Ta-daaaah! Health restored!

Well, almost.
I went to my doctor's yesterday, and got the results of my check-up. Looks like my stomach tends to be a bit upset, but otherwise and in general my health is just perfect. Even my cholesterol is a lot better than a few months ago!
Hah! No more pills! Where's my coffee? Or even better: Where's my rosato?
P.S. The nice guy in the pic is part of a fountain I pass when on my way to/from my doctors at Wittenbergplatz, close to KaDeWe. I'm jealous: he seems so much cooler than me in this weird Berlin heat we enjoy (or suffer from) lately.

30 years ago

What happened on the 28th of July 1979? No idea? You might google the date and find out!;)
30 years ago today, a very nice dutch guy was born: Friso, Daphne's boyfriend - on and off since two years, but luckily mostly on.
He celebrated his birthday at "Nah-Bar" in Schöneberg last night, I was invited, and we all had a very good time sitting outside the pub, enjoying the summer evening. Only problem was that I was not allowed any drinks stronger than camomile tea. But still:
Happy birthday, Friso! And many happy returns!

Tiergarten pleasures

Weekend in Berlin in summer means jazz and world music in Tiergarten to me. And lots of others. Some of them like to stay a bit off the main area at Englisches Teehaus, to have a picknick or a game of - kricket! Dressed in white! Unbelievable!
Is there anything at all that you will not find in Berlin?

Baber the barber

This shop looks so nice and inviting, doesn't it. It's a hairdresser, just round the corner from Crellestraße. I always peeped inside when I passed by, and loved the atmosphere of beauty the rooms and furniture would radiate. But I never went there to have my hair styled.
That changed when Michele told me where she had had her hair done just before flying back to the States: at "Maik Baber".
So I gave it a try on Saturday, and was lucky. Of course. It's more expensive than my last hairdressers "Haarwerkstatt", but more relaxed, and the hairstyles are better. I went for natural hairdye, as they are specialists for this, and my hair turned out a darker brownish red than usual. It will change with time and sun, my hairstylist Marina told me. We'll see.
But the curls are still going strong.

40 years ago

July 20th in 1969 was a very special day. Not only did the first man walk on the moon: In Germany Bert Stach was born.
40 years later he invited his friends to come to Berlin and celebrate with him. And many came, from all over the country. I only had to take the tram from Schöneberg to Kreuzberg, where cafe, bar and lounge "Johann Rose" was ours for the day.
The party started at 18:00 h, and I was there in time. I preferred to be early and leave early, since my bad hearing would not allow me to stay for too long at parties where music and talks to me are a cacophnony of sounds I have problems to distinguish.
So I sat down outside with my ginger tea (no champagne for me) amongst all those nice guests, and enjoyed my time as long as my ears would last. Which was longer than I would have thought. :)

French Dinner

To give Michele a special treat on her last evening in Berlin, we chose the french restaurant "La Cocotte". A good choice, indeed. I had had some great dinners with Anna and others there, and always loved it. Their season menues are just lovely, very special and delicious. Whilst waiting for Seàn and his mother, I started with a Noilly Prat and some grignotons.
We had probems choosing from the wonderful dishes, and decided on bouillabaise, couscous imperiale, and champignons farcies. We even had tarte citron and moelleu chocolat!
Oh dear! Doesn't sound like a diet, does it? Today my doctor told me to be very careful with my reflux. No alcohol, no coffee, to start with. Well, sigh. Hopefully only for a month or two.

An afternoon with Michele

Michele will be leaving tomorrow, and fly back home to Rome. (No, not Italy - Georgia.) Yesterday was our last chance to spend the afternoon together, strolling around Berlin, enjoying the sunny day.
We started off with a late breakfast of tea and sesame bagel at the turkish bakery, and from there moved on. First a tour of "Art Vitalis" fitness center. I'm pondering on joining them, they offer not only the machines, but lots of gym groups (even latin-dance-alike Zoomba, the latest hit), a huge wellness area with sauna, tepidarium, and hamam, a swimming pool, and - what I really loved - have a great outdoor area, too. So you can do some biking or build up muscles in the sun. How lovely! They're quite expensive, but seem worth every cent. And my doctor told me they're good. He should know.
Then off to Pergamon Museum, where Michele sat down a bit musing, soaking in the beauty. (As you all know by now, I love the Ishtar gate best.) And last but not least Englischer Garten and some great jazz. And lots of sun. Finally!

Anna und Volker at the beach

Can't find them? Well, it looks rather grey, cloudy and cold, doesn't it? Who would spend their day at the beach with a weather like that?
Poor Anna and Volker! They went to France for their holidays, to Maubuisson close to Bordeaux. A beautiful camping site at a lake and not far at all from the atlantic beaches with huge waves to surf on and swim in (Volker) or just relax on the beach in the sun and watch the surfers or read a book (Anna).
But alas! This summer is a rather rainy one, and not only all over Germany. I hope they're not too wet, and enjoy their vacation all the same. Well, there are some sunny spells, at least.
Not last Friday, as you can see on the pic I took from the webcam. Have a peep whether it's any better now here!

Parties and BBQs

Summer pleasures in Germany: enjoying home made food, some grilled delicacies, and a few cold drinks with your friends outside, preferably in a garden.
Even this wet summer we can't help it, we have to do it. In southwest Berlin, Zehlendorf, at Daphne's as well as in northeast Berlin, Kaulsdorf, at Uli's. (Uli, a collegue and friend since 25 years now, is the laughing woman to the right.)
It was pouring down with rain after a week of stupendous sunshine and warm evenings following hot days. We didn't mind a lot, took it easy, and enjoyed every bit of it. As you can see.

