It's all about U (1)

 

In my last post I detailed a walk around the far reaches of Prenzlauer Berg, following part of the Wall with some eating, drinking and park life along the way.  My intention was to produce a series of ‘walk’ posts, however, last Saturday I made a journey on the U1 and felt inspired to write a post about some of the delights accessible from the stations along its route.

Warschauer Strasse

The first station (or last, depending which end you get on at).  The bridge here is always a hive of activity with passengers from the U- and S-Bahn stations scurrying to and from Friedrichshain.  Just a few steps away is the RAW complex containing Urban Spree, a gallery, night clubs, performance spaces, a skate hall and climbing wall and couple of chilled-out beer gardens and cafes.  Occasionally, it also provides the location for events such as Bite Club and Mobile Kino.

 

Beer Garden at Urban Spree

 

 

Bar in the complex

The East Side Gallery, a 1.3km section of the Berlin Wall, runs parallel to the river, along Mühlenstrasse to Ostbahnhof.  Some of its murals, painted in 1990 by artists from around the world, are now iconic images.  Sadly, capitalist bullying seems to be doing for the gallery; sections have already been removed to accommodate first O2 World and more recently a hideous and controversial yuppie apartment building.

From Warschauer Strasse, the train creaks along the quirky, turreted Oberbaumbrücke over the Spree with a view towards Treptow and the Molecule Man in one direction and a panorama of the river and Fernsehturm in the other.  The tracks, heading into Kreuzberg, are elevated along the length of Skalitzer Strasse and remain above ground until just past Gleisdreieck.

Schlesisches Tor

There are no particular ‘attractions’ as such at this end of town but there are some funky streets to explore and cool Kreuzberg bars to repair to.

Görlitzer Bahnhof

Walking from the station (increasingly the haunt of drug dealers who seem to have drifted towards it from Görlitzer Park), Lausitzer Platz with its huge red brick church, has plenty of cafes and bars as well as a weekly organic market.  Just past the square, on Eisenbahnstrasse, is Markthalle Neun, an original market hall and serious ‘foodie’ destination.  There is a lunchtime ‘kantine’ on weekdays and a weekly market on Friday and Saturday; it’s also home to the popular ‘Street Food Thursday’ and,  since June, a ‘breakfast market’, on the third Sunday of every month.

 

Markthalle Neun - A picture from last winter

On Spreewaldplatz is the cosy, candlelit Café Marx.  Although there can be a bit of a wait (I think they have a very small kitchen), the friendliness and laid-back ambience make up for it.

 

Café Marx - another 'archive' shot

 

Just around the corner, on Wienerstrasse, is Jumbo Second Hand.  I used to like spending time in here but in recent years it has become laughably expensive, so I only go to browse these days.

Kottbusser Tor

This lively junction is at the heart of the neighbourhood’s Turkish community.  Probably the most popular destination from here is the market held along the Maybachufer every Tuesday and Friday when the locals turn out to buy fresh meat, fish and vegetables.  The market gets its fair share of tourists and sometimes it can be difficult to actually move but it’s always worth a visit for the bustling, chaotic atmosphere.  Besides all the fresh produce, there are housewares, fabric, clothes and jewellery as well as plenty of food stalls.

 

 

Some canal-side chilling

 

Prinzenstrasse

From here, there is an attractive walk along the canal back in the direction of the market.  The broad, sloping bank here gets crowded with sunbathers on a warm afternoon.

I’ve not really explored the areas around the next three stations: Hallesches Tor, Möckernbrucke and Gleisdreieck, but within reach of Hallesches Tor are Mehringdamm and the shops and cafes of Bergmannstrasse.  However, these are best accessed via the U7 stations of Mehringdamm and Gneisenaustrasse.

Kurfürstenstrasse

The area around the junction with Potsdamerstrasse is notoriously seedy; sex workers ply their trade in the streets around the station, but a hundred metres or so to the west things get a little more salubrious.

Café Einstein, a Viennese restaurant and coffee house, is in another of those beautiful old villas with polished parquet floors, a lovely garden and of course excellent cakes.

Nollendorfplatz

The core of the long-standing gay community – a plaque at the station commemorates homosexual victims of Nazi persecution.  No. 17 Nollendorfstrasse, is the house in which Christopher Isherwood lived and wrote, and gained inspiration for ‘Goodbye to Berlin’.   This was one of the very first places I visited in the city when I came here for the first time in 2004; after reading the novel at university, I felt it a duty to pay homage.

