All posts by Helle Møller

Retired from a long working life as secretary/assistant in UN and EU institutions. Freelance stress counsellor and proofreader/copyeditor. Now living in Berlin.

Winter birds in Tiergarten 5 January

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An annual event with Derk Ehlert, NABU, – by some newspapers called “Berlin’s Wildlife God” :-).

The weather was not as miserable as in previous years. Apart from the usual suspects – crows, pigeons and sparrows, we saw (in many cases had to take Derk Ehlert’s word for it) blue, long-tailed and great tits, nuthatches (photo). jays, “Kernbeißer” (?), a goshawk and a buzzard (which initially startled me as much as I startled him (photos)).

I of course also had to indulge my obsession with trees especially at this time of year.

And finally, almost home, I like this tree in winter too:

City-walk with Empor Berlin 4 January

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Led by Eckehard Heiber. Südstern – Urbanhafen – Treptower Park

Mostly cormorants

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Went to see the exhibition at ZAK of art from the German-Polish border region, which I found very interesting.

Took some photos from the surroundings before and after, a.o. my first ever photo of a Kingfisher. I have seen many the last couple of years, but they are shy and fast and – to me – very difficult to photograph. It was far away, and the photo is not good, but it was very cold and windy so I did not want to hang around trying to get a better photo.

Exhibitions to visit

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Purely as a reminder to myself, since Microsoft Word no longer synchronises documents edited on several different devices.

FromTillNameAddress and/or commentsOpening hours
08.02.Laura Mars Gallery
09.02.Ephraim Palais
 14.02.Degussa NiederlassungFranzö Str. 48 
 16.02.Über Grenzen, Humboldt Forum  
22.02.Sweetwater
20.02.23.02Art Karlsruhe , combine with Lenhachhaus in Munich
 28.02.ProfitopolisNeue Museum der Dinge 
MARCHEuropean Month of Photography EMOP
01.03ThomA Schulte in MercatorhöfeGordon Matta-Clarke
  02.03. Max Liebermann Haus, Pariser Platz Do-So: 11.00-18.00 Uhr
Mo-Mi: geschlossen
 
14.01.09.03.Haus am Kleistpark, Lukas Hofmann Photog.
 10.03.Palais Populaire  
  16.03. Lipsius Dresden 
 11.01. 22.03.Robert Morat (Photo.)EMOP  
06.04.Deutsches Historisches Museum Hinter dem Gießhaus
04.05.  
  04.05. Access Kafka, Jewish Museum (PERHAPS)  
FromTillVenueAddressOpening hrs
01.02.07.05.C/O Berlin
02.0504.05.Gallery Weekend
10.01.11.05.Alfred Ehrhard Stiftung
14-06.14.09.Biennale
10.09.14.09.Berlin Art Week
26.09.2525.01.26Netzwerke der Surrealismus, Neue Nationalgalerie
September 25January 26William KentridgeDresden and Essen
24.04.Willy Brandt Haus
30.01.16.06.Museum der Dinge

Hummus

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Updated 30 December while prepping for New Year’s Eve 2024: This time, I am using split red lentils which I had overcooked (very easy to do). I actually think it works better since you do not have the skins of the chickpeas to contend with.

Updated 16 January with this tip: For hummus, the best result is obtained when the “skin” is removed from the chickpeas. This is quite bothersome and time consuming and have hardly ever done that now. However, I have discovered that you can now buy dried chickpeas with the skins removed in bio supermarkets, at least in Berlin, of the brand Vivaterra. Also, to make sure that the chickpeas get nice and mushy fo the purpose, add a heaped teaspoon baking soda (natron) to the water in which you soak the chickpeas for 8-10 hours. Rinse before boiling in new water.

400 g cooked chickpeas (if you must use tinned, then rinse thoroughly)

Salt

3-4 cloves garlic

3-5 tblsp (up to 150 g) tahini

2 tblsp olive oil

Juice of 1,5 lemon

1,5 tsp roasted cumin seeds

If you are not using skinless chickpeas as mentioned in italics above, try to rinse and remove as many skins as possible. Then process all ingredients, tasting along the way, and add more of everything as needed.

Obvously, the creamier you want your hummus, the longer you have to process – up to ten minutes, which means the processor can run warm, and thus warm up the hummus. To counter that, instead of adding the cold water all at once, add an ice cube at intervals.

Refrigerate for a couple of hours to settle.

