Random photos from my windows and from a walk to Engelbecken
Phototour to “Verlassene Lungenheilstätte Grabowsee” with Volkshochschule 27 April
IN PROGRESS
Impressions from Berlin Gallery Weekend 2024
Events on InterNations and other activities
Events on internations.org, in my whatsapp group for visiting wine bars and wine festivals, and playing bridge.
Breaking news (not InterNations related)
I have started a Whatsapp group (now called coomunity) in Whatsapp lingo) called Pub Quizzes in Berlin. If you are interested in attending pub quizzes, I think you can add yourself to it, or ask me by e-mailing me your phone number.
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May 2024
10 May: Photo Tour with Go2know
16 May: Das Kleine Grosz Museum
April 2024
14 April: A play at Schaubühne
16 April: Unerhörte Musik, BKA
23 April: Caspar David Friedrich in Alte Nationalgalerie
24 to 28 April: Berlin Gallery Weekend – two gallery walks – see separate post
30 April afternoon: Academy Concert
30 April: Unerhörte Musik, BKA
March 2024
5 March Unerhörte Musik, BKA Theater
13 March A Jazz Concert in a Jazz Club
20 March Photo walk Döberitzer Heide
27 March: The Holdovers (organised by me), followed by Indian dinner (organised by Rakesh)
28 March afternoon: The Zone of Interest in my favourite cinema
29 March EITHER Bridge at my Place, OR a jazz concert in B-Flat
30 March organ concert Konzerthaus
31 March Birds (and more) photography walk
February 2024
5 February: Another Film-maker who needs no introduction
11 February: Spring wine fair in Hamburg
18 February: Photowalk in Gropiusstadt (not organised by me. Photos will appear in a separate post)
19 February: A Berlinale film
20 February: A Berlinale film
21 February: Two Berlinale films
27 February: Unerhörte Musik, BKA Theater
January 2024
4 January 11.00: Art between politics and society
10 January 11.00: Two exhibitions and a short walk in Kreuzberg – (Find the map of the walking route here).
18 January 18.00: Opening of a group exhibition in a relatively new exhibition space in Mitte
21 January: Photo-Pub (not organised by me)
CANCELLED: 25 January 14.00: Gallery Walk: 1. Galerie Dittrich & Schlechtriem, 2. Galerie Eigen & Art, 3. Galerie Weißer Elephant, 4. Alfred Ehrhard Stiftung, 5. ifa Galerie, and 6. Telegrafenamt, where Galerie König (Alexandrinenstraße) has opened a kind of satellite exhibition. Find a map of the route here.
30 January 11.00: Ken Loach’s latest masterpiece
31 January 12.30: Free lunch concert
LATEST NEWS
About playing bridge, and visiting wine bars and wine festivals in Berlin:
I was hoping to start one group on InterNations.org with the purpose of playing bridge, and another one with the purpose of visiting wine bars and wine festivals, but they would not let me do that (why am I not surprised?). The reason I was given was that those purposes are not specific enough. ??? don’t ask.
Consequently, if you are interested in playing bridge with an already existing small group of people, please find more information in this category.
If you are a wine enthusiast and interested in going out for a glass or two of good wine once or twice a month in a wine bar or at a wine festival, I have started a whatsapp group for the purpose. Please let me have your phone number on this email address if you would like to be added to that mailing list. Also see this post.
And finally, for opportunities for birdwatching and -photography, please see this post about bird-watching in English with VHS Volkshochschule and with NABU.
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By the way – is it a sign of the times (which Stephen Fry aptly calls The Age of Infantilism) that internations.org groups with silly titles such as “Berlin Good Vibes, Good Times Group”, and “Berlin Keep Calm I’m Just Offline Group” are considered specific enough (???) to be approved, but a group about playing bridge, and one about visiting wine bars and wine festivals are not specific enough to be approved? How the f… could “play bridge” be made any more specific? Or do they just hate me because I have been critical of them many times over the decades, and even left altogether a couple of times?
March 2024
7 March: Two world premieres in one of Berlin’s best concert halls.
December 2023
1 December 14.00: The annual pop-up mini art fair
5 December 16.00: Current Academy Students, Future Stars #1
5 December 20.00: New Music for Asian string quintet
13 December 16.00: Current Academy Students, Future Stars #2
November 2023
17 November 11.00: Same theme – two locations – #1
17 November 14.30: Same theme – two locations – #2
22 November 18:00: A meditative musical style
24 November 10.00: Breakfast and two photography exhibitions
28 November 20.00: New music for string quartet
October 2023
8 October: Guided tour of highlights of Pergamonmuseum: Photos to come in a separate post.
(Followed by “Vegan Sundays“, and a theatre performance suggested on internations but not posted as events).
12 October: Film in Human Rights Film Festival (not posted by me)
14 October: Gallery event organised by the photography group
If it does not rain, followed by:
14 October 17.00 hrs: IN THE WHATSAPP GROUP for Berlin Wine Enthusiasts: Winzerherbst Tempelhofer Hafen. For more information, e-mail me here.
20 October: Berlinische Galerie (Munch)
26 October: Art and Architecture on a day-trip to Wolfsburg. Städtische Galerie and Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg featuring works from Charkiwer Schule der Fotografie. FIND THE ROUTE HERE.
