May 2004
EAST AND WEST BERLIN JOINED: GERMAN PHILATELIC SOCIETY SALON
Köln Cathedral We had to change trains in Cologne, Germany. We took advantage of the almost two-hour layover to have good brats, pretzels, and great coffee. As our train pulled away from the station I snapped this picture of the famous cathedral.
I love this shot.
Berlin, Germany This is one of the first reminders of WWII devastation we saw on our way from the train station to our hotel.
Kaiser-Wilhelm Gedaechtniskirche ruin has been left as it stood after the bombing. The new church is the modern tower to the left.
So many tourists gather in this plaza to take pictures of this famous site. But a German aquaintance said that is not really what Berlin should be remembered by. He recommended we take pictures of the restoration and vibrancy of Berlin since the fall of the wall.
At the Flughafen Berlin-Templehof The German Philatelic Society held a salon at the airport. This was a dedication of a recent stamp issued honoring vacations.
Templehof airport played an important role in the end of WWII in Berlin. During the Berlin Airlift Allied planes would land here with food and medical supplies for the Berliners.
La vie en rose - Das Revuetheater in Berlin There was music reminicent of Marlene Dietrich, show girls dancing in lavishly appointed costumes, and a segment where a transvestite was torch singing. It was quite entertaining and well-done.
This was a dinner and show.
Mmmm pastries, bread, breakfast and great coffee Our hotel around the corner was too gosh darn expensive to have breakfast there. So we all came here to eat and socialize before the day's excursions and business.
I had the rhubarb torte-slices along with a salami sandwich on a wonderful roll. Of course what would breakfast be without strong coffee. Eine Tasse Kaffee bitte!
Bob wanted everything in the showcase but settled for a sandwich and slice of torte or a danish and coffee!
Berliner Mauer This commemorates where the Berlin Wall cuts through the city. It is a continuous reminder of where the wall stood for so many years.
Berliner Mauer This is a portion of the remains of the wall. It is hard to get a perspective on this section through the grated fence. This view serves as a distorted view same as that of those who built it in the first place.
Berliner Mauer Another symbol of where the wall stood.
Checkpoint Charley Now a reproduction of the original checkpoint. It is a tourist attraction with vendors selling Russian hats, and other souvenirs.
US Embassay The embassay is in the next block behind yet another set of concrete barriors and armoured fencing. This is as close as we could get.
The Finance Ministry The mural is depicting how wonderful life in the communist controlled country is. All happy faces, good jobs, lots of food, etc. This is the type of propaganda handed out to the people.
The Finance Ministry Inside this building is an unusual elevator. It has no doors, it is in constant motion -- very slow motion -- going to all floors. The men in the elevator are waiting for the chance to get off. If they miss their chance, they will go around again and get off from the spot next to them.
The Finance Ministry boardroom The image of the room in 1936 is shown on the wall while our host speaks on what signifigance this room had. During Hitler's terrorizing years, this room played a key role in Crystal Night. It was here Goring called in the insurance companies' officers to explain what was going to take place in the nights following that meeting.
He would explain how the homes and businesses of the Jews would be trashed... he would explain to the insurance companies that they should agree to pay any claims filed, but the money should never be given to the Jews... That money had to be given to the Reich to help finance the war and subsequent holocaust.
Our philatelic group listened to the English translation using earphones.
Mediaeval Berlin A portion of Berlin didn't sustain heavy damage.
The twin spires and towers is the Nikolaikirche (Nikolas Church).
Touring on the River Spree A city tour of Berlin from the Spree, the river cuts through the city past some very impressive buildings and monuments.
The glass dome in the background is the Reichstag Bulding, home of the German Bundestag. The glass dome symbolises the "openess of the German Parliament."
City Hall Schoenbrunn High in the tower is a replica of the Liberty Bell found in Philadelphia which was given to Berlin by the United States. It was almost noon and we all stood outside in the drizzling rain to hear the bell sound on the hour.
City Hall Schoenbrunn President John F. Kennedy spoke in this room. A plaque outside the building commerates the occasion.
The man in the picture was in the audience for the famous Kennedy speech, and later served as mayor here.
Our interpreter is next to him.
