Tuesday 21 August 2018

Berlin and London, August.

I'm much better and so glad not to be focusing on the stupid ankle any more.  Since my last post I've been to Berlin with T and young S,and it was fun, even in temperatures of 37 deg (around 99F).  On the first day we went right up in to the dome of the Reichstag Building where the internal temperature was hitting 40 degrees - 104F.   The police (I was told) would have stepped in and closed the dome if it had got just a bit hotter. But, they didn't, and we survived without heatstroke.  The central core of the dome is all mirrors and windows - dizzying and wonderful. This picture is taken from the bottom, looking up to the top of the dome. 


As you walk round and round, slowly climbing higher,  you get panoramic views over Berlin.


This is the Tiergarten park from the roof on which the dome stands, but as you see, we did go higher.


Online brochures exist with detailed info on this complex, symbolic and interesting group of buildings.   But to stick to the Reichstag Building, it was built in the 1890s on the site of a palace belonging to someone called Count Raczynski (poor fellow, it seemed nobody warned him that this was the plan)  It  burned down in 1933, was patched up in the 1960s by the Communists as an exhibition hall, and finally remodelled after German reunification by Norman Foster.  

The German parliament is now called the Bundestag, but the Reichstag Building was such a landmark that the old name was kept.  Every detail of the rebuild was carefully thought out, even down to the MPs' violet-blue adjustable seating. Not only is "Reichstag Blue" a gorgeous colour, but, it was chosen to be politically neutral, and so has actually been copyrighted! (Made me wonder what colour one might associate with our own Houses of Parliament.   "HP Sauce Brown", perhaps? And what colour would symbolise the US Capitol Building?)


Care has been taken not to obliterate all evidence of the building's past - I liked this section of preserved ruined wall, complete with graffiti from  Russian Zone days.  If you read Russian, please tell me what it says. 


S. is a history nut and shares our own love of museums, so most of our time was spent in the city's many historical museums.  My favourite was the DDR Museum, which offers glimpses of the weird world of Communist East Germany,  known (misleadingly) as the Deutsche Demokratische Republik, since it was only democratic in name.

One thing the museum shows is that the ideas behind East German communism sounded pretty good.  What's not to like about a job, a home and paid holidays for everyone?   But as we know, the rhetoric didn't match the bullying reality, and the Wall was built to stop people escaping from this would-be political paradise.  And if you visit the fascinating but uber-touristy Checkpoint Charlie museum,....say this isn't touristy -


....you'll see the many ingenious, pathetic and startling ways people risked their lives to be free of the DDR.    

Still, I was touched by a few of the films in the DDR Museum which showed how, even under a corrupt and monolithic system, efforts really were made to create a better society.     The gigantic blocks of Plattenbauten, though hideous to our eyes, did replace vermin ridden slums, and they did have have children's playgrounds, fountains and squares. And among the oldies visiting the museum, there were a few muted cries of joy at the sight of Clown Ferdinand children's TV programme and the dear old "Trabi" car.

 I don't think many were nostalgic for the Stasi, though. 


This is the Secret Police eavesdropping room, from which you can listen in to some of the bugs planted about the museum - pink arrow points to the listening-in point, with electric typewriter at the ready for your reports. 

Another attention grabber was the unexpected group of nudist dioramas.  


 I don't think it was actually compulsory to have those paid holidays in the buff in the DDR, but in his fascinating blog, John Paul Kleiner suggests that taking your clothes off and "being yourself" might have been one way in which residents of Communist Germany could assert their own individuality.  

The mighty German Historical Museum was S.'s favourite, and we spent a whole day there. It's excellent but very serious, focusing heavily on politics, trade and Germany's place in the wider world.   I have to admit that while S. was considering the Hanseatic League, we spent some time in  the museum's very pleasant riverside cafe. But in its section on the Weimar Republic of the 1930s,  I spotted a picture which reminded me to visit the Käthe Kollwitz house next time I go to Berlin.  As you see, when spotted casually from a distance, the picture looks like Hitler in his SS uniform.


