It seems to be my personal enigma , but I don't seem to be able to walk through this gate without being hindered by barricades.
About 34 years ago, during my first real visit to Berlin it was the Berlin Wall which created the barricade to stop me from going through. This time, the wall gone and free access to everywhere, it was the Pope 's visit and the increased security measures which caused the area around the gate to be barricaded.
Once the pope was gone and we thought normal Berlin life prevailed ,we found that the bleechers from the Berlin Marathon had not been taken down and again no access for me.
Well Brandenburger Tor, I have had enough , I 'll find myself another gate and walk through it freely!
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Being back in germany
The fall has been glorious and already too cool-everything proper weather should be-something to enjoy and something to complain about.
Friends have been met, plans full filled and others cancelled , so that no day is ever boring.
While I am waiting to hear from my step daughter, I was able to enjoy a few domestic hours to while away the time. Soon I'll be out again to partake in the Kirmes activities. It is Qaetsche Kaermes in Feldkirchen , a typical churchfair, woven into a strong historic background. Certain songs have to be sung at the right time, a special tree has to be falled for the Kirmes, to display the Kirmesmann,who incidentally is black. Why, no body knows!By the way , he will be shot dead on Tuesday and buried until nest year. He'll also get a piece of plum(Qaetsche) cake in his hand!
Luckily ,I have also had some time to do sightseeing, visiting the geysir in Namedy and the Bundesgartenschau(the German Gardening Show 2011)
My focal point is still to walk the paths of my childhood , to visit the cemetary and to remember my parents.
Could I live here again, yes I think I could!
But for now, it is a visit and I am only in the middle of it.
Friends have been met, plans full filled and others cancelled , so that no day is ever boring.
While I am waiting to hear from my step daughter, I was able to enjoy a few domestic hours to while away the time. Soon I'll be out again to partake in the Kirmes activities. It is Qaetsche Kaermes in Feldkirchen , a typical churchfair, woven into a strong historic background. Certain songs have to be sung at the right time, a special tree has to be falled for the Kirmes, to display the Kirmesmann,who incidentally is black. Why, no body knows!By the way , he will be shot dead on Tuesday and buried until nest year. He'll also get a piece of plum(Qaetsche) cake in his hand!
Luckily ,I have also had some time to do sightseeing, visiting the geysir in Namedy and the Bundesgartenschau(the German Gardening Show 2011)
My focal point is still to walk the paths of my childhood , to visit the cemetary and to remember my parents.
Could I live here again, yes I think I could!
But for now, it is a visit and I am only in the middle of it.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Road Side Conclusions
While cycling along the country roads around my home in order to rehab my knee, I could not help , but noticing the unbelievable debris which accumulates in the ditches on the side of the roads.
Everything from empty bottles and cans, fast food wrappers, cigarette boxes,banana peel,work gloves and underwear(!)
Because I tend to cycle the same stretch of road, I also started to pay more attention to the items which litter the country side.
It disturbed me so much, that I started to mentally keep track of what I saw.
Budweiser cans, cheap No Name beer cans , pop cans, paper coffee cups,some beer bottles , liquor bottles,Players cigarette boxes,Mac Donald take out bags,work gloves and under wear.
My conclusion is that sadly there are people who drive to work,drinking coffee and smoking, having lunch while driving, drinking beer and hard liquor to relax in the evening and than toss out the underwear to get rid of the evidence of some extracurricular activity.
All those people who do one or the other-could you please stop this and be responsible, if you step outside the car to purchase your junk , you can just as easily step out to dispose of it and for the under wear, leave on in the first place-please!
Everything from empty bottles and cans, fast food wrappers, cigarette boxes,banana peel,work gloves and underwear(!)
Because I tend to cycle the same stretch of road, I also started to pay more attention to the items which litter the country side.
It disturbed me so much, that I started to mentally keep track of what I saw.
Budweiser cans, cheap No Name beer cans , pop cans, paper coffee cups,some beer bottles , liquor bottles,Players cigarette boxes,Mac Donald take out bags,work gloves and under wear.
My conclusion is that sadly there are people who drive to work,drinking coffee and smoking, having lunch while driving, drinking beer and hard liquor to relax in the evening and than toss out the underwear to get rid of the evidence of some extracurricular activity.
All those people who do one or the other-could you please stop this and be responsible, if you step outside the car to purchase your junk , you can just as easily step out to dispose of it and for the under wear, leave on in the first place-please!
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Multilingual Deer
Upon rising yesterday morning , I noticed a young mule deer buck with a nice rack nibbling on our shrubs in front of the house.
Deer pruning we call it, but I was not in the mood for pruning right now.
As I opened the door, the buck took 3 hops back , turned around and looked expectantly towards me.
So I told him , in German of course, to please not eat the shrubs .He kept looking and I kept talking, even Mitzi joined the fun by winding around my feet and purring loudly. It was peaceful.
Back inside , while getting my tea ready , I noticed yet another buck, also nibbling away on our shrubs. I went out again and gave him the same lecture. Buck # 1 found this so interesting, he came even closer to better understand. Amazing, theses guys are not only very used to having us around , but they also seem to have a particular liking to the sound of German.
