Sunday Walk in Tiergarten

Autumn started and a walk in the Tiergarten is always great. Before reunification the park was located in the district Tiergarten, now it's in Mitte. It's large, 210 hectares. Its beginning can even be traced back to 1527; founded as a hunting area for the king.  Now, many people, cyclists enjoy this great lovely park.

The Siegessaule, by Berliners called "Goldene Else" is a column and statue representing the goddess of victory at the roundabout called "Grosser Stern". The viewing platform above offers you a great view.

Shocked about Deutsche Post

When we lived in India often postcards didn't reach us. Letters or parcels had been ripped open or even dissolved into thin air or rather the postal workers pockets. Regularly the Indian postal workers enjoyed part of our Christmas chocolates or ginger breads sent by the grandparents from Germany. We were overjoyed to still get something of the parcel at all and got used to sharing with Indian postal workers.

However, now settled back in Germany it never crossed my mind that it could be unsafe to send goodies by mail. So I'd ask my friend so send my usb stick by mail as we didn't manage to meet up. She mailed me the stick in a normal letter by Deutsche Post within Berlin. Guess what? I couldn't believe it... the envelope had been opened just a wee bit, enough to slide out a usb stick ... and no stick for me....

:- (

Heinz Sielmann Stiftung near Berlin

Leaving Berlin from Spandau via Heerstrasse, driving on the B5, take the exit Heinz Sielmann Stiftung to reach the place. It is beautifully situated in the Döberitzer Heide where you can do nice walks.

A few years ago the Heinz Sielmann Stiftung bought 3.450 hectare to secure the area for the nature. Previously the area has been used for military purposes and wildlife has been displaced. Now a lot of flora and fauna is growing again and some rare plants could be sited. The same can be said for animals.

Wanderwege - Hiking treks - are marked, around 55 km, and have been cleared of munitions.


We only visited the area of the Heinz Sielmann Stiftung Schaugelände.  There is a cafe and small information centre. A nice play ground for kids and children zoo with goats and rabbits. If you go further you can meet some wisents, wild horses and red deer.

http://www.sielmann-stiftung.de/de/projekte/sielmanns_naturlandschaften/doeberitzer_heide/index.php

The wild horses are called Przewalski Horses and some more of them have been born this year.

You can see some animals made out of one piece of wood. Here is a bat. 

The Mongolic Yurts are beautiful and can even be rented for children parties. You can inquire with them.

                                                                    A hotel for insects 


 

A herb garden

Late Outbreak of Summer

The weather in Germany is always good for a surprise. When I mentally prepared myself for autumn, what happens? It gets very hot, like on a hot summer's day up to 28 degree C. Already the news started discussing if this is very unusual but some voices mentioned hot September days in other years as well.
Just enjoy the sun and relax. The next autumn is sure to come soon.

Das Bürgeramt

Any official documents you need, you get from the Bürgeramt (administrative office for citizens). Now the Bürgeramt deals with basically all administration issues you need to be done not only registering your new residence or applying your new passport, but also income tax issues, children allowance related issues, change of driving license and other issues I don't even know. Previously there have been different offices for different purposes.

When you're residing in Berlin, you'll have to register at the Bürgeramt same goes if you change your address. You can go to any Amt  not only the office in your district.

Apparently administration was supposed to become more customer friendly by combining different departments but in reality the employees simply have too much work to do. The working staff is overwhelmed and not enough to deal with the amount of work and this for us, the customers, means LONG waiting hours. You can make an appointment booking by internet but it will be at least 4 weeks before a available date. If you can wait -  good for you. However, for pressing issues, visit the Bürgeramt during their opening times and make sure you don't have other commitments on that day. Anyhow, check their website before visiting. Also you can download all the necessary forms beforehand and fill them out peacefully at home. Find out on the internet what you'll have to bring along.

Last month I needed to get a parking vignette for our district. AND was quite lucky. Because it has been  summer vacation and end of the month, there were less people in the waiting room. In just two and a half hours only (time to drink coffee and read a good book)  I was out again and mission accomplished. Wow! What a success!