Close up you see what it really is - Hunger. Disturbing, but brilliant, I though. 


Käthe Kollwitz  was recommended to me by a cousin, and reading about her life and visiting these Berlin museums (and also the Hiroshima Peace Museum) has made me aware of the lessons that Germany and Japan have, in general,  learned from being the losers in war. The biggest of these seems to be that cooperation and peace serve ordinary people better than any amount of flag waving and foreigner-bashing.  

And now I'm home, I'm more than delighted to be getting out into London again. Have been joining in with picking blackberries and elderberries in overgrown corners, and would pick rosehips except that they look so pretty on the bushes....


And I have been cycling to the South Bank where everyone had such a good time in the hot weather.  Here's a "sandy beach" installed alongside the Thames.  Ideal for amusing the tots. 


The nearby fountain shown below also never fails to amuse.  It shoots up "walls" of water unpredictably, at different heights, and adults and kids alike were so loving it in the boiling weather, even when clothed.  


 In the background you see a yellow tent with live music - some of it very quirky and lots of fun. 


This was one of the acts -  "Figs in Wigs", aka the "Dancing Beings"  giving an eye catching performance of 70s dancing, and also running a pea-eating contest.  No, I don't know what the point of it was either, but everyone had a good time.  The London Eye was slowly going round in the background and the many eating places were sending up some good smells.   And they don't even mind kids climbing on the sculptures here.....


We have just been to the Royal Academy Summer Show.... wow, was that busy. And full of astonishing pictures and ideas.  But too much to write about right now, this post is long enough. 


I hope you are continuing to enjoy your summer! 

67 comments:

  1. So pleased that you are now feeling better. The shots of Germany look fascinating, especially the dome.

    The Figs in Wigs cracked me up, they look like more like Runner beans, but that doesn't sound so good does it?

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    1. Haha! Actually from the amazing 70s way they were dancing they looked like the Jumping Beans LOL

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  2. To think that East Germany was ot all that long ago.

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    1. I wish I'd gone when the wall came down but I just couldn't spare the time off.

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  3. Our heat equals what you found in Germany. Kudos to you for making it up the dome of the building. The scenery was worth the trip.

    I love museums and all that I can learn from visiting them. So much of history is forgotten and ignored which leads the world to make the same mistakes all over again. In this very techie world we live in, we press forward with little concern for the outcomes, but move backwards in human value and what really matters.

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    1. I agree with you that the lessons of history are often forgotten. I think that social media, watching too much news TV, or listening to too much news radio, are partly to blame for getting people completely snarled up and in touch with all each others' anxieties and problems. I've cut out radio and TV news altogether, and substantially cut down Twitter. It makes one feel less apprehensive.

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  4. Wow is right. Such a fun trip. Thanks for taking me.

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  5. So much packed into a short space here! I am not sure I would be able to go to those museums. When I was in Germany so many years ago I felt a constant heaviness which was probably my imagination but it felt real. And yet- I do believe we should not forget any part of what has happened in the past. I fear that even if we do remember, we are doomed to repeat it.

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    1. I lived in Germany as a child as my dad was in BAOR and there was definitely a feeling of heaviness then, part of the time we only lived a few kilometres from Belsen, and although the war was long over by then, many of the locals had lived with it on their doorsteps and I reckon this had some effect on them, if only because they had to find some way of mentally and emotionally accommodating it. Now, though, Germany has a different atmosphere.

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  6. Now that is a long time since I visited Berlin and when I did the place was not like that. Here is my blog showing photos of the place when I visited and the wall was in place. Must admit it is one place I would like to return to if I got the chance. PS I have visited the DDR side after the wall came down and it was quite dismal like a lot of the citys in the east I worked in
    https://spudsdailyphoto.blogspot.com/2014/11/25-years-ago.html

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    1. What an interesting post, and you did indeed photograph the very place. It must have been so grim, And it's so nice now to see it prosperous and clean.

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  7. The only time we visited Berlin it was still a divided city, would love to go back.

