Another Batch of Berlin Photos

What follows is another sampling of the photos I took the day before yesterday while on a walk with my sister.

First, several photos of the Apostel-Paulus Kirche (built 1892-1894):






Next, some photos of the colonnade leading to Kleistpark (very close to our home):

(Note: There is construction work going on nearby -- hence the metal fencing.)

(The little figure at the very end of the colonnade in the above photo is my sister.)


The Kammergericht building in Kleistpark:


Finally, an example of the ubiquitous "Afrika! Afrika!" posters:

Apparently, they advertise a sort of big-budget show that would not be out of place in Las Vegas.

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Note: All of the above photos are hosted by flickr and edited using Adobe Photoshop.

Photos of Berlin

First, here is our apartment building!


The figures at the street corner are my two oldest brothers. Behind them is the Nemesis Restaurant, and, on the left, you can see the Bücherhalle, which sells used books.

The following two photos depict the delightful pedestrian traffic lights that are generally found in (what used to be) East Berlin. I find them infinitely more amusing than the dull traffic lights that one usually sees.




The traffic light photos are only two of many photos that I took today while on a walk with my sister. Here are two more, both of a church at the Winterfeldtplatz:




The second photo is of a little side building. I really like the dark red brick. It suits the surrounding greenery very well (complementary colours, etc.). This harmony with nature was unexpected for me, but it is prevalent in Berlin and, I suspect, in Europe generally.

Anyway, I hope to post more photos before long, but I won't include them here because the post probably takes long enough to load as it is.

By the way, a note of caution to any unsuspecting souls who happen to pass through Berlin: pepperoni pizza in Europe is not always the same as pepperoni pizza in North America. I was rather unpleasantly surprised on two occasions to find rather bitter peppers on my pizza when I was expecting spicy sausage. Terrible! But perhaps some of you would actually prefer the peppers. As for myself, I will stick to Pizza Tonno, Pizza Margherita, and pizza with salami or other types of sausage that cannot be confused with peppers.

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Note: The above images are hosted by flickr and edited using Adobe Photoshop.

A General and Lengthy Update

It is late in the evening here, and I am listening to a record of baroque music (Originalklänge des Barock, Nikolaus Harnoncourt/Concentus Musicus Wien, 1976). What with the lovely music (at present, a Bach violin concerto), the peaceful atmosphere, the proximity of my family, and my general good spirits, I am nearly overflowing with contentment. Under these conditions, it is actually rather difficult to write (I'd rather just sit and be happy), but I haven't posted in a long time. Now that we have a proper internet connection, I really should begin posting regularly again.

Concerning the internet connection, we've actually had a dial-up connection for some time (two weeks or so), but it just wasn't the same! It was only available from one computer, for one thing. I much prefer the present state of affairs (DSL, available on several computers, including my laptop).

Anyway, as to my recent activities . . . I have been doing deplorably little. I haven't investigated potential colleges, I haven't looked for a job, I haven't really been sightseeing, and I haven't done much at all to enrich my mind.

It hasn't been all bad, though. Since we moved, I have read much more than I usually do. I re-read the autobiography of Charlie Chaplin (Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin!); I skimmed through Jane Eyre, Shirley, and some Narnia books; I read War and Peace (well, most of it), La Reine Margot, Wuthering Heights, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, a volume of my paternal grandfather's memoirs, and various parts of my paternal grandmother's memoirs; and I am currently reading some "Erzählungen aus den Tausendundein Nächten" (Tales from the Thousand and One Arabian Nights).

I enjoyed most of War and Peace very much. I found that Tolstoy did an unusually good job with the characters and their growth over the years. Pierre's journey was especially interesting to follow. Above all, I think that there is a lot of truth in the characters, the situations, and the events. Tolstoy obviously observed his surroundings well, and wrote about them honestly and in detail, without straying too far either into gloom or into happiness and perfection.

I confess that I skipped most of the parts about Napoleon (as well as analagous parts about the Russian side). They seemed too much like unnecessary interruptions — quite out of place. I know it is wrong and shallow of me to say that. War and Peace is clearly meant to be — as far as possible — a complete picture of the times, and the chapters about Napoleon, etc., have their function and their interest, just as all the others do. Oh, well. I'll be more patient and appreciative next time.

Concerning Wuthering Heights, my main impression is that there was an odd sort of surreal, oppressive atmosphere about it at times. As unpleasant as the characters' situation generally was, they hardly ever gave a serious thought to escape. Yet, if I had been in their situation, surrounded by bitter, troubled, cruel people, escape would have been my first and overwhelming impulse.

In The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, which is lighter in general, the main character does escape, only to marry the rather disagreeable narrator. Pff! I wasn't particularly impressed with the main character anyway. Too much idealization, and too little depth, I would say. As for the characters in Wuthering Heights, they certainly weren't idealized, but they seemed rather too unbalanced to be realistic. People aren't really like that, are they? Well, maybe if they live in such an isolated manner out in the moors . . .

The part of my grandfather's memoirs that I read was about his experiences during World War II. The volume starts out near the end of 1938, when my grandfather was training with his artillery regiment in Potsdam. It goes on to cover the invasion of Poland and France, and the campaigns in Russia and Italy, as seen through my grandfather's eyes. During most of the war, he was a radio operator; he purposely avoided becoming an officer (except near the end of the war), so that he wouldn't be put in a position where he would be forced to act against his conscience. On the whole, I found the memoirs highly interesting, both on a historical and on a more personal level. Through reading them, I have gained a new appreciation for my grandfather's calm, humorous, philosophical nature.

