Assignment theme: journey to or from love, in recognition of Valentine’s Day (another commercial construct).
My contribution is probably more in the category “a day in the life of …”, and illustrating why I still like living in Berlin although most of my original reasons for wanting to live here have become redundant thanks to Covid19, and despite the fact that Berlin can be exasperating to live in, especially with a dog. And love is a big word, so the following is more of a series of likes :-), including things I like spending time on.
As can be seen, I have become a diptych and triptych obsessionist, and noone is more surprised than myself. A long time ago, I tried to figure out how to do them but never got the hang of it and decided I hated them and would never, ever try again. But then Kai McBride, our course teacher, made it the theme of last week’s assignment, and made it look so easy in his demontration that I decided to give it a second chance. I did have some frustrations in the beginning but now I am unstoppable and can’t wait to explore this new world that has opened up. The contributions of the others in the class were so inspirational. There is no end to the possibilities. I am so glad Kai “forced” us to do this. I have even started a Facebook group called The Tryptich Obsessionist.
First thing: I do like mornings, especially my big cup of coffee after having taken Max for a very quick “toilet walk”, and while listening to BBC World News, and to Deadline on DR2, and checking mails and Facebook. And on some mornings, admiring the sunrise. I like the fact that Berlinische Galerie (Modern Art Museum) is behind my backyard. Not that their roof is particularly pretty to look at, but the fact that it is there guarantees that nothing taller will be built there to block my view, at least not in any foreseeable future. And of course it is nice to have that exhibition place with a nice café close by. Or at least it was, before Corona.
I also love having a dogwalker for Max twice (sometimes three times) a week, who takes Max to the outskirts of Berlin where he can run around off-leash and play with small groups of dogs he knows well by now. This gives me time to do my own thing without having to take Max for a long walk first.
In order to fit everything in, I often have a substantial, cooked, slightly late breakfast, and then skip lunch. Here, chickpea flour pancakes with leek.
One of the things I like about Berlin is its diversity. There is no end to the things and places to visit or go out to photograph, and some of them even on a short walk from my home: https://goo.gl/maps/ksiqA71NqBhjRBBv5.
Modern architecture: A couple of hundred meters down the road is the Jewish Museum and the W. Michael Blumenthal Academy, both designed by Daniel Libeskind who, among many other oeuvres, also designed one of the buildings in Ground Zero.
And now to some lurve: Sawade is the oldest chocolate manufacturer in Berlin, and arguably the best one, with strong competion from Rausch (Rausch’s outlet on Gendarmenmarkt is much bigger and also has a lovely café which is highly recommended if you need a chocolate fix).
My nearest Sawade branch is in Bergmannstraße, always worth a visit for the many cafés, restaurants and small shops, not to mention Marheineke Markthalle. While I was there, it was time for a coffee and a slice of lemon meringue pie :-).
The last photo is of the tombstone of the artist of local fame, Kurt Mühlenhaupt, aka “Maler der Liebe – Painter of Love”, in my nearest cemetery. I have yet to visit the nearby museum, the Kurt Mühlenhaupt Museum.
By the way, people often ask me why I am “obsessed” with cemeteries. I like visiting cemeteries in Berlin, most often with my camera, for many reasons. They are very different from the ones in Denmark – somehow more full of history, more diverse, some a lot more colourful (even tacky if you ask me, but everyone to their own), the graves are more customised and personalised, they go from very humble to very pompous (e.g. the Siemens gravesite in Stahnsdorf which is like a small, fenced-in park), there are always flowers in various degrees of freshness and decay, the grounds are diverse in terms of trees (many large, old ones) and bushes, and they are quite good for bird photograpy too. Especially when Covid numbers are high and I avoid public transport, they are easy-to-reach-on-foot oases.
Back to the walk, here are some murals around Theordor-Wolff-Park:
And suddenly I am nearly home again. Here is another example of new architecture – the relatively new Axel Springer Building, right next to the original one, and the TV tower which I am sure needs no introduction but I am linking to some information about it anyway.
In the meantime, Max has been delivered back home, and it is time for some cooking. I like using recipes for Indian dishes, when I can, though it is rather time consuming but more interesting.
Aubergine in tomato and ginger:
I often treat Max to a snack from Natural Treats. Chewing/gnawing is a great de-stressor and it helps him settle down for the night. That, and me singing for him. He is the only living being who does not run away screaming when I sing. He falls asleep almost instantly. Perhaps he just finds it really, really boring.