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    1. You would be astounded at the difference. Maybe you can make a trip - it is one of the most culturally fascinating cities.

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  8. Hello, Jenny!
    Your trip has been interesting, especially in Berlin's museums. The graffiti on Reichstag wall says: 'Glory to those who have hoisted the banner of Victory over Berlin! Shindroev, Alexandrov, Nalivaiko' The last three are the family names of Russian soldiers.
    I liked your London's photos, the fountain is amazing.
    Hugs!

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    1. Thank you Nadezda! I am glad to know what the graffiti says. There was a comment from Bill Nicholls to the post which links to his pictures taken before the wall came down, it is so grim and you can get an impression of how it would be possible to have a situation when this could be written on a wall in the Parliament.( And now it makes an interesting architectural feature! :))

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  9. This post has been the best adventure! Just what has been needed during this time of healing. I have wanted to spend time in Berlin, I think this convinces me. The small drawing of Hitler hunger is astonishing in it's powerful message. Yes, Berlin is on the short list!
    I miss England so much, you bring it home to me every time, so grateful for your posts!

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    1. Thanks - I hope you get to Berlin .... and certainly back to London too! (I really need to know who Lady Margaret is btw )

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  10. Oh wow! This post was packed full of interesting sights and information. I love that you share it with us. Glad you are feeling better, Jenny! Soon will be happy fall over here. I hope. Been a hot and sticky summer. ;)

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    1. I'm glad that summer isn't usually sticky here, Rita. I love sunshine but hate too much of anything. So often autumn and spring are the best times to appreciate nature!

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  11. Glad to know you are feeling better, and a trip to all of those museums would be wonderful.

    How does one go about copyrighting a color, i had no idea that could be done. Don't even try to assign a color to the US, they would fight so much and throw so much color around it would mix and become a black sludge.

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    1. I think it's a bit like that here, too, Jackie - HP Sauce is kind of sludge coloured though :) I don't know how a colour can be copyrighted but the guide said so and she was so well informed that I am sure it must be true. Should have thought to ask really....

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  12. Hello Jenny, What a fun post, and it sure looks hot over there. Having so recently visited Berlin, I was fascinated by your experiences. Going up in that fantastic dome is awesome (we only saw it from the bus), and I Love those blue seats. You saw some different and very interesting museums. The history is certainly dark, but they appear to be preserving memories but rebuilding a vibrant modern city. We enjoyed Checkpoint Charlie but went into the little museum on the other side of the street, which had film footing from those times (which we can recall from our youth). It is so wonderful to be able to pick berries! Keep cool Jenny.

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    1. Yes, I thought you'd be interested in posts about Berlin, as I was interested in yours. Checkpoint Charlie is a lot of fun, and in a way nice to think of tourists posing and making goofy faces and wearing silly hats when you think what it must have been like before. I liked that museum too. We didn't have time to visit it this time, though.

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  13. Checkpoint Charlie was an utterly stark place during my brief visit there in the early seventies, as was the eastern side of the wall. I wish the US would learn some of the same lessons you mention. As for aches and pains, mine have returned. I hope you enjoy the rest of the summer as well.

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    1. One of the nice things about visiting a city over the years that is "in recovery" is to see how much better everything gets. Berlin has a more cheerful atmosphere these days, although you do need to be careful not to find yourself into one of the wartime museums or memorials. Then, you realise.

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  14. Hello Jenny, I don't know if I would make a special trip to the DDR museum, but once there I am sure I could learn a lot about a unique place and time. I like nibbling rose hips, and don't elderberries and blackberries also look good on the plants? There are few more pleasant sights than trees or bushes loaded with ripe fruit! I have to leave the U.S. soon, and will be missing the bulk of the harvest season.
    --Jim

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    1. It sounds as if you will be going somewhere that is not having its autumn - southern hemisphere? I used to have rose hip syrup when I was a kid, it was said to be full of Vitamin C although I'm sure it was also full of sugar!

