Passed by this hindu temple which has apparently been under construction on and off for decades. If and when it is ever completed, it will be the second-larges hindu temple in Europe.
I decided to familiarise myself with Tiergarten, a.k.a. “Berlin’s green lung”. Although it is always close, no matter where in inner Berlin you are, I have never made much of an effort to get to know it. I guess I thought it would be too cultivated-park like. However, with government’s 15 km rule, and my own rule about using public transport as little as possible, this is no time to be picky.
The route on komoot: https://www.komoot.com/tour/305134669.
Tiergarten does seem very kempt in places but there are other areas where nature seems to have more of a chance. There is also a large area with many rhododendron, some streams and lakes, and wildlife (although unfortunately, I did not see any of the famous beavers).
Also many statues and memorials, some very well-known, some less so.
Not at all a bad place to have within walking distance in times like these. I expect it is crowded during weekends, though.
First a couple of photos on the way there, in Niederkirchnerstraße: A statue outside the southern end of the ministry of finance. I can’t find any details of it, and I am even quite sure it has not been there long. I seem to remember seeing it somewhere else before.
The remnants of the Berlin Wall outside the Topography of Terror, and the statue of Karl-August Fürst von Hardenberg outside the Berlin state parliament (Abgeordnetenhaus).
In Tiergarten just a few of the many statues and memorials. First the Haydn-Mozart-Beethoven memorial, then two photos of Siegessäule, one of some of the eight bronze animals at Floraplatz. Photo number five I am not sure of, and photo number six is the memorial for Karl Liebknecht.
The wall has been looking like this since some time between 22 and 25 September when I came home from a trip. I wonder how long I will have to look at that.
This time, everything is covered in sawdust which I assume will not be too difficult to remove, but I had not planned on having to clean the balcony once more this side of winter.
This afternoon, I spent (wasted?) about an hour cleaning my balcony – again (see https://www.hellemoller.eu/2020/09/14/i-cant-believe-this-is-actually-happening/) (that was probably stupid, but I could no longer stand looking at the mess). It currently looks like in the photo above. I have not washed anything, and my gut instinct tells me it would be asking for trouble to put the furniture back once again. But at least I can sit on my balcony now.
This time, there was too much rubble to carry to their doorstep in one go, so I just threw their “gifts” onto the scaffolding. A lot of it was stuck, so it took quite a bit of hacking and scraping. Washing the floor and the marble shelves (which were brand new from February last year) would probably reveal some damage done, and that would ruin my mood which for some strange reason is relatively good right now. Perhaps because I have just been out of town, and am going away again next week, and for another two weeks after that will be relocating to house- and catsit elsewhere in Berlin.
I do appreciate the fact that I am able to get away most of the time, and that I live in a (for me) new country with a good train service and an endless supply of places to visit (although when during the winter I decided to sell my parking space, that was not what I planning on spending the money on :-)).
However, truth be told, given the lovely weather this month, not to mention Covid19 and my age, I would have preferred to be able to spend most of the time on my balcony and sometimes have one or two visitors over for brunch/lunch/coffee/drinks.
Came home to find some more “presents”. Even more disgusting ugliness to tolerate. And just in case I was twiddling my thumbs and desperate for something to do – I can always keep cleaning my balcony.
Have they communicated with me about this in any way, shape or form? No, of course not. Their arrogance just keeps reaching new heights. They are renovating one of the ugliest buildings in the world and it is “UNTER DENKMALSCHUTZ”. Ooooohh. That means they can do whatever they like.
By the way, I’m told the building I live in is also unter Denkmalschutz. I don’t for the life of me understand why, but there it is.
By all means, do not let such minor details deter you. You are driving a motorised vehicle. In Berlin, that automatically categorises you as a V.I.P. first-class citizen.
That gives you the right to do whatever you like.
Including leaving the rubble on the ground, spreading all over the driveway, leaving a horrendous mess. But don’t worry about that. We are honoured to have to look at that because it means that a very important person was here.
EDIT: Latest development: There is now an agreement that the current work will be finalised, and the net removed, by the end of next week.
I will make sure I am not in Lindenstraße, or even in Berlin, a lot during the next ten days.
During the week 10 to 15 August I will then be able to clean everything and take possession of my balcony again. They did offer to do the cleaning, but I prefer to do that myself. I really am not in the mood to have strangers invading my home these days and I do not want to talk to anybody.
I sincerely hope that these are the last words I will ever write about this matter.
EARLIER: Now they are turning up on my doorstep – unannounced – asking to be let in. Why? So they can tell more lies, this time undocumented? If they want to see the balcony, they are almost standing on it.
I guess there is no point in cleaning the balcony today (see video below). I hear a fresh layer of dust descending upon the one from yesterday (see next post).
I just spoke to one of the young people in the WG next to me who was almost in tears. All three are either studying or working from home and keep having to go somewhere else, and they have so far been unsuccessful in obtaining a reduction in rent (despite the fact that the owner of the flat will sooner or later receive compensation, or at least that was promised in a meeting of owners with the Hausverwaltung in spring 2019 – but perhaps that was also a lie, just like the claim that our balconies would not be directly affected).
And still no indication how long this is going to last. But I guess that is better than when they lie and say they have finished when they clearly have not.
I had my balcony renovated in early spring of 2019, so before the scaffolding went up and all the troubles began (new surface on the floor as the most urgent and important factor, plus two marble shelves). I am sorry I did not take photos then – since I was assured my balcony would not be affected – but the floor did NOT look like this. It had neither the grey/black nor the white stains:
The grey/black stains, which appeared during the work done in spring and summer 2019, are also on the wall. (The ones on the marble shelf I was able to carefully scrape off, but on the floor, and especially on the wall, they seem too integrated for that to work). Of course nobody has bothered to tell me how to get rid of them, although they must have seen them, given the number of times they have been on the balcony.
Other documentation – wondering how that wall will look like when they have finally finished (it should be said the wall above that marble shelf needed a coat of paint already before all this started, but the cracks and the holes were not there before).
Added 31 October:
I have just spent about an hour cleaning my balcony – again – it does not mean it is clean, just cleaner, and I can use it again – for more rubble, a load of sawdust, dried-up cement stains – and four cigarette butts. Throwing your cigarette butts onto someone else’s balcony is kind of like the ultimate insult, and they can’t have come from anywhere else. It might also explain where these burn-holes in the seat of one of the chairs came from.