PS. If you need to know how to register (Anmeldung), see my later post "Bürgeramt Registration"

Beyond Berlin

A while ago I've been to Boernicke. It's North West from Berlin. Leaving from Spandau, through Falkensee and we reached Boernicke in Brandenburg. Had lunch at Boernicke Landhaus. It's a very cute place with lovely many things to see and also a good place to eat. Afterwards you can explore their children's zoo; they have some birds and other small or bigger animals. If you have time, you can even play minigolf  If you plan to stay longer, Boernicke Landhaus is also a hotel . You could explore the forest, maybe you can meet some deer...

 This cute merry-go-round is only for small kids of course.

An old postal carriage

 Children's zoo

There are many more animals but some where hiding because it was a hot day.

Flowers to pick

Recently on our way to Ribbeck in Havelland we passed this flower field just at the entrance of the village. Actually most flowers were already withered but still got some nice gladiolas. You pick your own flowers with a knife provided and put the money for the flowers you pick in a box.  

Only paid flowers bring you joy and friends, they write .... of course, we put the money in the box and enjoyed the flowers at home!

Ribbeck im Havelland

WELCOME TO 

 This place Ribbeck is West from Berlin in Havelland, driving the B 5 (Bundesstrasse 5) just after Nauen. It's known because Theodor Fontane wrote a poem about a pear tree standing in Mr.von Ribbeck's garden a long time ago. Also I learned this poem about Mr. von Ribbeck's pear tree at school.

THE pear tree is no longer but a new tree has been planted in the same spot. 

 It's a very cute little place with historic buildings like the church and the castle which has been renovated and reopened. There is a Standesamt, a museum and a restaurant in the castle.

We also explored the graveyard of the Ribbecks.

Here only the first verse of the very famous German poem because it's a bit long. It's written in a dialect. Basically he is blessed with a pear tree that gives many pears which he shares. And on his death he asked to take a pear in his grave where again a pear tree grows.

Herr von Ribbeck auf Ribbeck im Havelland

Herr von Ribbeck auf Ribbeck im Havelland,
Ein Birnbaum in seinem Garten stand,
Und kam die goldene Herbsteszeit
Und die Birnen leuchteten weit und breit,
Da stopfte, wenn's Mittag vom Turme scholl,
Der von Ribbeck sich beide Taschen voll,
Und kam in Pantinen ein Junge daher,
So rief er: »Junge, wiste 'ne Beer?«
Und kam ein Mädel, so rief er: »Lütt Dirn,
Kumm man röwer, ick hebb 'ne Birn.«

Last Sunday in Lutherstadt Wittenberg

On our way back from Leipzig to Berlin we passed by Lutherstadt Wittenberg, in Sachsen-Anhalt. It's a very beautiful cute small town with a historic old town including many historic buildings. There has been a close connection with Martin Luther and the dawn of the Protestant Reformation. Some memorial sites were added to the UNESCO world heritage list. However, it was too hot for us to see all the buildings. The temperature this weekend has been 37° C.

On the doors of the Schlosskirche (All Saint's Church) built 1496 - 1506 Luther nailed his 95 theses in 1517. 

 Friedensreich Hundertwasser (1928 - 2000) was an Austrian artist (later he took on the New Zealand citizenship). He became one of the best-know contemporary Austrian artists, and designed architecture later on using irregular forms and in-cooperate natural feature of the landscape. Here he designed a school, called the Hunderwasserschule, Luther-Melanchthon-Gymnasium.

Here some impressions:

Sunny Weekend in Leipzig

Here some impressions about Leipzig ...

We visited St. Thomas Church which dates back to the 12th Century. The composer Johann Sebastian Bach was the choir director at St. Thomas Church from 1723 until his death in 1750.
We were happy to hear the pipe organ during our visit to the church. A very atmospheric great impression. 

The old town of Leipzig is very beautiful and leaves us -even in the heat of this weekend- in awe.

Auerbachs Keller (Auerbach's cellar), the place Johann Wolfgang Goethe visited often while studying in Leipzig 1765-1768 was his favorite wine bar. This bar is described in Goethe's play Faust I as the first place Mephistopheles takes Faust on their travels. It's located at the shopping arcade Mädlerpassage.

In another shopping arcade Speck's Hof we found this beautiful sound bowl, a copy of a bowl from the Ming-Dynasty. I you wet your hands and rub the sides slightly it does make a beautiful soft sound.








At the end of the day, relax and enjoy ...