My grandmother's memoirs seem to be more extensive than my grandfather's, and there is truly a wealth of anecdotes and of insights into my grandmother's thoughts and feelings. Unsurprisingly, I was particularly interested in the parts that dealt with my father and his siblings when they were young. It is odd to think that my parents have had so many experiences of which I am ignorant. There are whole sides and depths to them that are unknown to me.

The memoirs and the tales from the Arabian Nights are in German, by the way. I'm glad that I am actually reading German things. I was a little worried that I would lazily stick to English books or, if anything, French books. But then, reading German has never been my greatest difficulty. Speaking it, on the other hand . . . Oh, well. It isn't that bad.

Anyway, enough about reading. I have also been practicing piano quite regularly (every day, or nearly that). I still mostly play Clementi sonatinas and pieces from my RCM repertoire. Nothing particularly extraordinary, I'm afraid. I haven't been playing as much recorder because I keep feeling self-conscious about it. High notes make me wince, and I really don't play well if I don't play with conviction. I would much prefer practicing in private, where I don't have to worry about others' reactions. To be fair, no one has ever given me the impression that my recorder playing bothers them — quite the opposite actually. Then again, I never claimed to be acting reasonably. I'm sure I'll get over it soon enough. It would help if the weather warms up again so that there isn't as much condensation. Stupid condensation!

Apart from music, I have recently learned the locations of most of the countries in the world (specifically, countries in Africa, the Caribbean, and Oceania — I already knew most of the countries in Europe, the Americas, and Asia). I've also learned the locations of all the states in the US. All thanks to this informative and entertaining website. My next geography-related task should really be to learn about the Länder of Germany, their capitals, etc. As it is, I only have vague ideas, which will not do if I am to live here for the "foreseeable future."

Hmm hmm. I am getting tired. Needless to say, it is not "late evening" any more — more like "late night" or "early morning." That's what comes from writing so slowly. I had hoped to write about the recent family reunion, but it seems rather a difficult task to undertake at this hour. Some other day, perhaps.

Well, pff!

It has been nearly a month since July 3, the day that we arrived here in Berlin, yet we still don't have a proper internet connection. Since I am not certain when the T-Online folk will finally deign to establish our connection, I have decided to write a post now, rather than wait until I can write comfortably from home.

There is certainly much to relate, but I think I will leave the bulk of it for a later post. In the meantime, I will only mention a few recent developments.

To begin with, our container finally came a few days ago, on the 29th. A truck brought it to our door in the morning, and we spent the next six hours or so moving everything from the container to our apartment. It was hard work, but not entirely unpleasant. Although I soon came to loathe the nasty, endless boxes of books, and although we were all tired and dirty at the end, it was worth it to see the empty container and to be able to play the piano again.

I am actually inclined to think that, if it weren't for the piano, I would not at all have minded remaining without our belongings. After all, before the container arrived, we had all the essentials, and there was a pleasant feeling of space and of simplicity. As it is now, our rooms are filled with boxes, most of which contain items that are of no interest to me. I don't mind the boxes as such, and they will obviously be unpacked before long, but I would not have been terribly upset if they had never come.

My main annoyance is that my brothers are now immersed in their accursed computer games again. I suppose I am no better; I have spent much of my time in solitary pursuits as well. Still, I wish we would play or talk together more often — and not on the computer!

In other news . . . :o)

I have been to the Staatsbibliothek (one of Berlin's main libraries) several times. The first time, my mother and I procured library cards, and looked around a bit in the Potsdamer Straße branch. To be honest, it did not please me particularly. The spaciousness was nice, but there were not nearly as many books as I expected. Most of the space seemed to be taken up by desks, by administrative areas, or by nothing at all. Perhaps there are other parts of the library where books are more obviously the main focus, but I am inclined to think not. Apparently, most of the books are kept in stacks, which are inaccessible to me. Not entirely inaccessible, of course. I can easily order books from the stacks, and pick them up the next day (sometimes earlier). It is bothersome, though. I much prefer browsing to premeditated ordering, and I am still rather confused as to which items can be ordered, which can be taken home, which can be found in the library, etc.

In any case, I ended up ordering several books via the internet and, some days later, I went to the Unter den Linden branch to pick them up. That is to say, that was my intention. I actually only ended up doing some paperwork. My visit was not entirely in vain, however, since the paperwork enabled me to take books home. Besides, I found the architecture of the Unter den Linden branch delightful, especially at the entrance.

I suppose all these details about my visits are rather boring, so I will skip to an account of the books I ordered. Three were history books about Henri de Navarre (Henri IV) and France in the late sixteenth century. I am rather interested in the period because I recently read La Reine Margot, by Dumas, which is set in the early 1570s. I didn't think much of some aspects of the book (Dumas's idea of romance is more exasperating than interesting or moving), but I liked Dumas's portrayal of Henri de Navarre, and of the various plottings of Catherine de Medicis. Accordingly, I determined to read up a bit on the history of the time.

Of the four other books that I ordered, two were novels by Dumas (he he), and two were volumes of music notes — specifically, recorder sonatas composed by Telemann.

Anyway, I'm getting rather tired of writing, especially as I seem to be in an ineloquent mood. I hope to post pictures and write more soon. Until then, tschüss!