Deer linguistics 201 on Horsecreek road.
Deer pruning we call it, but I was not in the mood for pruning right now.
As I opened the door, the buck took 3 hops back , turned around and looked expectantly towards me.
So I told him , in German of course, to please not eat the shrubs .He kept looking and I kept talking, even Mitzi joined the fun by winding around my feet and purring loudly. It was peaceful.
Back inside , while getting my tea ready , I noticed yet another buck, also nibbling away on our shrubs. I went out again and gave him the same lecture. Buck # 1 found this so interesting, he came even closer to better understand. Amazing, theses guys are not only very used to having us around , but they also seem to have a particular liking to the sound of German.
Deer linguistics 201 on Horsecreek road.
Friday, July 29, 2011
One Million People
What awesome time we had in Nova Scotia, home of my best friend and her wonderful husband and 999998 more equally friendly people.
And it is the mix of absolutely stunning surroundings and the people which makes Nova Scotia so spectacular!
Our friends greeted us at the airport upon our arrival , to help us find our way to their home, afraid that we would loose ourselves in the myrrh of Halifax' streets.
We spend a lovely evening in good camaraderie, reminiscing about our wild mountaineering , bicycling and skiing days out West ,and receiving good advice about our Cape Breton adventure which would start the following day.
Our B&B in Baddeck was lovely, everything just right and the rooms clean and romantic ,full of books and more books ,a fact Werner truly enjoyed!
The Cabot Trail , which we drove counterclockwise, to have the best views did not disappoint.
Ocean views and mountain views galore, inter spaced with tiny little fishing villages and gift shops.
We found beaches with perfectly round shaped rocks and beaches with perfectly flattened rocks , all made by the waves crushing onto the shores.Impressive!
I can't believe , I ever cycled this trail, there is hardly ever enough room for cyclists and cars -so I better keep my memories of this trip alive , there will be no repeat cycling of the trail!
We continued to eat our way through the delicacies this Atlantic province has to offer, fresh oysters for lunch at Aspy Bay, lobster dinner in Baddeck,marinated herring where ever we found it, perfect Chowder in little shanty's along the roads-divine!
Our absolute highlight was our side trip around Cape George-untouched by mass tourism, beautiful views, small farms , serenity exuding peacefulness-and the future home of our friends!
The following days were spend with us being whisked away to experience more of our friends live.
We went sailing and Werner got to be the helmsman under sail, tacking and all and he took to it like a true waterman. My father would have been proud, wait 'til I tell him about his son in laws adventures!
We did a walking tour of Halifax and visited the immigration museum on Pier 21. Although Werner arrived by boat as well, his and my arrival onto Canadian soil cannot compare to what theses immigrants of yesteryear had to go through. We spoke the language, had careers that already promised work and we had money, the refugees of the war and post war era had nothing!
As our last impression , we got to see the Bay of Fundy during low tide. Ships are sitting stranded down in the harbor, waiting for the water to return to carry them out to sea. The tidal wave for the bay is immense and can get dangerously high during times of storm and full moon cycles.
While the water demonstrates it's incredible power, the wine yards a few miles inland produce incredible reds and whites, which we were also fortunate to taste .
For a province so diversified and rich in different cultures , it is hard to believe that only 1 000 0000 people are able to hold it all together!
And it is the mix of absolutely stunning surroundings and the people which makes Nova Scotia so spectacular!
Our friends greeted us at the airport upon our arrival , to help us find our way to their home, afraid that we would loose ourselves in the myrrh of Halifax' streets.
We spend a lovely evening in good camaraderie, reminiscing about our wild mountaineering , bicycling and skiing days out West ,and receiving good advice about our Cape Breton adventure which would start the following day.
Our B&B in Baddeck was lovely, everything just right and the rooms clean and romantic ,full of books and more books ,a fact Werner truly enjoyed!
The Cabot Trail , which we drove counterclockwise, to have the best views did not disappoint.
Ocean views and mountain views galore, inter spaced with tiny little fishing villages and gift shops.
We found beaches with perfectly round shaped rocks and beaches with perfectly flattened rocks , all made by the waves crushing onto the shores.Impressive!
I can't believe , I ever cycled this trail, there is hardly ever enough room for cyclists and cars -so I better keep my memories of this trip alive , there will be no repeat cycling of the trail!
We continued to eat our way through the delicacies this Atlantic province has to offer, fresh oysters for lunch at Aspy Bay, lobster dinner in Baddeck,marinated herring where ever we found it, perfect Chowder in little shanty's along the roads-divine!
Our absolute highlight was our side trip around Cape George-untouched by mass tourism, beautiful views, small farms , serenity exuding peacefulness-and the future home of our friends!
The following days were spend with us being whisked away to experience more of our friends live.
We went sailing and Werner got to be the helmsman under sail, tacking and all and he took to it like a true waterman. My father would have been proud, wait 'til I tell him about his son in laws adventures!