 

The 'Rosa Winkel' plaque at Nollendorfplatz station

On Winterfeldtplatz a farmers’market is held every Wednesday and Saturday.  The Saturday market is the largest, with stalls continuing down Goltzstrasse alongside the church.  Leading away from the square, Goltzstrasse and Akazienstrasse have some nice cafes and shops and a mellow vibe on a Saturday.

 

Choosing those essential gladioli in the market

 

In the opposite direction from Winterfeldtplatz, Garage in Ahornstrasse is a vast vintage emporium in which I’ve squandered many a happy afternoon.

Wittenbergplatz

The station has some appealing Art-Nouveau tiling, but the obvious attraction here is the monolithic KaDeWe department store.  The food hall on the top floor offers some mouthwatering specialities.

It’s a fairly short walk along Tauentzienstrasse with its broken chain ‘Berlin’ sculpture towards Kurfurstendamm but the shopping and tourist crowds make ducking into the U-Bahn a much more attractive option.

 

The memorial church at the top of the Kurfürstendamm

 

Kurfürstendamm

Although the Kurfürstendamm, with its predictable chain stores and general tourist hubbub, is often derided, it has wide, tree-lined pavements and there are a couple of worthwhile destinations in its environs.  At the top of the street is the Kaiser Wilhelm Gedächtniskirche with its famous broken spire, the result of an Allied bombing raid in WWII. 

In the corner of a rather unremarkable shopping mall is the entrance to the ‘Story of Berlin’ – an interesting wander around the city from its beginnings right up until the present.  You can sit in a Trabi and have your photograph taken, and afterwards go for a guided tour around an eerie and claustrophobic Cold War nuclear bunker. 

Uhlandstrasse

The end station if travelling from east to west.

In nearby Fasanenstrasse is the excellent Käthe Kollwitz museum.  The artist’s life is documented in a thoughtfully-arranged display and there is a comprehensive collection of her work.

Next door is the Literaturhaus, an oasis of calm.  There is a basement bookshop and regular literary events are held here.  On a warm day, the garden is a tranquil and very civilised place to stop for drinks or a light lunch.    

 

Garden at the Literaturhaus

 

A walk on the 'Walled' side

I’ve been planning a ‘favourite places’ or ‘top ten’ type post for ages but Berlin has so many treasures that I’ve struggled to decide what to include and what to leave out.  So I’ve decided that the best way around the problem is to concentrate on some of my favourite city walks, and to mention interesting or special places along the way.  Berlin is the perfect city for walking around, with something of note in just about every street (sometimes this may just be the street itself).  I’ve spent a decade exploring the various neighbourhoods on foot, sometimes following a pre-planned route but more often than not just setting off and seeing where my wanderings take me.  It can be tiring but for me it’s a very rewarding way to experience the city.

As this week has seen the anniversary of the construction of the Berlin Wall, I might as well start with a manageable ‘Wall’ orientated walk from S-Bahnhof Bornholmer Strasse to U-Bahnhof Eberswalder Strasse.  The distance is about 5 kilometres and can be covered in about an hour but realistically, with stops and an appropriate pace, it’s more likely to take two or three.

The station at Bornholmer Strasse can be reached by S-Bahn, lines 8, 9 and 85 and tram, M13 and M50, but I usually walk from my flat via some of the less well-known reaches of Prenzlauer Berg (the badlands beyond the Ring) which offer a number of permutations for getting there on foot.

The Bridge here is of note as it was here that the first border crossing was breached on 9^th November 1989, the night the Wall fell.  There is a plaque and a modest but informative display commemorating the events of that night.  Standing here now, it’s almost impossible to imagine that this spot was once an international frontier, or that it has a justified claim to a place in world history.

 

 

Commemorative plaque.  The Willy Brandt quote reads: 'Berlin will live and the Wall will fall'

 

The display boards detailing the events of 9th November 1989 - there is also a board here explaining the significance of the date 9th November in German history

 

From here, steps lead down to Norweger Strasse – a rather scruffy stretch of land – which runs alongside the railway lines, and follows the course of the Wall, to another bridge which leads into Gesundbrunnen.  Cross the bridge (there is also a subway which runs underneath it) and take the elevated walkway, Schwedter Steg.  It’s nice to stand here above the tangle of railway lines - which lead in one direction towards Schönhauser Allee, in another towards Gesundbrunnen and in a third to Bornholmer Strasse - and take in the panorama.  Schwedter Steg eventually becomes Schwedter Strasse which runs alongside Falkplatz, a pleasant enough neighbourhood park in its own right, but also a warm-up act for the adjacent Mauerpark.

