue to make pianos, and I pass their factory every week on my way to choir. 

The lion shield above dates from 1725, and is the Cabinetmaker's Guild insignia for the City of Braunschweig.  Between the lions you can see various carpentry tools.  This shield was in a gallery devoted to furniture making in the city, and contained some wonderful cabinets, writing desks and chairs.   I need to return sometime, as I only managed a hasty visit to the ground floor and a small part of the first, and there is still all the second to visit.

This splendid lion spouts his water outside St Katherinen Church.

The lion above, which I discovered by chance when passing by on the M3 tram to Gliesmaroder,  is part of the newly installed fountain outside St Katharinen Church in Hagenmarkt Square.   "Henry the Lion" established the church in the 13th century, and like all lions in Braunschweig, he acts as a memorial to Henry  and his Queen, Matilda of England. 

At the moment there is a torrential rain storm here, the windpark has disappeared in the mist, and everything with the weather is upside down.  I need a cuppa!

Flowers and Plants on a Sunny/Rainy Day in the Botanical Garden.

The weather here it most unpleasant!  For some reason this year, English cloud  and school holiday drizzle have followed me to Germany, and is proving to be an unwelcome partner.  It  tends to be wet and gloomy all day, but in the evening the sun comes out,  (well it would wouldn't it.)  My neighbours cannot barbeque in their gardens, my friends in the corner house can't mow the lawn, and the sunshade remains unopened in our garden.  I took these photos last Sunday morning in the Botanical garden, when the sun shone (not for long) on the hydrangeas and me sitting on my comfortable park bench amid the colour.  Every Sunday it is possible to have a guided tour around part of the garden, and listen to information about the different plants.  These tours are well attended and I sometimes tack on the end of a group, and catch whatever I can in German, which is usually spoken much too quickly for me to understand. 

This day the group was too big to join, (the sun was shining) so I sat and read my book, but was later joined by a young lady with a small baby in a pushchair, who was dressed in a pink checked, Russian looking child's sunhat.  The baby was much more interesting than my book, and so we talked adult and baby talk in German whilst enjoying the limited sunshine.  The multi coloured hydrangeas were beautiful, and the small, Box hedged herb gardens smelt, well herby, on the warm air in the dappled sunlight.   Ahh very poetic!

The mega sized floating leaves of Victoria Amazonica.

The "Victoria Amazonica" waterlily above is about to bloom, a rare occasion that has to be captured quickly on camera.   Nothing was happening on Sunday, although the floating leaves have doubled in size since I saw them a few weeks ago.   A friend promises to email me when the flowers start to bloom, and I will then dash off on the M3 tram to witness the moment.

Carnivorous "Pitcher" plants waiting for an unsuspecting victim.

The photo above shows insect eating Pitcher plants in the carnivorous plant house.   It is not possible to go for a closer look,  I'm not keen anyway,  so the photo is taken through glass, hence its blurriness. There is something very unpleaseant about these plants, especially the Venus Flytrap, which viewed on the other side of the glass showed a collection of dead flies stuck to its fine, sticky filament fingers.   The plants above, have long tubes with open lids, and when some poor, unsuspecting fly pops in for a look around, the lid closes, and it becomes the plant's evening non-vegetarian meal.   Very nice!

A Boat trip on the River Spree and Tortellini in Berlin

On Wednesday afternoon at 2pm I waited under the middle arch of the Brandenburg Gate for L, my email friend who I had never met before.  We  know one another from photos, but while I waited I did wonder if we would find one another  in the huge crowd.  But on the dot there she was, and I recognised her immediately. We both had mobile phones, so would have met one another eventually.   The Brandenburg Gate is a big tourist attraction, and earlier, while waiting  for my friend,  I watched these two "Empty Bottle Musicians" playing a variety of impossibly fast sea-shanties and folk songs.  Ahh, they were so poor, that they had to play "empties" in order to raise money to buy proper instruments!  

They played very well in short bursts, as both needed long rest periods between tunes to get their breath back!   They  sounded like a cross between pan pipes on a  bad  day  in the High Andes, and a rowdy Saturday night out in a back street pub, where the tipsy attempt to make music on anything that comes to hand.  I've been there, done that in my misguided youth, as an art student and would be folk singer in the Quarry Street folk club in Guildford.

A duck's eye view of the Reichstag Building with its glass dome.