September 2023
2 September: Museum der Bildenden Künste and Spinnerei Leipzig
8 September: Guided tour before the official opening of Fotografiska
Interesting interior preserved (“unter Denkmalschutz”) from the Tacheles days, and promising, judging by the three opening exhibitions. Unfortunately, yet another new establishment designed to keep grown-ups out – with annoying “music” in most parts.
9 September: Wein- und Winzerfest am Dorfteich Lichtenrade
A good opportunity to sample wines from small regional, and beyond, wine producers in idyllic surroundings and a nice atmosphere. I had a most pleasant time with two other InterNations members who actually turned up on time (so I will probably do this again – despite a recurring issue which I could avoid by just going by myself):
When posting an event on internations.org, it is for some inscrutable reason obligatory to state not only a start time (obviously) but also an end time. Now, what to me, but since thinking has become so last century not to everybody, is blatantly obvious is that it is impossible to predict how long, or short, I or anyone else will want to stay in a place. Personally, I don’t like to stay anywhere for more than a couple of hours, max., but in some cases, I randomly allow for the possibility that others might when I state the obligatory end time.
Invariably, there are people who will arrive close to the end time, without having notified anybody that they will be late, and complain that there is no longer anybody there. If I allow too short a time span, others will complain that it is not worth it to go all that way for such a short time.
You can’t win.
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Berlin Art Week 13 to 17 September
See separate post here
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Possibly: Modern architecture in Rotterdam
Perhaps on this ZEIT REISEN trip, or – more likely visiting the same places by myself.
A walk in Tiergarten and testing of new 70-300mm 17 April
Basel June 2024
Random photos from14 and 15 April
An early Sunday morning walk at Landwehrkanal and and photos from Monday morning when I was early for a breakfast appointment near the central station.
And another thing that (I hope) is peculiar to Berlin
While I am in the process of getting things off my chest: Here, rules are not rules. Everything is debatable. At least in flat-owners meetings (Eigentümerversammlungen).
The first time I came across this phenomenon was when the people who ran the café in the ground floor of my building asked for permission to install a cash withdrawal machine in the café. For some strange reason still incomprehensible to me, that had to be approved in the annual meeting of owners.
In what I have since come to see as a pattern, of course the answer was no, because the people who asked for this permission were not ethnic Germans. My first real encounter with racism in this country, described in more detail in this post.
In any case, the way these things go is: Year one: a proposal is made and discussed in the annual meeting. Year two: the issue is put to the vote. Year three: the issue is implemented. That is how long things take.
On to the next issue: BBQ-ing, or grilling, on the balconies. The first spring and summer I lived here I could not believe that that was really happening, and to what extent. Of course that only got worse during Covid, the level of home outdoor cooking increased, as did everybody else’s need for spending time on their balconies. For a couple of hours each day, we have to keep doors and windows closed to avoid that stink, which I have always hated, entering our flats and hanging in clothes and furniture.
When I asked our Hausverwaltung (“admin”) – years ago – whether that is really allowed, the answer was vague and wishy-washy – that as long as nobody complains, then yes. Pathetic. And since I am also an immigrant, I knew what the reply would be if I took it up in the owners meeting, so I did not bother.
In the meantime, after last year’s owners meeting, I decided that the atmosphere and tone there is so confrontational, hostile and toxic that I am not going to attend any further meetings. There is especially one person there who for some reason seems to have a lot of power, and each time I dare to open my mouth, immediately contradicts me, like a metaphorical slap in the face, before I even manage to finish one sentence. Being treated like that is a complete waste of time.
Now to the current issue. I have to have a window replaced, and it turns out that that requires a plate on the outside of the building to be removed in order to install the window, and then put back again. An incredibly stupid way of building buldings. Anyway, there is a rule, or so I thought, that basically, indoor repairs are paid by the owner, and anything facade related is paid by admin. So when I asked them who were to pay the cost of renting one of those ladders needed for this operation (between 2000 and 3000 euro) I was told to pay, and then take up the issue of a refund in the next owners meeting.
Will I bother, forget last year’s promise to myself, and give them the pleasure of interrupting me and refusing before I have even had a chance to make my case? Don’t be ridiculous. Not worth ruining an evening for.
Berlin is proud of its wildlife. Or is it?
There is an amazing wildlife in and around Berlin, from inner city to outskirts, and I have always thought it was a source of pride and joy to Berlin and berliners.
But perhaps that is just hypocrisy.
About a month ago, I discovered an injured female tufted duck on Landwehrkanal. There is a small mound of earth by the bank just across from Vivantes and the van Loon restaurant ship where a couple of swans, and now also this injured duck, congregate.
As can be seen in the photo, the duck has a badly broken wing.
Because of a concrete wall, the location is not immediately accessible, at least not to me, and I am quite sure that even if someone did manage to climb down, the duck would flee into the water. A net and perhaps a small boat would be needed.
As can be seen in the photo, the duck has a badly broken wing. She normally sits very still but sometimes goes to the edge of the water to drink, and when she is startled, she also goes in and manages to swim for a short while before coming back on dry land.
The first time I saw her, there were people there who said it had been reported to the relevant authorities. I have since been back about once a week, including yesterday morning, and she is still there, getting smaller and smaller and sitting more and more still. Dying a slow and, I imagine, agonising death.
On several occasions, I have reported it to two organisations pretending to concern themselves with wildlife rescue, and their standard reply is – we know – many people are reporting on this – we have been there several times and could not find the duck. We will try again tomorrow. And then nothing happens.
So much for Berlin’s love of its wildlife.