New Year’s Eve 2024

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LAST UPDATED 29 December AM

If you are in Berlin, and we know each other one way or another, and interested in a relatively quiet but informal private celebration, and especially, but not necessarily, if you are a hobby photographer (see here some photos I took last year: https://www.hellemoller.eu/2024/01/03/some-whacky-photos-from-new-years-eve-31-january-2023/), perhaps you would like to come to my place in Lindenstraße near the Jewish Museum (good public transport) on 31 December between 21.00 and 01.00.

I have a relatively good view of the fireworks from my sixth floor perch towards Kreuzberg in one direction and Potsdamer Platz in the other.

You are welcome to bring frinds, and also to bring food if there is a special regional or national dish you would normally prepare and want to eat for this occasion. I will provide bits to eat – cheese, cold cuts etc. (- no cooking on this occasion :-)), wine, and of course something bubbly for midnight.

NOTE: If you drink anything other than wine and the midnight bubblies, please let me know in time for me to make sure I have it available. Alternatively, bring some yourself :-).

PS Just because I am too lazy to translate this into German, this is a multi-lingual event – English, German, Arabic, perhaps Polish, and even Danish if need be :-).

Places to visit, walks to walk

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(To-do list for myself)

Rudow-Altglienicke Nature Reserve

From Tagesspiegel

Kloster Chorin

Hochschulbibliothek Wildau

Beskow St Marienkirche

Templin (?)

Koster Neuzelle

Friedrichstadt

Greetsiel

Husum

Königstein um Taunus

Bamberg

Attenburg

Genshagener Heide

Gittis walks on Whatsapp

Lisa’s walks in emails

Eckehard’s walks on Whatsapp

Mühlenfließ – Flakensee

Halbe (Kaiserbhf, Waldfriedhof)

Luckau

Lieberose

Jüterbog (Kulturquartieres Mönchenkloster, Kloster Zenna, “Grösste Wanderdüne in Brandenburg nahe Jüterbog”

Lübbenau

Heideblick OT Börnsdorf

Neustadt Dosse

Nordwest Uckermark

Lychen

Schönweide Glien – Perwenitz, Pausin, Bötzow

Pritzwalk

Doberlug Kirchhain – Galerie für Zeitgen. Kunst im Kunsthaus am See

Finsterwalde

Dahme Mark

Wiesenburg/Mark

Bad Liebenwwerde – Pfarrgarten Saxdorf

Miedzyrzecz Museum

Niederer Glämig

Baruth/Mark

Luckenwalde (E-werk)

Siehdichum

Chajna

Oderaue Neukünstriechen

Bad Saarow

Müncheberg

Liebenwalde

Nauen OT Grossbehnitz

Hels Pfuhl

Krumme Pfuhl

Rheda-Wiedenbruck

Münster

Lübeck

Quedlinburg

Rothenburg a/Tauber

Bremen

Bremerhafen

Wetzlar

Sorry for sounding like a broken record ….

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but I have to say this again: The enforced hugging, including of total strangers and not just reserved for family and close friends, has gone out of control again. This has happened before and then Covid19 came along and mercifully helped us get rid of both that and handshakes.

We had a golden opportunity to abandon those stupid practices, but now we are doing both again – with a vengeance – why?????

Two “Lost Places” (why DO the Germans call them that?) on 28 and 29 December

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With Go2know Lost Places Fototouren

I will never stop wondering why the Germans call them Lost Places.

First of all, with the German propensity to translate everything into German, including for example Polish place names, then why use English words for this?

Secondly, the places are – obviously – not lost, so –

Thirdly, if English words unbedingt must be used for this, why not do as the English speakers and call them “abandoned places”, which is what they are?

Anyway, here are the two tours:

Saturday 28 December 12.30-15.30: Das alte Gefängnis in Köpenick

A wasted day. I signed up so long ago that I lost interest in the meantime, and the guide spoke for an unbearable eternity – outside! – before letting us in, so I was frozen to the bones, and then it was claustrophobic and – to me by that time – not at all interesting. I did not stay long and did not see much of the place, nor did I take many photos. Right now, I think I have lost interest in photography.

Sunday 29 December 9.00-13.00: Das Alte Hubertusbad

I doubt I will even bother to go to this one.

Instead, here are two random photos from 27 December (we are having quite a few very foggy days at the moment):

Breakfast in Hamburg

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My niece had a stopover in Hamburg between arriving there on a nighttrain and proceeding to Copenhagen on a daytrain, so I went to have breakfast with her at the central station. It was great to see her, however briefly.

I took a handful of photos from the train.