From the Brandenburg Gate we strolled along "Unter den Linden," the spacious, central sandy boulevard between the trees, and then on towards the River Spree.  Berlin seems to be one huge building site in places, with many old buildings being restored to their former glory.  L suggested a boat trip around part of the city, which pleased me as my left ankle was starting to complain about the sightseeing!   We walked past Humboldt University and the Pergamon Museum and eventually found the tripboat landing station.  

After climbing aboard, we paid our fares and I drank a beer while L sipped water.  Just as we sat down the skies opened on the glass roofed boat, ahh, what excellent timing!  It was an interesting trip, followed by a meal in an Italian restaurant, where I enjoyed a huge plate of goat's cheese tortellini, part of L's pizza which was too big for her,  and yet another beer!    Beer is the best medicine for "Sightseers Left Ankle."

This year's visit to the city was wonderful, thanks to my lovely hosts.  There is so much to see, and hopefully I can return next year to renew my acquaintence with the many sites that touch modern European history, the museums and beautiful buildings.  Early Thursday morning I left on the coach for Braunschweig,  and this time my seating companion was a nice, slim young man with thin arms that stayed on their own arm rests!     

Passing the green domed Berlin Cathedral.

Berlin's Charlottenburg Schloss and the Broehan Museum.

Charlottenburg Palace.

Tuesday morning's visit to the Charlottenburg Palace was a day to be remembered.  This beautiful palace, although severly damaged in the war, has gradually been returned to its former glory, and oh how lovely it looked on a bright, warm day.  Only the old part of the palace was open, but that was a feast for the eyes, especially the large collection of Meissen porcelain, which included dinner services and serving dishes, all lavishly decorated with plants, fruits and birds.  Many intricate silver bowls and dishes were displayed along with silver cutlery, all laid out on a formal dinner table.  The following link on Wikipedia (what would I do without it) will give you all the history of the palace.

Charlottenburg Palace - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlottenburg_Palace



Oriental porcelain in a mirrored room.

Words cannot really describe the beauty of it all, and the many visitors from around the world stood in awe. We later strolled around the formal gardens to the fountain, and then on to the distant, oramental lake with its Japanese style iron bridge.   I exchanged a few words with two ladies from Norwich who were on their first visit to Berlin, and were obviously thoroughly enjoying themselves. There is so much to see in Berlin, and hopefully I will return again in 2013 for another feast for my eyes!

Vicki and V photographed in front of the decorated mirror frame.

After a lunch consisting of a huge bowl of multi flavoured ice cream  topped with walnuts,  we visited the Broehan Museum to see an exhibition of Art Nouveau furniture, tapestries, paintings, ceramics, metalware and Galle glassware.  The highlight  was the cast metal mirror frame above.  I do like symetrical designs, and this one of a fountain and plants was most interesting.   (it is difficult to find other words for beautiful)  Mind boggling maybe!

Poppy Field, painted in gouache on board.

We also saw a special exhibition of paintings by Karl Hagemeister 1848-1933. He studied the principles of classical landscape painting at the Weimar Art School in 1871, but in 1873 began to develop a more modern approach.  His depiction of objects and the natural world became increasingly summary during his life, with his colours becoming lighter and cooler.  Absorbing the influence of Japanese  art through the interpretations of the French impressionists, and following the trends in international Art Nouveau, Hagemeister developed his own style of Art Nouveau.   His paintings are decorative rather then naturalistic and became primarily ornamental.  My favourite painting is pictured above, his field of poppies.

The Max Liebermann Villa and Peacock Island, Berlin

Hollyhocks and perennials.

This delightful  villa, with its beautiful garden lies beside Lake Wannsee on the outskirts of Berlin, and was built in 1909 by Max Liebermann, a painter who became president of the Prussian Academy of Arts (1920-1935,)  which assured a younger generation of artists an atmosphere conducive to new developments in many art forms.  In the 1930's he was ostracized by the National Socialists and died a lonely and bitter man.  His wife was forced to hand over this property to the regime, and escaped deportation to a concentration camp by taking her own life.   Liebermann described the villa as his "Lakeside Palace" and he produced over 200 paintings here.   The garden takes various forms, with a kitchen garden of herbs, the formal garden with many different plants and schrubs within Box hedges. The  villa has a neo-classical appearance with two Doric columns at the main entrance, and a lovely "Eyebrow" window in the roof.  The little building to the left below, was the gardener's house and is now the shop and ticket office.  The day was pleasant, cloudy but warm, and e wandered around the formal gardens in the front and then walked down to the lake, through a less formal garden with its vast green lawn, silverbirch trees and white garden benches.   The little cafe served tea, coffee and cake, which we enjoyed while sitting inside and looking out over a terrace planted with red geraniums.  A very lovely place. 

