Berlin heute: September 2014

On the water

A look at the Märkisches Ufer, as you can see it's a nice place for a stroll.

PS: I am posting photos from my recent trip to Paris on my other photoblog, Halcyon Travels. Please stop by and take a look. You can click here or on the link on the right side of this page. Enjoy!

Backyard cuties

Why not keep a couple of llamas in the backyard? I'd love to have some of their wonderful wool to knit into warm hats and mittens!

Bun buns

After the somewhat sad posts from Plötzensee, I hope these cute bunnies will cheer you up!

Memorial plaque

While visiting the Plötzensee Memorial, I learned that the Hampels (the couple from the Alone in Berlin story) had lived in Wedding. So I decided to take the S Bahn and have a look. There's not much to see, but someone who lives in the building let me in the gate so I could get a closer look at the plaque. At least these people are being remembered in some small way.

"Here stands the house in which Otto and Elise Hampel lived from 1934 until their arrest. The working class couple was executed on 8 April 1943 in Berlin Plotzensee. Their resistance against the nazi regime was the basis for the book Alone in Berlin by Hans Fallada."

Place of execution

Here is a look at the execution room at Plötzensee. Originally prisoners were executed one at a time by guillotine, but later they installed the hanging bar you see in the back where up to eight prisoners could be assassinated at a time. Some school groups had visited earlier and left letters and roses in memorial, a touching gesture.

Sorry to make such a downer post on a Friday. Hope you have something exciting planned. I'll be on the golf course (where else?) and at the apartment. We have at least half a kitchen now!

Blue skies over Plötzensee

Although the Plötzensee Memorial is a very somber place, it was nice to have a beautiful blue sky above on the day I visited. I originally heard about this spot after reading Alone in Berlin by Hans Fallada. It's a fiction book based on a true story of a couple in Berlin who wrote postcards against Hitler and the Nazis and distributed them around Berlin. The couple went three years before being caught and were eventually tried and executed here at the Plötzensee prison.

If you sit on the benches in my first shot, you have a perfect view of the Memorial wall. It says, "To the victims of the Hitler dictatorship, years 1933 -1945". It's a very simple, yet moving reminder that we must never forget those terrible times.

PS: I am posting photos from my recent trip to Paris on my other photoblog, Halcyon Travels. Please stop by and take a look. You can click here or on the link on the right side of this page. Enjoy!

Plötzensee Memorial

Gedenkstatte Plötzensee is on the site of the old part of Plötzensee Prison (there is still a functioning prison here). During the Nazi years around three thousand people were executed here, most of them political dissidents. I'll be showing more of the memorial site in the days to come. Until then, you can find more signs at Signs, Signs.

PS: I am posting photos from my recent trip to Paris on my other photoblog, Halcyon Travels. Please stop by and take a look. You can click here or on the link on the right side of this page. Enjoy!

A new friend?

I found this guy just hanging out in a park in Wedding. I don't know if he's a moth or a butterfly, but I like the colors.

PS: I am posting photos from my recent trip to Paris on my other photoblog, Halcyon Travels. Please stop by and take a look. You can click here or on the link on the right side of this page. Enjoy!

For the birds

I found this "bird cafe" outside the Eckkniepe I showed you last week in Wedding. Both birds and people can enjoy their time at this joint!

PS: I am posting photos from my recent trip to Paris on my other photoblog, Halcyon Travels. Please stop by and take a look. You can click here or on the link on the right side of this page. Enjoy!

Yellow roses

There is a really nice rose garden in the square near my new apartment. I love walking through and seeing all the wonderful blossoms. The apartment is still undergoing renovation, but I hope we'll be able to move in before Christmas (thumbs held and fingers crossed).

Wittenberg in black and white

Here's a look back at the city of Wittenberg. Something about this street really appeals to me, maybe it's the combination of the cobblestone streets and the old brick buildings, and, of course, the lamppost. Somehow I find the picture not as good as the real scene. Does that ever happen to you?

Gated community

You do not see a lot of gated communities here in Berlin. The open gate was rather inviting and I would have liked to see that sculpture in the background. But despite the welcoming gate, I didn't dare to go inside!

It's Friday again. Do you have any big plans for the weekend? If the weather holds, you'll find me on the golf course. Whatever your plans are, don't forget to visit Friday Fences for more gates and such.

Smelling the flowers

I found this bright Buddy Bear near Emser Platz. I always enjoy seeing the bears and photographing them. This one fits in very well with his surroundings!