 

Looking towards the Fernsehturm from Schwedter Steg

 

 

S-Bahn train making its way to Bornholmer Strasse

The Mauerpark needs no introduction.  It occupies a narrow strip which was once bordered by the Wall, hence its name.  The park has to be visited on a Sunday, not least for the legendary Bearpit karaoke, although there is some form of activity going on in here at practically any time of the day or night. 

Exiting the park at Bernauer Strasse, there are two options – either cross over to take a look at the Berlin Wall information panels (the Wall sliced straight through here) before turning into Wolliner Strasse en route to Arkonaplatz, or take a detour down Bernauer Strasse to the Gedenkstätte Berliner Mauer  http://www.berliner-mauer-gedenkstaette.de/en/ – a memorial, visitor centre and viewing tower along a preserved stretch of the Wall.  The displays at the visitor centre explain the layout of the fortifications as well as the history of the Wall and its impact on the city.

 

A picture from last winter at the Berlin Wall memorial, Bernauer Strasse

 

 

Displays at the end of Schwedter Strasse

Leaving the Wall behind, Arkonaplatz is a pleasant square approached via any one of half a dozen cobbled streets, with a neat little park at one end and a children’s play area at the other.  The space in the middle provides the location for a couple of delightful weekend markets (I’ve mentioned both in previous posts).  I like the Sunday flea market here – it’s smaller than the one at the Mauerpark and much less crowded.   The Friday food market is also a favourite of mine.  Diners usually mix and match from the various stalls and eat at the communal tables in the middle of the square.  For example, going for an appetiser of Italian bruschetta followed by a whole barbecued sea bass accompanied by a glass of wine from the wine stall.  The tantalising aroma of fish grilling on the barbecue mingles with the occasional waft of truffle oil from the Italian, making it difficult to resist stopping for a bite.  Last time I had barbecued squid served with bread, lemon and a remoulade-type sauce washed down with a glass of crisp white wine.

 

Friday market at Arkonaplatz

From here, it’s a short walk down either Swinemünderstrasse or Zionskirchstrasse to Zionskirchplatz – an oddly-shaped square dominated by the red brick church from which it gets its name.  The church has an interesting history, which includes being bombed during WW2 and used as a meeting place for DDR dissidents.  Opposite the church, Der Hahn ist Tot (which translates as The Chicken is Dead) http://www.der-hahn-ist-tot.de/en/index.html is a pretty restaurant which offers a weekly set menu, plus occasional seasonal specials.  The set menu is just twenty Euros for four courses.  There is always a choice of a vegetarian soup or a meat-based starter followed by a salad, a choice of four main courses (meat, fish, vegetarian or coq au vin), and a set dessert.  I celebrated a ‘special’ birthday at Der Hahn ist Tot last year and had such a lovely evening that I went back for this year’s birthday too.

 

The Zionskirche

 

Just a few steps away in Fehrbelliner Strasse, is La Focacceria, a hole-in-the-wall type pizzeria with a few tables.  The focaccia-based pizzas, available by the slice, are very good.  There’s no menu, just choose from whatever they’ve made that day, but the selection is varied; the wine choice however is limited to ‘red’ or ‘white’. 

On the corner of Fehrbellinerstrasse and Veteranenstrasse, is the charming Weinerei http://weinerei.com/forum/ which I probably visit for coffee and cake at least once a week.  There is a daily lunch special and a couple of soups, plus quiches, filled croissants and baguettes, and some fantastic cakes, all made on site.  There is also a small selection of wines for between two and three Euros a glass.  There is seating on the street outside but I often find a cosy sofa to nestle into with a coffee, cake and book.

Just down the hill is the Volkspark am Weinberg – one of my very favourite parks in Berlin.  It’s a small, sloping triangle of green, complete with lily pond, wedged in between Brunnenstrasse, Veteranenstrasse and Weinbergsweg.  In the centre is the excellent Nola’s am Weinberg http://www.nola.de/, a Swiss-influenced restaurant with a good quality menu.  The terrace is always in high demand especially on a winter’s afternoon where it’s a great place to catch the sunset whilst sipping a hot chocolate.

