18-23 October 2012, Berlin, Part Two

18-23 October 2012

Berlin, Part Two

I have gotten behind in writing. We have seen and heard and tasted and felt so much it has been a lot for my brain to process. Here is the rest of Berlin.

Pedaling in the Tiergarten 

Berlin is the first German city I have ever visited. I was quickly aware that it was going to be a challenge to wallow in it's history. And it was. We took a bicycle tour. It was six hours long that flew by like a breeze.

The day was perfect. Sunshine and blue skies. We pedaled through the tree shaded lanes of the Tiergarten, Berlin's Central Park. We learned about the great theater the Deutsche Staatsoper Berlin. It was built in the seventeen-hundreds. One of the first opera houses.  And it was reconstructed in the old style after it's destruction in World War Two. We pedaled around the Brandenburg Gate. Fully restored and wildly popular. The American Embassy is there. We saw Checkpoint Charlie, a cold war relic. And the Holocaust memorial. Then more great museums and parks.  Much of the modern German history is a dark tale. This is not vacation stuff. I recognize the importance of airing historical dirty laundry. The world should be compelled to remember so as not to repeat. But dwelling in that realm is sad and solemn. I did not dwell. I took note of it and I moved on.

We stayed in a one-bedroom apartment in East Berlin at the Mandala Suites--recommended by a neighbor. After the Berlin Wall fell, parts of East Berlin were flooded with interest and money. It is still in a renaissance period and our neighborhood evidence of it. It was great. Around the corner was the Gendarmen-markt Platz.  It instantly became a favorite place to hang out. It is a large, light, old, cobble-stone paved, rectangular plaza flanked by two identical churches and a concert hall. It is an  elegant and welcoming space with lots of cafes and restaurants to enjoy it from.

Gendarmenmarkt by day

Brandenburg Gate at night

We went there on our first night. The sun had set.  There were lots of people. And they were carrying tripods. Like the city people were on a photo field trip. We learned that people were out city wide. It was for the Festival of Lights. For two weeks artists were invited to illuminate buildings. In this instance the lights were animated images on the move and colorful covering the entire surface of the buildings' facades. It was great. It brought out the Berliners for a city wide photo party.

Gendarmenmarkt at night

I am new to German food. I have grown--literally--to love their sausages (wurst) and potatoes (kartoffel). The potatoes, they sauté with onion and ham and finish with a sprinkle of fresh chopped parsley. The aroma travels far. In the Ka De We food court we wafted on that aroma like  cartoon characters.  It picked us up and floated us right into two stools at Kartoffel-Acker, a potato restaurant with twenty seats. Their potato pancake is light as a feather, thin, golden and covers the plate. Just add apple sauce. My lunch was sauteed potatoes, ham and onion cooked into a perfect omelet.  The other notable food was at Lutter & Wegner. Wes took us there several times. It is special. Beloved. Old. Since 1811. Artist, creative types, business people. Classic stuff.  I experienced my first Wiener Schnitzel (von Kalb aus der Pfanne mit lauwarmem Kartoffel-Gurkensalat) there. It was a revelation.  It covered half of the large plate. It's contour resembled South America. Like Wes's potato pancake it was light as a feather, thin, golden. I squeezed some lemon over, took a bite, tasted and swooned. I am a changed man.  Thank you Wesley for making taking me there. And thank you Lutter & Wenger for making it so delicious.

Marlow and Wesley
18-23 October 2012
Berlin, Part Two
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