Trippen

At Köpenicker Straße in Kreuzberg, not far from work, there are lots of old buildings and empty factories. Quite beautiful, in a way, and home to fashionable party locations ("Spindler und Klatt"), interiour design stores ("Exil"), and the Trippen factory outlet.
If you don't know about it, you wouldn't find it. But when you do, a whole new world of shoes opens up to you. Just lovely! Go and have a look for yourself!
Or at least check the extraordinary and very special shoes on their website.

I did it!

Pffff - time to exhale!
Two days of living on the loo, drinking up lots of weird medicinal fluids and even more water, and staying in the bathroom for hours on end are finally over. I was freezing my a.. off, so to speak, put on the heating (in hot July, go figure), and stayed on the spot reading. Emil tried to support me by staying with me. He seemed to love the heating as much as I did, and cuddled up on the towels in front of the heater.
Not much food for me either since Saturday. I lost two kilo. Think positive: that's not bad at all, is it.
I was a bit worried about the examinations, to put it mildly. Since you are supposed to bring a person to take you home afterwards, anyway, I asked Daphne to come, hold my hand, and distract my thoughts before, and if needs be afterwards as well. Or celebrate.
She agreed at once, skipped her lessons at university, and came early today to give me whatever help I might need.
Boy, was I happy when I woke up after the check-up, and they told me I was fine! Reflux, yes, but nothing to worry about that couldn't be healed with pills, proper food, and time.
We feasted with a very good and healthy meal at the vietnamese restaurant at Crellestraße. And then Daphne checked my wardrobe and took over half my stuff that still looks great, but more so on her than me. I seem to get older. Ha! Who would have thought!
P.S. If ever you feel like seeing a video on the examinations I had - there are some on youtube. Somehow, it didn't seem a good idea to post them here.

Time differences and unforeseen consequences

We all know Berlin to be located east of Paris. So according to geographical time, the day would start earlier here than in France, even though the time agreed upon would be the same in these two cities.
Who would have thought it might add up to 24 hours? One day early! At least this summer, when Berliners were the first to celebrate "La fete nationale" - on July 13th.
We had fun all the same, commemorating the successful revolution of 1789 with a huge party at Pariser Platz close to Brandenburg Gate. "La Caravane passe" were playing in the evening when I arrived after work. Great way of celebrating a revolution!
P-S. How comes there are balkan beats all over Europe lately? Definitely music to dance to and fill your heart with joy. Maybe we need some of that urgently now...
P.P.S. Especially me. Went to the doctors today, they sent me straight on to a gastroenterologist. Usually it takes three to four weeks to get an appointment for the examinations I need: gastroscopy and - once I'm at it, I might go for that a well - enteroscopy. Not in summer, not for me: Wednesday it will be. Already. Oh-oh! Wish me luck!

Schoko-Laden

A new chocolate shop! Hmmmm, delicious!
It opened up a few days ago at Goltzstraße. The new owners took over from an old apothecary, and luckily kept all the old interior furniture and decorations. The drawers are filled with drugs now I like a lot better than those before. ;)
Not today, though. My heartburn was really bad last night and kept me awake for hours. I had to go to hospital this evening, they waved me right through the entrance barrier, checked me properly, and decided it was not a heart attack (well, it better!), but acid reflux. Oh shit. Must have been all the coffee I had last week, the danish cake leftovers from Betty I found in my deepfreeze yesterday evening, and last but not least the rose frizzante I enjoyed with it.
I definitely did not enjoy the resuls it all added up to. Have to go and see my doctor about it on Monday. Sigh.

Working underground

This is where I worked today. Looks like a building site, doesn't it? But it's the entrance to our archives at Behala. I had to browse through books and files on VS, the german writers association, to do a short essay on their history. A nice change from my every day computer work at ver.di. :)
And in the evening: wine tasting in the small, but very well assorted wine shop round the corner. Seàn and Michele joined me, and we had lots of fun and delicious rose wines. We simply had to buy a few and take them home straight away!

Buy-buy. Hertie, good bye!

Hertie is closing down. Not only the department store at Kaiser-Wilhelm-Platz, but all over Germany. It's a shame, the new owners did nothing at all to make the traditional german chain survive and keep the shops and the jobs. They were great at sucking out all the money they could, and then just left.
Woolworth will close down soon, as well. Even Karstadt and KaDeWe are at risk. What a world!
ver.di gave them all the support they could. But invain.
Now it's "Buy, buy, Hertie", everything is sold out for a lot less, people come for a bargain. But then what? Shopping online?

Summer weekend in Berlin

Music, arts, markets - and lots of rain between sunny spells. :)
This weekend it was "All Nations Day" at 25 embassies all over Berlin, jazz at English Garden, and Schöneberg fleamarket.
I had a glimpse into the Jamaican embassy, and tried some jerky chicken and exotic fruit salad. Lovely! As were the music and dances.
Instead of Independance Day party at Badenscher Hof, I went to visit Seàn and Michele in their new flat after having tried to survive the tropial rainshowers at Tiergarten. What a summer! It's either hot-hot-hot and very damp, or puring down with rain. Both of which I hate.
I tried to make my friends go with me to the long day of city nature on Sunday, but they were too lazy. We met at Florians beergarden, though, not far from their place, and then on to some more wine and jazz at the English garden. Summer weekend in Berlin.

Just anther cog in the machine

John Wood, a friend and collegue I know through UNI actions on Second Life, made this beautiful video. He told us about it on Facebook. Don't I love how we're connected through the web! And the video is great!

These boots are made for dancing...

All over Berlin center, you see yellow boots dangling down from above. It's a very special promotion of a techno club, that had had to close down because of a waterpipe bursting and setting the club under water. They now announce their re-opening. Read more here.
I'm not into clubs, and certainly not into techno, but I like the idea of the yellow boots.