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  15. This was a great post, Jenny, thank you! It is always very interesting for me to read what visitors write about my country. Berlin is not a place I am familiar with (having been there only once), but of course I know loads about our history and just wish we'd stick to the lessons we have been learning the hard way.

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    1. I know what you mean, but I still feel the atmosphere in Germany is far less toxic than it is in many other places. There are always problems, of course, and I was talking to a German journalist not long ago who was very doomy about the far right in Germany. He worked for a German political TV station but he did add that they were watching things in Britain very carefully - if we really do crash in flames it will be a dreadful warning for the rest of Europe and he thought would hit support for the far right which was essentially saying the same stuff as the Brexiters.

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  16. PS: And I am very glad to read that you are much better!!

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    1. thank you! I was wondering how your eye is, and plan to ask as soon as I have read and commented on your latest post. :)

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  17. When I think of Berlin, I always visualize the decadence and artist creativity of the 1920's and early '30's (the era of Isherwood). I had no idea that it could get over 100 degrees (F) there in the summer. Wow! I'd love to have climbed the dome in the Reichstag Building - but perhaps not in the heat.
    I hope you'll get a chance to visit the Kathe Kollwitz house next time you go.
    I laughed when I saw the "Figs in Wigs". (I admittedly would never win a pea-eating contest...)

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    1. There's a lot of interesting art from that period, sort of dancing in the shadow of the storm, I guess. Figs in Wigs were certainly eye catching, unfortunately I didn't get a film of their actual dancing, it was hilarious!

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  18. I loved the Reichstag Building but you have better photos of Tiergarten park from the roof.
    Thank you for the link
    Hels
    https://melbourneblogger.blogspot.com/2018/05/a-very-special-parliamentary-building.html

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    1. Thanks, that was a very interesting post. I have left a comment there!

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  19. Another great post! You provide the best!
    Berlin has so many historical places to visit, there again I grew up after the war so it sticks in the mind.
    So many museums to visit, what a great city.
    I am awaiting the next post already.

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    1. Thanks, and I really hope the next post isn't quite so long coming along too! I definitely suggest a visit to Berlin if you're interested in military history, this is one of S's interests and he could hardly be prised away from some places we saw!

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  20. Berlin was a no-no to visit for so long but when finally I was persuaded to go there I found it a lovely area. The memories take a long time to disappear though.

    This may be a long post but I enjoyed reading everything. Thank you.

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    1. Thanks Valerie! I am glad you too liked Berlin. Just outside the city there are little "colonie-gardens" which are charming to visit, they're like glorified allotments but people build little holiday homes on them which they go to year in and year out. I found that very charming.

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  21. I loved Berlin - and the weather was equally hot when I went (a couple of years ago) so I spent less time in museums and art galleries and more pottering about the streets and sitting by the river with a beer. Now I’ll have to go back when it’s chilly!

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    1. Yes, sitting in cafes was certainly a pretty appealing option (so long as they had a/c) although there were also wasps out in force in places....lol

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  22. Jenny and I were planning a visit to Berlin and Hamburg in June but had to cancel after my mum died a few days before. We went to Berlin a couple of years ago and loved it. Great atmosphere, friendly and relaxed, and we went to all the museums about the Holocaust, East Germany, the Stasi etc. Both informative and shocking.

    I'm not surprised the RA Summer Show was packed after the TV puff by Grayson Perry. My mum and I went to the Show one year but she totally didn't appreciate the modern art, which was frustrating!

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    1. I am sorry you had to cancel your visit and hope you get the chance to go again - it's changing all the time. I didn't see the Grayson Perry puff but I always go to anything I spot his name on - he usually makes me think of things in a slightly different way.

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  23. A fabulous post, Jenny. I've never been to Berlin, but now I've seen your photos here and read about what you've seen, I'll push it up my wishlist. London in summer is just glorious and what a summer it's been. I love your photos of the South Bank. So lively and creative.

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    1. Thank you Val. I am somehow surprised you have not been to Berlin, I have a picture of you buzzing all over Europe and visiting more places than I ever will on the continent... but anyhow, let me recommend it. It has to me something of a similar vibe in some ways to Rotterdam. I wonder if you would agree!