 

Another picture from earlier in the year - Volkspark am Weinberg

 

From the park, it’s then a gentle stroll up Kastanienallee.  The street that was once so full of posers it earned the nickname ‘Casting Alley’ has long since lost its cool and ‘edgy’ reputation, having succumbed to the inevitable process of gentrification.  It’s now as full of pushchairs and bland shops as anywhere else in Prenzlauer Berg.  Some notable places remain though.  I have mentioned The Lichtblick Kino http://www.lichtblick-kino.org/ in another post – a lovely little independent Kino which shows plenty of English-language films (last time I was here I saw the Nic Roeg classic Don’t Look Now).  The collectively-run Café Morgenrot http://www.cafe-morgenrot.de/  is also a favourite.  Finally, the Prater beer garden is an established haunt and a lively, albeit touristy place to spend a summer’s evening.

 

Café Morgenrot

Just a few yards away, the U-Bahn station at Eberswalder Strasse stands at the frenetic junction of Kastanienallee, Eberswalder Strasse, Schönhauser Allee, Pappelallee and Danziger Strasse.  It’s a hive of activity with five roads, criss-crossing tram lines and the elevated U-Bahn tracks, and it’s also the end of our journey.

Gorgast: gothic inspiration in deepest, darkest Brandenburg

 

A corridor inside the fort leading to an enticingly open gate

On Saturday 26th July, I trekked off to Fort Gorgast, a moated ruin a few kilometres from the Polish border, for The Reader Berlin’s summer festival.  A programme of mainly (but not exclusively) literary-themed activities had been devised for the weekend, which also included live music, films and a wine bar. 

After waking with a headache which I attributed to lack of sleep over the previous two nights rather than the three craft beers I’d had in the Monterey Bar the evening before, I drank half a pint of water, took an Ibuprofen and stepped into the shower, hoping that it might liven me up for the day ahead. Then I checked off the things I needed – money, phone, train ticket, pens and paper, plus an assortment of other potential necessities.  I wish I was the kind of person who could just fling a bag over their shoulder and set off without having to first fill it with provisions for every possible eventuality, but I’m a life-long sufferer of ‘kitchen sink’ syndrome and I behave like an anally retentive boy scout whenever I go anywhere. 

A lingering fog swathed the DDR architecture of Lichtenberg, where I just had time to pick up a coffee and sandwich before boarding the Kostrzyn-bound train. As we headed east, the suburbs began to thin out and before long we were trundling through open countryside. The stations we stopped at seemed to be little more than derelict buildings in the middle of nowhere, Gorgast's being no exception.

By the time we arrived the early mist had evaporated and it was hot.  I followed a lonely road which, after about fifteen minutes, brought me to the ‘fischerei’ (a wooden shack which contained a smokehouse and a quaint fish restaurant) at the fort's entrance.  Across from the fischerei was a tiny meadow where a yoga class – one of the weekend’s planned activities – was taking place.  I opened an iron gate and crossed the moat into the fort complex which was begging to be explored. 

 

Old station building at Gorgast

 

 

On the way to the fort - the white building in the distance is the one in the previous picture

 

Inside the fort it was dark and musty.  Rooms led into other rooms or onto winding corridors.  At one point I spotted the remains of a crumbling stone staircase – the bottom half a dozen steps had eroded completely away making it tantalisingly inaccessible.  As I made my way further into the chilly interior, I thought inevitably of gothic romances – windswept castles, imprisoned heroines, and creepy passageways with secret compartments.  As the location for a literary festival, this was an inspired choice.

 

Another of the fort's creepy corridors - they weren't all this well-lit!

 

Emerging back into the daylight, I took one of the winding paths that criss-crossed the woods, walking over the top of the fort and through the trees to the section of moat behind it. Bathing in the moat was off limits at it was spiked but, looking at the colour of the water which was bright green with algae, I’m not sure many would have wanted to anyway.  Every so often I came across a tent or a lone scribbler. There was plenty of evidence of the previous night’s revelries; spent tea lights were scattered throughout the grounds and in one clearing there was a gazebo-type canopy, some sound equipment and a crate of empty bottles.
 

 

Looking down into a section of the fort

 

 

The woods behind the fort

Back at the fort, a barbecue was blazing and one or two were having lunch.  There was a kitchen inside the fort but no fridge – although the chilly interior meant that one wasn’t really needed.  Various items (bottles of water, bags of food, musical instruments) had been stowed in dark corners. I’d deposited my own bag of supplies in what appeared to be a defunct inglenook fireplace.  