Next round

I'm beginning to think I have a thing for wagons, I hope it doesn't turn into a serious problem! I found this sign at the Spargelhof in Beelitz when I visited last May. The sign says the wagon will be back at 7.00 to make another round, but it doesn't appear very popular this day as the benches are all empty. Ah well, maybe next time... Until then, enjoy more signs at Signs, Signs.

Old wagon

Another old wagon that has been repurposed. It's maybe not quite as nice as this one, but I still think it has its charm! Fore more old stuff, take a look at Rubbish Tuesday.

Owl on the U-Bahn

I found this cute little guy looking down at me in the Schloßstraße U-Bahn station. The mix of polka dots and stripes is also eye catching! It's Monday again and you can see more murals on Monday Mural.

Leopoldplatz

We are back to Wedding with a look at the Old Nazareth Church on Leopoldplatz. Those water spouts are very popular with the kids during the hot summer days. There's a nice market here on the weekends with a good selection of products and good prices!

Last look

One last look (up!) at the Niederfinow lift lock. I think structures like this look great in black and white. I guess I'm on sort of a monochrome kick this week!

Local smith shop and bench

Here's some more old stuff from the same little village as yesterday's broken down cart. The village of Chorin is not far from Berlin and was on the way home from our visit to the lift lock. They have recreated things you would find in a medieval village - like this iron smith's abode. There is also a really nice, old cloister but you can't see everything in one day. We'll have to come back! For more signs, take a look at Signs, Signs.

Rubbish in monochrome

Do you think old stuff looks better in black and white? I do! For more old stuff, take a look at Rubbish Tuesday.

Beer and blood thinner

An interesting way to advertise a bar, but it certainly caught my attention! It's Monday again and you'll find more murals at Monday Mural.

Express route

There was a short walk from the ticket booth to the place where you boarded the boat for the lift lock tour. For people really in a hurry, there was the Hafenexpress. I think it's a bit of a misnomer, but I'm sure the ride was fun!

Going up

Since the basin on this lift lock is somewhat closed, it's hard to get a good impression of how far up we actually were. But I tried!

Here's a look over the treetops.

And now the gates are opening at the top of the lock. We sailed down a little ways and looked around before turning around and doing it all again. It was a nice way to spend an afternoon and I'd love to come back when the new lock is built to give it a test whirl as well!

It's finally Friday. I hope you've got some nice plans for the weekend. The weather is supposed to be nice, so I'll probably be on the golf course. Hope your skies are blue too - you can see more at Skywatch.

The basin

A lift lock works pretty much like an elevator - there is a basin that the boats drive (navigate?) into, the doors close and then a set of counterweights is engaged to bring the basin up or down. (At the lift lock in Peterborough, there were two separate side-by-side basins, one lower and one upper, that served as natural counterweights).

A group of kayakers joined us on the way up. We were all eagerly awaiting the start of the ride!

What I find amazing is that the technology has not really changed since the 1930s when this lock originally went into service. A few improvements have been made, but it's basically the same structure and the same core idea. A new lock is being built alongside this one as this waterway gets quite busy and needs to accommodate large ships, but the historic lift lock will remain in service for at least another fifteen years.

Von Munchhausen

This friendly little boat took us up and down at the Schiffshebewerk Niederfinow. We were amongst the first onboard and got prime seats on the front row at the top of the boat. I have no idea why the boat is named von Munchhausen, but it was a fun little tour that lasted a little more than an hour. For more signs, take a look at Signs, Signs.

Schiffshebewerk Niederfinow

Back in Toronto, I remember being super impressed with a boat tour of the Peterborough Lift Lock. So when I learned that the Schiffshebewerk Niederfinow (Germany's oldest and biggest lift lock) is not far from Berlin, I knew I had to go see it. It didn't disappoint!

It's sort of hard to capture the engineering beauty of these types of structures, but it really was impressive. A smaller lock was originally built on this site in 1914, but was quickly deemed too small for traffic demands on the canal. In 1934 it was replaced by the big, imposing structure that still stands today. It works a bit differently from the one in Peterborough - it had two basins which served as natural counterweights while Niederfinow has one basin and external counterweights - but the principal is the same. The lift stands at 60 meters tall and the journey up and down takes about five minutes. Be sure to check back later this week for an up close look at the lock, until then you can see more old stuff at Rubbish Tuesday.

Confidential to my brother: Happy Birthday!!!

September theme day: Rust and ruins

Berlin is filled with decay, some of beautiful, some of it not. This pride of lions is faithfully guarding their shipping containers and palettes. I find the scene oddly funny, hope you enjoy it too!

It's the beginning of a new month and that means a new theme day. For more interpretations of Rust and Ruins, click here.