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  24. I've eagerly been awaiting your Berlin post, since I knew you were quite impressed. I think your observation about Japan/Germany/losers in the war is quite astute and spot on. Sometimes the winners don't do it so well...

    I think I would get lost in the museums as well. They sound fascinating. And so does the "beach" on the Thames! Looks like loads of fun!

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    1. I am not sure the beach will still be there when you arrive, but there is often a lot of good stuff going on at the South Bank, and when you come I think there will be different things to see!

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  25. Wow, what an interesting place to visit. I've not yet been to Germany (just the German part of Switzerland).

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    1. Not quite the same, although I always think Switzerland is more like Germany than Austria is, for some reason!

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  26. I'm glad to see that you've recovered and can have equal enjoyment in Berlin and London.

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    1. Thank you - and I do feel more or less better. In fact, today I managed to cycle up a steep hill I've been dreading having a go at. What's more, I reached the top.

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  27. I'm quite envious. We spent many Octobers staying with German friends in Heiligensee and seeing both West Berlin and, occasionally, the East too. We had to travel through Checkpoint Charlie whilst our friends had to travel through a separate checkpoint. They had friends in the East. They were fascinating days seeing Berlin through the eyes of a resident and not as a tourist. I was there as the wall came down. I've never been back.

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    1. I'm envious of people who saw Berlin pre reunification. Depressing though it sounds, it was a way of life which was unique to a limited period of time and experiencing it would have left an impression, I think. (I feel slightly uncomfortable writing that, for some reason, I think it is because so many lost their lives trying to escape).

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  28. Far too long since I popped in, Jenny; hope all is tickety-boo! I was fascinated to see and read your experiences in Berlin. I visited just before the wall came down, including a brief trip into East Berlin, and it made a huge impression on me. Notwithstanding the tragedy, it was a piece of history. And there was a wonderful market, I remember! I get the impression it has a kind of avant-garde atmosphere in places now, rather like the '30s?!

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  29. I have never seen an eavesdropping room. People have paid a lot of consideration to obtain freedom.

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  30. Glad to know your ankle is healing well. You made me giggle a bit with that Checkpoint Charlie remark. I used to include Checkpoint Charlie in all my German lessons when I ran the club in my primary school. The children didn't know that at some point Berlin was divided between East and West. :-)

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  31. Good to have you back, Jenny. I'm pleased to hear your ankle is behaving itself. That being so, doesn't mean you have to, though!

    Another interesting, fascinating post.

    Take care. Still winter here...Spring will spring on us this Saturday. :)

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  32. I adore the South Bank, you are so lucky to cycle to it!
    When I saw your photo of the museum of Checkpoint Charlie, it makes me think of my Dad who was in Berlin at the end of World War II. He was there by the request of the U.S. Army! I hope that those who visit the touristy spot will remember the U.S. soldiers with respect.

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  33. Wow! Thanks for taking me on a virtual tour! I loved it all! Evoked memories of my own trip!

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  34. I'm glad your ankle is all better!

    Though I've never been to Berlin, I appreciate all the history there and the lessons to be learned from it. Sometimes the divided Germany seems so long ago, sometimes it seems like the wall just came down a few short years ago.

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  35. So much to see in this post. I find the info on Germany quite interesting. It is good to get a little history. Your hot weather has made the news here. Hope it is back to normal.

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  36. WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    you are so lucky to visit so many places dear Jenny!

    best part of all that you were able to think about world around you rather than ankle

    loved that glass building ,going higher can make me nervous as glass can create illusions

    My son lives in other part of Germany as you know in city Munich and adore it's neatness and discipline so much

    your post provoked me to know more about Germany's history

    if to be yourself is all need to take off clothes world would be the funny place

    So loved the pics of your area in last where you cycle often

    happy lovely weather and soothing surroundings!

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  37. I have looked all through my Settings and can't find a fix. I suppose one could subscribe by email, but that seems to be over-the-top.

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