The first of the day’s two planned workshops, run by Jane Flett, took place in the yard under a porch of sorts.  For this, Jane had sourced a random selection of ads from Craigslist – people wanting to buy or sell, appeal for or offer services, or simply attempt to make contact with that beautiful stranger they’d seen on the S-Bahn the day before.  We each took an ad and set about creating a narrative based on it. In mine, someone was trying to get rid of a large quantity of wooden windows.  After completing a number of exercises designed to get us thinking first about the person who might be behind our ad then about who might respond, we dispersed to spend twenty minutes writing up our narratives. I sought the shade of the fort for this.  We then returned to the porch to share what we had written.  I love hearing other people’s responses, getting an idea of their creative style and an understanding of how their thought processes work. Another writer in the group had also taken the ‘windows’ ad and the piece she produced could not have been more different from mine. 

For the next workshop we carried the tables and benches into the cool and airy entrance to the fort.  By then the wine bar had been set up, and I decided it was high time for a glass of chilled white Bordeaux. This workshop, ‘Kickstart Your Writing’ with Victoria Gosling, was all about stimulating creativity.  It involved various exercises aimed at firing the imagination, and a discussion of the techniques used for banishing writer's block.

 

Writing workshop in the entrance to the fort

 

Afterwards, I took another glass of wine to a shady spot in the woods where I continued to scribble away at the story I’d begun in the first workshop.

There was an open mic session planned for the evening and I’d intended to stay for it but I was anxious about getting my train back to Berlin.  I'd opted for a one-day ticket as I had a lot to do that weekend with visitors arriving. I’d had a fantastic day and it was with great reluctance that I made my way back to the station, thinking about the ghostly tales I was missing.  I don’t know whether the summer festival will be an annual event but if so, I’ll definitely be going for the whole weekend next time!

 

Back at the station - the deserted platform

What to do in Berlin with two American teenagers, one wheat intolerance and a dancing queen

Last week Alan’s sister Amanda and her family came for a visit.  It was an emotional reunion – she’s been living in the USA since marrying her American husband Ron seventeen years ago and the last time we saw her was in 2012, when their mother Shirley lost her battle with breast cancer.

On Monday we got up at 5.30 to collect Amanda, Ron and their sons Matt and Cam from Tegel.  As they were all tired from the long journey, the day was kept fairly low-key.  In the evening we took some drinks and snacks to the Mauerpark and sat watching the sunset before finishing up in the Prater beer garden where Amanda got acquainted with the dubious delights of Berliner Weisse and its sickly syrups.

The next day we took the inevitable tourist trail around the Brandenburger Tor and Checkpoint Charlie et al.  It was stiflingly hot so before long we left the crowds behind and sought refreshment at Aufsturz in Oranienburger Strasse.  After a couple of beers, we wandered around the Hackesche Höfe and the streets of Mitte, which by then were feeling rather atmospheric in a late afternoon thunderstorm.

On Wednesday we visited ‘Classic Remise’ http://www.remise.de/ in Moabit.  I’m not into cars at all and I positively loathe ‘Top Gear’ and its revolting presenters.  In fact, one of the great benefits of living in Berlin for me has been not having to drive.  However, with two teenage boys and their car-mad dad to entertain, this was the perfect destination.  It’s basically a specialist garage and repair shop on a large scale.  An impressive collection of classic vehicles: cars, bikes and even the odd boat are garaged here and visitors are free to pop in for a nose around; it even has a small restaurant. It’s a little off the beaten track – about a twenty-minute walk from Beusselstrasse S-Bahn station – but worth the effort if you’re a car enthusiast.  Even I, with my antipathy towards all things automotive, found one or two models to hanker after, albeit in the Camper van rather than the Rolls Royce mould.

 

Just a few of the models to be seen

 

 

Entering the American Sector!

 

In the evening, we catered to the needs of the ‘dancing queen’ of the family at Clärchen’s Ballhaus http://www.ballhaus.de/ in Mitte.  This quirky, antique ballroom – shabbily grandiose and complete with mirror ball, candle-lit tables and a gorgeous garden – draws dancers of all abilities.  Wednesday is ‘swing’ night and, after a short dance class which outlined the key steps, the floor was packed.  Some of the dancing was mesmerising, some was just random shaking and jumping around, but all was performed with enthusiastic joie de vivre.  That day was the second anniversary of Shirley’s death and, as she loved dancing, it was an appropriate setting in which to remember her, so we raised our glasses in a toast before hitting the dance floor. 