We did a walking tour of Halifax and visited the immigration museum on Pier 21. Although Werner arrived by boat as well, his and my arrival onto Canadian soil cannot compare to what theses immigrants of yesteryear had to go through. We spoke the language, had careers that already promised work and we had money, the refugees of the war and post war era had nothing!
As our last impression , we got to see the Bay of Fundy during low tide. Ships are sitting stranded down in the harbor, waiting for the water to return to carry them out to sea. The tidal wave for the bay is immense and can get dangerously high during times of storm and full moon cycles.
While the water demonstrates it's incredible power, the wine yards a few miles inland produce incredible reds and whites, which we were also fortunate to taste .
For a province so diversified and rich in different cultures , it is hard to believe that only 1 000 0000 people are able to hold it all together!
Monday, July 18, 2011
The Shining
Hold on to your gold crowns!
If you have not noticed , gold is shining brightly on the investment horizon. It now costs more than 1600 $ for a troy ounce of gold.
I remember that I wanted to buy gold in 2000 to invest as a hedge against inflation and my broker , unusually incompetent told me : "Nobody can make money with gold!" We soon parted ways , because I can only tolerate stupidity for so long, particularly if my own money is involved and went on to persue my own interests .
Slowly , but surely everything I had anticipated has come true and the story is far from over.
Economic uncertainty has mired the Euro and even more so the US dollar, even so the news so far has been pummeling the Euro instead of discussing the potential problems with US bankruptcy.
Well, the latest developments in the US shows that the mighty US dollar is in trouble and the rise in gold does certainly reflect this.
Gold mining stocks are trailing behind and are still a good buy, otherwise any pull back is an opportunity, and there will be pull backs.
Hang on to your old jewellery and gold crowns and wait for the party to get into full swing before you give it away.
The ski is not quite the limit, but it will be well up on the stair way.
If you have not noticed , gold is shining brightly on the investment horizon. It now costs more than 1600 $ for a troy ounce of gold.
I remember that I wanted to buy gold in 2000 to invest as a hedge against inflation and my broker , unusually incompetent told me : "Nobody can make money with gold!" We soon parted ways , because I can only tolerate stupidity for so long, particularly if my own money is involved and went on to persue my own interests .
Slowly , but surely everything I had anticipated has come true and the story is far from over.
Economic uncertainty has mired the Euro and even more so the US dollar, even so the news so far has been pummeling the Euro instead of discussing the potential problems with US bankruptcy.
Well, the latest developments in the US shows that the mighty US dollar is in trouble and the rise in gold does certainly reflect this.
Gold mining stocks are trailing behind and are still a good buy, otherwise any pull back is an opportunity, and there will be pull backs.
Hang on to your old jewellery and gold crowns and wait for the party to get into full swing before you give it away.
The ski is not quite the limit, but it will be well up on the stair way.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
On The Range
What populated place our home is at times!It makes me laugh to think , how we create a whole bunch of conversations , just by not exactly pronouncing right, not listening properly , or not seeing clearly.
When I arrived from Germany last Sunday, Werner told me a lot about Archie Taylor. He kept explaining more and more and me being extremely tired just listened -until I could not help but ask , "Who is Archie Taylor?"
Turns out, Archie Taylor is the agitator from the seeder , Werner spend days to make it spit out the seeds properly and evenly.
Our daughter on the other hand overheard us talk about a Jamaican. Jamaican this and that and she felt compelled to remind us, that one should not refer to people by their home country , but by their names. Well , we did that, but a little laziness while pronouncing the name , made him the "Jamaican "!
Both Werner and I have many times raced to get the binoculars in order to spot some exotic animal more clearly, only to find out , that it is just a shrub or the wheelbarrow illuminated in a different way , to make them look like buffalo, moose , bears or wolfs. Crazy!
Even the landscape surrounding us takes on a live of its own. Driving along Grand Valley Road in the summer reminds us regularly of the hills of Tuscany , olive trees and cypresses and all.
Looking out west while sitting on our deck reminds us often of the African Savannah, and if we look closely, we even see the giraffes walking in the distance.
I can't wait who or what is coming next to our magic place.
When I arrived from Germany last Sunday, Werner told me a lot about Archie Taylor. He kept explaining more and more and me being extremely tired just listened -until I could not help but ask , "Who is Archie Taylor?"
Turns out, Archie Taylor is the agitator from the seeder , Werner spend days to make it spit out the seeds properly and evenly.
Our daughter on the other hand overheard us talk about a Jamaican. Jamaican this and that and she felt compelled to remind us, that one should not refer to people by their home country , but by their names. Well , we did that, but a little laziness while pronouncing the name , made him the "Jamaican "!
Both Werner and I have many times raced to get the binoculars in order to spot some exotic animal more clearly, only to find out , that it is just a shrub or the wheelbarrow illuminated in a different way , to make them look like buffalo, moose , bears or wolfs. Crazy!
Even the landscape surrounding us takes on a live of its own. Driving along Grand Valley Road in the summer reminds us regularly of the hills of Tuscany , olive trees and cypresses and all.
Looking out west while sitting on our deck reminds us often of the African Savannah, and if we look closely, we even see the giraffes walking in the distance.
I can't wait who or what is coming next to our magic place.
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