The house was returned the the Liebermann's daughter Kaethe in 1951, and was sold by her heirs to the city of Berlin in 1958.   It went though many uses, but in 1997 the Berlin House of Representatives approved its use as a museum.  It was completely renovated and the garden was restored using Liebermann's paintings of his "Palace."   It was opened to the public in April 2006,  and is maintained by the Max Liebermann Society of Berlin.

www.liebermann-villa.de

The villa with its formal garden, and a small kitchen garden to the right.

The white fairytale palace,below, stands on "Peacock Island" and was built by Friedrich Wilhelm ll in 1794-97  as a place for the king to relax after his boat trips and to spend the night with his mistress Wilhelmine Encke.  The palace has two circular towers, which are linked by a wrought-iron bridge to create the illusion of a medieval castle.   It is clad in wood, which is painted to appear like stone.  As the island's name suggests, peacocks wander around at will, and could be heard calling as we walked the path around the small island.

There are several other buildings set in the stunning landscaped gardens, including the Luise temple, the ruins of an abbey, the neo-gothic Cavalier's House and several animal sheds.  The royal managerie was once here, which contained a collection of wild animals from around the world.  These were later moved to more suitable accommodation on the mainland, and founded Berlin's famous zoo. 

The White Palace.

The Aviary, which contained several albino peacocks.  This unique building dating from 1750 is one of the oldest surviving aviaries in the world.

Pfaueninsel - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pfaueninse

The Dome of the Reichstag Building and the Brandenburg Gate

I could write so many words about my visit to Berlin, but will post the best photos and just a short write up about each day.  I travelled by bus this time, which was a cheaper option although not so comfortable.  Like all coaches it took the roundabout route, stopping at big towns on the way to pick up more passengers. Unfortunately I sat next to a very large man, whose elbows insisted on taking up my armrest.  I was pleased to arrive at the central coach station in Berlin to be met by V and J.  On the first evening we managed to get timed tickets to view the dome of the Reichstag.  We were fortunate, as that Sunday was the last chance to view before  the dome is closed for a week for essential cleaning.  It's an interesting structure, with a central, supporting mirrored column, which in turn supports the outer steel frame which is fitted with glass panels.  Around the base are a series of historical photographs and the history of the building from its construction, to its destruction during the war and to its  rebuilding as the seat of the German government.  A spiral staircase winds its way to the top, where visitors get a magnificent view over the city.   We visited at sunset, which was particularly colourful and fascinating.  Entry is free of charge and the last entry is at 11pm.

It's an environmentally friendly building, with the collected rainwater being used for various purposes within the building, and the mirrors and the automatic ventilation control the heating of the Government  chamber underneath.  I managed to get a glimpse of the seat of Government, and could see the place where Angela Merkel and members of goverment stand and address the chamber.

The Dome designed by Sir Norman Foster.  Small figures can be seen walking upwards along the spiural staircase towards the top of the structure.

The Reichstag Building.  The dome can be seen in the centre above the portico.

 Registering to visit the dome of the Reichstag Building www.bundestag.de

The Brandenburg Gate, with a constant stream of visitors day and night.



Another visit to Berlin.

The Brandenburg Gate, Berlin

I'm in Berlin for a few days and will do a full write up when I return on Thursday 12th July.

Watch this space!

Breakfast in Gliesmarode

Members of all four English groups met on Friday morning for breakfast at the Gliesmarode Community centre. We sat outside in the warm sunshine and enjoyed a healthy breakfast of wholemeal rolls, cheese, dips, salads and fruit, together with fruit juice, tea and coffee. It was a lovely occasion and so nice to meet everyone on a social occasion, and not in the more formal setting of an English class.   We met at 10am and had breakfast and then I gave my talk about life in Devizes at 11am.   We all had a good time, and the following photos give you some idea of what a happy occasion it was.  I had two rolls by the way, filled with cheese and accompanied by a bowl of salad covered in a garlic dip.  I later attacked the bowl of fruit and ate too many plums.

Below Axel the tutor, attempts to fit everyone into the room.  It was a warm day and we had to put extra blackouts up at the windows to darken the room, so that my photos could be more easily seen.   About 24 people attended and we all managed to sit comfortably in the room and watch life in Devizes unfold.