It was a steamy night, and I spent more time drinking wine than dancing.  But Clärchen’s is a magical place; Amanda loved it, and I would recommend an evening there to anyone visiting Berlin.

 

View of the dance floor

 

 

In full swing!

 

 

A quiet corner of the lovely garden

 

 

And another of the garden taken earlier

 

Things took a more sober turn the next day when we took the train out to the former concentration camp at Sachsenhausen  http://www.stiftung-bg.de/gums/en/ where, between 1936 and 1945, some 200,000 political prisoners were incarcerated.  30,000 died there due to malnutrition, exhaustion, disease or execution.  It’s a large complex and there is so much information that it really needs more than one visit to fully appreciate the story it has to tell.

 

The sickening 'Arbeit Macht Frei' slogan at the entrance to the camp

 

 

The prisoners' washing facilities

 

 

The execution trench - behind the wall at the back is the crematorium

 

Back in the city in the late afternoon, we went for a walk along the East Side gallery and over the Spree into Kreuzberg and the 'Street Food Thursday'  evening at Markthalle Neun http://www.markthalleneun.de/  With one of the party having a wheat intolerance, we’d had to look for places which offered gluten free ingredients or eclectic enough menus that we could all eat together.  Markthalle Neun was ideal as it meant that we could separate in search of whichever form of sustenance took our fancy (or accommodated our requirements) and convene at the communal tables to eat.  Finding one with room for us all was a task as it was, as always, heaving but we managed and came to the table with an assortment of food and drink.  I had a slice of potato and rosemary focaccia and a glass of Prosecco, Amanda had a caprese salad and a ‘gin fizz’ which we all tasted and found to be frankly foul, Alan had an IPA from the tiny brewery there and an assortment of specialities from southern Germany, while wheat intolerant Ron had a glass of cider and a mezze platter with olives and cheese.  The boys were happy to munch their way around several of the stalls.

By Friday we were all pretty tired so we spent the day lakeside at the Weissensee.  Dinner that evening was at Alois S http://www.aloiss.de/ my favourite Spanish restaurant (I’m slightly addicted to their mixed fish plate).  There’s also a tapas menu, which offers something for all dietary needs and wants.  We hadn’t made a reservation and all of the inside tables were booked, but it was a warm evening so we sat outside under the trees.

On Saturday we picked up the pace again.  In the morning I took Amanda for a stroll around the market at Kollwitzplatz while Alan took Ron to the Berlin Wall memorial in Bernauer Strasse (the boys had decided they wanted a lie-in).  We met up at a coffee shop in Rykestrasse then walked back through the Kulturbrauerei, taking in the ‘Everyday life in the DDR’ exhibition there.  Afterwards we collected the boys and set off for Köpenick as our visitors had said they’d like to see something old-fashioned and ‘villagey’.  We had considered Potsdam and Spandau but settled in the end on Köpenick as it’s less touristy than the other two (also Alan wanted to show them the Stadion an der Alten Försterei).  We wandered around the quiet streets of the Altstadt and stopped for a drink at the Schlossplatz Brauerei.  On such a hot afternoon, it was a relief to sit in the little cobbled square, with its old-world buildings and trams creaking by at what is, allegedly, the smallest brewery in Germany.  After taking in the jolly scenes on the waterways, we made our way westwards, to KaDeWe, where Ron indulged his recently-acquired penchant for cigars at the humidor in the store’s food hall and Amanda succumbed to the temptations of the Leysieffer Café.

The next day was very much a typical Berlin Sunday with a leisurely buffet brunch at Frida Kahlo on Helmholzplatz followed by some serious chilling while the boys had a kick about with a football.  Amanda had announced her intention to sing at the Bear Pit Karaoke in the Mauerpark but (probably for the best) she decided instead to go with Ron to watch Berlin Adler, the American football team, at the adjacent Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn Sportpark.  This gave Alan the opportunity to repair to Schwalbe bar to watch Union’s season opener, away to Karlsruher SC.

By the end of their visit, we were all tired and footsore but had had a great week.  With all of the sightseeing, dancing, shopping, eating and drinking, swimming at the lake and inspecting of classic motors, I hope we’d succeeded in finding something of interest for each of them.