"Ich bin ein Berliner" The words spoken by Kennedy on this balcony to the throngs of Berlin citizens gathered to hear what the American President had to say. "I am a Berliner" translates to "I am a jelly donut" or so the story has been told of what JFK said. I don't know how true it is.
Bob is standing in JFK's place on the balcony. He is speaking to a couple drunks and three hookers below on the street who wanted to hear what that cooky stamp collector had to say.
Smart Cars Need I say more about the German way of advertising? I think the cars were advertising some grape drink...
KaDeWe To some, shopping is everything. To me it is just a giant department store in Berlin. This store is HUGE! The prices are too.
Looking for curtains The prices were a little more than I had thought to spend. I looked and looked for some curtain fabric for my living room. Well, I guess it will have to be on the next trip.
Several trips to Europe now I have purchased fabric to make curtains or table cloths. This is the type of souvenir I like to have...easy to pack and I don't have to worry about breakage.
Wind harvesting We are on our way to the Spreewald. (Forest on the river Spree.) These giant wind collectors stand like giants scattered in fields for miles. They are quite attractive as part of the scenery. Look how this one dwarfs those large trucks.
We have been told these collectors are close to 20 stories high. One produces enough electricity for 500 homes.
The stork is roosting It is a lucky household who has a stork nesting on its property. This farmer neer Spreewald built a nest for a stork family perched high above the field.
Stork is streching This is quite interesting. Something we don't see in the US. Along the road there is another nest with an internet camera focused on it. It is the StorkCam. The storks are in route to their winter quarters, I will put the link to stork cam on in the spring.
View of stork nest from camera. Depending on the time of year...there may not be any storks in the nest. They will return so check back.
Spreewald canals The attaction here is not just the pickles and food. It is a ride on a flat-bottomed boat with a person guiding the boat with a pole through the maze of canals.
In ancient times there was a "tribe" which lived in this area (Sorbs). They had their own language and some still speak it today. This part of Germany is not far from Poland. It is a farming community but has recently given way to summer cottages and tourists.
But even with a lot of busses of tourists that come and go, this community has still retained its quiet and quaintness.
Mr Gerkin Nose I think this is one of the gaurdians of the canal.
There are many different wood carvings with all sorts of noses... Don't say these people haven't a sense of humor.
Typical haystack
Wolfgang and Almuth's car Bob and I were picked up by friends of Ilse, our German teacher. They live in Berlin. It was Bob's birthday and we were going to Caputh by way of the VW Golf Ecomatic car.
This car was specially made to save on gas and help preserve the ecology. When you came to a stop light, put in neutral, cars shuts off, put in gear, car starts up automatically. If you are going down a hill, the car shuts off until you are at the bottom, car starts up automatically.
Quite interesting. Runs like a champ!
Babelsberg Castle near Caputh This is the former summer home of Emperor William I. This picture was taken from the Glienicke Bridge between Potsdam and Berlin, which until the fall of the "Wall" in 1989 symbolised the division of Europe.
This bridge was host to the exchange of political prisoners and/or spies taking place during the cold war. The spies would walk to the middle....in the foggy night....
Interesting mural in Caputh While we were waiting for the little ferry boat to take us aboard, Almuth and I walked about the block.
Waiting for the ferry I always try to take a picture of a post office box...for Bob. But the tree was more interesting to me against that stormy sky. So I got my wish while satisfying the PO box picture.
Those clouds produced hail and wind that caught up to us as we got closer to Almuth and Wolfgang's home.
Wolfgang's apartment building This is the most elegant home in this part of Berlin. This area of Berlin had very little damage from the war and there are many older homes scattered throughout the community.
His apartment is on the left and in the back. The picture on the right is from his balcony looking down to Almuth's door behand the trees.
Tree art We are now looking at one of the many pieces of art sculpture Almuth created. There was a sense of whimsy in Almuth's garden.
She is a gardener, artist and gourmet cook.
Bob and I enjoyed his birthday dinner of salad, wild boar stew and flan for dessert...all prepared by Almuth.
We had a wonderful time.
It'll
be May 28 soon.
We'll be in London that afternoon.
Copyright 2004 Karen Porteous Glass. All rights reserved.