Friday 26 June 2015

Berlin




















Before we even got back from our Berlin trip I was planning the next one.  It's a city I never get bored of.  In fact the history of the city and all it's ghosts give me shudders (in a good way).  This time we visited with some friends who had never been before so lots of museums and landmarks were the order of the day.  Brandenberg Gate, Checkpoint Charlie and the Wall remains.  We also stumbled across Bebelplatz, the site of the notorious Nazi book burnings.  This was all absolutely fine by me.  The history of the city, the Wall and the people divided is something I find absolutely fascinating.  Being an 80's child I have some very hazy memories of the news reports of the fall of the wall and knowing in my childish mind that this must be something very important.  It kind of blows my mind when I look back now and realise that this was something so significant and it happened in my lifetime.

A particular highlight for me was our visit to the DDR museum, a museum that exclusively documents what everyday life was like behind the iron curtain.  The Trabants, the prefab high rises, the collective potty training.  A time when there was relative prosperity but nothing to spend your marks on due to chronic supply shortages of almost everything.  And of course the routine Stasi surveillance and harassment of it's "comrades".  I was reminded of George Orwell's 1984 so many times during this visit it was actually quite unnerving.  This was a very hand's on, interactive museum which would have been great for children too which we will definitely bear in mind for future visits when ours are older.

Otherwise, sans kids, we enjoyed some beautiful food, we drank some amazing artisan cocktails in Beckett's Kopf and Schwarze Traube two places I would heartily recommend you try out if you ever visit.

I am literally bursting to go back.  Next time, the Stasi Museum & Archive is definitely on the agenda and just lots of aimless wandering and exploring.  

Farewell my lovely, I will be back as soon as I can.

Thursday 18 June 2015

Hanging on the Telephone : #3

s/s 2015 so far - through my iPhone lens


1.  Lots of cocktails  2.  Hotel corridor selfie, Mitte, Berlin



3 Me and a Pina Colada  4  More cocktails on the beach, Costa Del Sol, Spain



4.  Lame lame lame attempt at an outfit shot but I like the way my nails match my sunglasses
5.  Haribo pick n mix in the local supermarket, Antequera, Spain (I made several purchases during our stay)



6.  Crap doodlings with my new Sharpies and sketchpad  7.  The Mister and I amusing ourselves by spelling out lines from some of our favourite comedy sketches on the fridge (just as well there was a shortage of 'h''s



8.  Pre-holiday 'bits'   9.  This IT Crowd themed postcard is how I feel about most things most days 



10.  Spring in the park  11.  Lunch at Liverpool's oldest wine bar


Since my last post I have been quite the busy bee.  The Mister and I celebrated our tenth wedding anniversary (albeit a little early) in my beloved Berlin.  We've been decorating the bathroom which is still only partially done and have somehow found time to have a full on family holiday in Spain's beautiful Andalusian Mountains.  Can't complain really.  The fog of depression and anxiety routinely rears it's head but my medication regime is fairly well established and I am actually finding things much easier to deal with.    On Tuesday night we went to see the sublime Suzanne Vega in the Liverpool Phil.  Of course I spent the entire day leading up to it on the verge of tears and convincing myself I couldn't possibly go (my usual MO for any impending social activity), however, I knuckled down, layered on the Ruby Woo and got on with it.  I'm so glad I did because she was amazing.  Her voice has become more velvet-like with age and I can only describe the song arrangements as haunting.  I would have missed it and not known what I'd missed.  It made me realise that I really need to try and keep kicking life in the ass in a similar manner in future.  Hope you are well dear reader?

xxx
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