Are you sitting comfortably?

Me, my laptop, the projector and some of the lovely audience.

The talk on Friday was the third one in a week.  On Tuesday evening I talked and showed the photos to a group who meet weekly near BS station, and on Wednesday I gave the talk to a group at the AWO in Frankfurterstrasse. 

All the groups found the talk interesting and thought the photos of Devizes wonderful.  It's not me, it's my camera, which seems to be "idiot proof."  I'd also given the talk the week before to Guenter's group, and the week before that to the DEG.  Everyone in Braunschweig knows about Devizes.

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The State Museum in Cathedral Square.

This plan of Braunschweig  shows the shape of the medieval city surrounded by a wall and the River Oker, whose course was manipulated to provide a defensive barrier, for transport by boat  and to provide water for the inhabitants.  A closer look at the outer wall shows the names of the 12  gateways into the old city,  names which still exists today.  I travel once a week on the tram that passes over the river at Fallersleber Tor (gate,) I walk to my music group past the site of the Hohes Tor (High Gate,) and travel by  tram to the railway station that passes over the river at Magnitor (St Magni Gate.)   The names of the city's precincts also remain the same, and my favourite bookshop "Graff," can be found in "Sack,"  (poke/pocket,)  the smallest city precinct and the only one without  a  parish church.  The old Town Hall lies in "Altstadt" (old city,) and  in the centre of the map can be found  "Burg,"  the site of Henry the Lion's castle, the Cathedral and the State Museum.

The Royal regalia of spear head, sword, crown and orb,  from the time of Henry the Lion. (replicas)

Like all large museums, one visit is never enough.  After buying a guidebook, taking it home to read and realising what you have missed,  you need several more visits to "take it all in."  I  have chosen just a few objects that caught my eye during a recent visit, and one of the most interesting was the reconstruction of  Henry the Lion's ceremonial regalia, all reconstructed from contemporary, illuminated manuscripts,  those objects that have survived for almost 800 years, and from the remains of objects disovered  during archeological digs. 

This model of a medieval farmshouse, shows the construction of the roof and the thatching.  It's a typical, Lower Saxony farm house, which accommodated entire, extended families at one end and housed at the other, the animals and foul during the long, snowy mid European winter.  So many of these buildings remain, especially in the farming areas, where they were untouched by the war. 

German roofs are built with a steeper pitch than those in England, and I like the extended, overhanging eaves, built to allow snow to slide off at a distance and not block the front entrance.  Many roofs have what look like steps climbing up the roof.  These are positioned over the door and support the snow,  stopping it plopping onto your head as you go out in the morning to collect the daily newpaper.  

A silver and brass coach and six horses.  I have no information at the moment about this exhibit, and will find out more when I return for another visit.  It was totally enchanting and exquisitely made.  The two silver pistols lie in the foreground.

A Visit to the Zoo in Stoeckheim.

Six of us went to the zoo yesterday, and ate Currywurst, drank beer, and had a really good time celebrating Monika's birthday. Her real birthday is in January, but she thinks it more fun to wait for summer and have a trip out in the fresh air with friends to celebrate. The zoo is not large, and has a collection of mostly small animals, monkeys, parrots, rabbits, pigs and goats, although we also saw some large friendly camels, a not so friendly tiger and a rather irritable large horse, who kicked his fence while his friends the ponies stood idly by and watched.  Interesting wooden sculptures and benches can be found  placed around the zoo, and to the left, you can see Monika and me with a very wooden man, his wooden hatted wife and  little wooden  son. With a plan of the zoo at hand, we wandered around and looked at  the animals, accompanied by what felt like the entire population of Braunschweig's young schoolchildren, all of whom had been let lose for the morning. 

Monika bought a bag of animal food, and suddenly became the best friend of the goats and camels. The lowest photo shows her feeding two of the bigger goats, the poor babies were pushed to one side and didn't get a look in.   The goats are kept in a pen where children can wander freely and stroke the animals,  although this is not possible with the tigers!

Squirrel monkey.

The little squirrel monkey above seemed just as interested in us as we were in him, but we were not allowed to feed him or his friends, so he and his companions clung to the fence and squealed a protest as we walked past.   The morning was overcast and cool, but by lunchtime,   as we arrived at the cafe,  the sun began to shine on our party, and a good time was had by all.  Thank you Monika for a lovely morning.

Monika feeds the adult goats.