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! 

Olympics Sidelights

It's very exciting having the Olympics here in London, but I've never been into competitive sport, so sorry but you will have to look elsewhere for a commentary on the games. But it's so much fun to go around the city and find that parts of it have been totally transformed. It makes it feel like a new place.

Yesterday, for instance, outside Southwark Cathedral, a large area was cordoned off and painted bright red, in fact, VERY bright headache-inducing red. I spotted a figure of Wenlock, the Olympic mascot. That's him, on the left.

Personally I find Wenlock pretty darn creepy with his single eye, although he is certainly memorable. Anyway behind Wenlock was a small climbing wall, with some people scrambling up it.

This wall was called a "Qualification Park." I was intrigued, and found that if you climb up to the top (honestly it is not very far), you are entered into a competition for a very interesting sounding prize - a place for the winner and friend on the special anniversary trip in 2013 to commemorate the original Thomas Cook trip to Switzerland in 1863.

I was too hot to enter but I might go back and have a go later. If you're on the south bank and want to enter, the contest closing date is 12 August.

A bit further on I saw something being put together. What was it? I had absolutely no idea, It was also that dazzling shade of red, but I learned that it was nothing to do with Switzerland.

.

I asked one of these men in yellow jackets (the one on the right) to tell me all about it. I wish I had taken a close up photo of this man - he looked wonderful, with coloured dreadlocks and teeth patched all over with gold, so his mouth sparkled and twinkled as he spoke.

Yes, he said, it was to do with the Olympics. No, he didn't know what it was, although someone had told him it was connected with an American supermarket chain called Target. We agreed we couldn't imagine what an American supermarket chain might be promoting in the London Olympics. He added "Actually I think this thing is a tribute to Dr. Dre's headphones."

Well, I'll probably find out next time I pass, but it might not be as good as Dr. Dre.

There were lots of police mingling with the crowds, and quite a few "Olympic Ambassadors." This group were having fun, chatting and laughing together. The Ambassador idea is very inclusive, and old, young, disabled or able bodied have all applied.

There was a great atmosphere on the South Bank, and I hope the Games are just as much fun, and that the sun continues to shine. After all the rain we have been having, you won't catch me complaining even if it is, actually, a bit too hot.

Picking Blackcurrants out of the Sandwich ...

Just returned from a short, late concert at the South Bank (above). It was a masterclass with Martin Feinstein on the flute and Robin Bigwood on the harpsichord, doing Bach's Sonata in B Minor. It was very good.



On the way back we admired the fine view from the footpath across Hungerford Bridge (below). The views from Hungerford Bridge and Waterloo Bridge must be among the best in London.

The pointy thing like a red church steeple towards the left of the picture is in fact a pop up hotel, with just one room, built like a ship, with commanding views of the river. The "spire" is in fact the mast, with rigging up to the top.

What a fantastic place to stay! no wonder it's booked solid. There were people out on the "deck" surveying the scene with drinks, but you can't see them in the photo.

On the train we sat opposite this peaceful trio, the guy consulting his phone while his lady friends sleep, one on each shoulder.



And now I have to sort out S's sandwiches. We're going to the International Festival of Railway Modelling tomorrow, at Alexandra Palace. It looks as if I will have to pick the blackcurrants out before I wrap them up, because I sure don't want him doing it tomorrow lunchtime at the festival - I can just imagine the stickiness.



Sigh, I could do without picking blackcurrants out of sandwiches tonight. So I'd better finish posting this blog and go and do it. By the way, I will be pretty busy for the next little while. I hope it will be interesting but I may not have time to visit everyone's blogs for a week or so, though I should be able to post at least once in that time.

Yes, it's the South Bank - Van Gogh, Sunflowers, Cycling Lizards and the Eye

No, it wasn't a flat picture. This is a life sized 3D painted SCULPTURE of Vincent Van Gogh and it is based on his own famous self portrait.     I saw it the other day in Gabriel's Wharf, in London's South Bank.   It was really disconcerting, and the reflections in the glass make his head seem a strange shape, which adds to the odd effect.

Gabriel's Wharf is just East of the National Theatre, and is part of the Coin St. development.  The good people at Coin St. were the first to spot the potential of this area.  It's strange to think that others didn't, because these days, the walk from Westminster Bridge to Tower Bridge is a highlight of any trip to London.

There is so much to look at - from ingenious street entertainers and "human statues" 

to major attractions like the London Eye (which we went on.)

In summer and at weekends there are often festivals and all kinds of free entertainment on the South Bank.  We saw a free street dance class at the National Theatre. You could participate yourself, or else sit on deckchairs or on giant astroturf armchairs

and relax, and/or watch everyone having fun.

The folks at Coin St. spotted the potential of the area when it was semi-derelict, back in 1984.  This was before the developers of expensive restaurants and fancy apartments moved in, and frankly you'd have had to be mad to want to live there in those days, because it was a wasteland of broken down factories and abandoned enterprises. 

The unimaginative plan at the time was to redevelop the riverside site as office blocks (and one or two did get built - they're now dead zones).   But a group of far sighted local people formed the social enterprise and development trust of Coin Street.  They developed a neighbourhood of public housing, with space for families and children to live and play, and with space for small businesses.

Gabriel's Wharf is full of small (and good) craft shops reasonably priced (and fun) places to eat and other things.

And that's great - places like this are always fun to browse around. But what makes this place special is that it's the stretch of riverside which also has many major national entertainment venues and national attractions. As well as the little enclave of Gabriel's Wharf, and the National Theatre, you'll find Tate Modern, The British Film Institute, the South Bank Centre, which is London's major concert hall venues of the Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall and Purcell Room. There are cinemas, including a large IMAX, many renowned restaurants, good eateries and splendid shops, an amphitheatre and ... oh, all kinds of other things, temporary and permanent.   

Very near Gabriel's Wharf, the South Bank Centre is holding its 1951 festival, based around the Festival of Britain. I will try and blog about this later, because it's very interesting - and there's also a very nice gourmet food market currently in residence on the space behind the hall.

Meanwhile, though, their seaside and countryside celebrations include a beautiful temporary garden of fruit and vegetables amidst the concrete canyons by the Hayward Gallery (oh, yes, I forgot to mention that - currently showing one of my un-favourite artists, the self-publicising Tracey Emin, but it does have some spectacular shows at other times) .   In the garden,  I admired the gorgeous double hollyhocks, which seemed particularly beautiful in bright sunshine, as it was a lovely day.

And, since this post started with Van Gogh, here are some sunflowers from that little nearby garrden. 

 You can see Van Gogh's actual sunflower painting in the National Gallery which is not too far away.  Although I love Van Gogh's paintings, I myself prefer real sunflowers.

I think we're very lucky in London to have a space like this, where a short walk along the river can reveal so many new, unexpected and ever-changing delights.

The Leg

I was walking along the South Bank in London, just by City Hall, past groups of people sitting around enjoying the sunshine, listening to music in the outdoor auditorium, hurrying off to do some shopping, eating their lunchtime sandwiches,  and so on - when all of a sudden this leg rose slowly and silently from behind a pile of stacked up slabs.

Various ideas rose in my head along the lines of ... "Hey, is that a real leg?" 

And "It's naked - is its owner wearing any clothes?"

And ... well.

If you look closely you'll see it's actually 2 legs. They belonged to a woman doing yoga on a low wall.   Wearing clothes.  And nobody, apart from me, was taking any notice of her.

Just a typical moment in London.