Berlin- a few pictures 7

Walking for freedom

Ronny and I came across this demonstration while we were on Friedrichstrasse today. As the demo was going the way we wanted to go, we decided to join in, although we had no idea what they were demonstrating about. Turns out this gathering of people (a good two to three hundred I would estimate) was walking for freedom, namely for the freedom of Mumia Abu-Jamal, an African-American journalist, prior Black Panther Member, who is sitting on death row for the alleged murder of a white police officer. The march was also to demonstrate against racism of all kinds. There were people of all ages participating in this march, and although there was a strong police presence, it was a very calm demonstration. We passed in front of two known neo-Nazi stores, which were heavily guarded by police officers (two last pictures).

It was an interesting experience.

Black gold

I like to be cozy- it's a fact! I like it when it is very, very warm. I don't mind our summers, hot and humid, because I can't get enough of the warm weather. I love to be warm. In winter, I love to hang around in my house, on a lazy Sunday, in my PJ's, with thick wool socks on my feet, a cuddly hoody and perhaps a cat on my lap, to keep me extra warm!
So it was quite the surprise (read: shock!), when I went to my boyfriend's flat for the first time, and I realized that his heating came in the form of a coal oven! That is something that I am definitely NOT used to, as you don't find many of those (or perhaps none whatsoever, but I would have to do some research to be more sure) in Montreal. They are, however, very spread here in Germany, and you will find, even here in Berlin, many apartments that use coal ovens as their main heating source. He tried to convince me that the oven gets very warm and that it is cozy, but I knew that his flat, in winter, would never reach the temperature that I like to live in (I first went to his place in late August, when it was still warm outside, and when heating was not necessary). I had some time to get used to the idea of having to use a coal oven, although, even now, it is not something that I would ever choose for myself. First of all, it's a lot of work. You need to set a fire, and when the wood is nice and hot, you can set your coals on top of it. Of course, you don't have a coal cave in your flat, so that means that you have to go outside and get coal from your shed, where it is kept. The heat of the coals travels in a labyrinth of tunnels found inside the oven, and in turn, heats the tiles that make up the oven. The oven itself gets pretty warm (actually burning hot), but on a really cold days (of which there are fewer than at home, but still more than one would except), the room does not really get very warm. The heating process takes time. You have to let the coals burn, the door of the oven open, for a while before you can close the doors (and thus keep the heat in). The coals need to be glowing red before you can close the doors, otherwise there is a risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. The oven stays warm for quite a few hours, but eventually the coals burn through, and you have to start all over again.
I have learned to live with this, although I have to admit, I could not imagine having such a heating source in my own flat. It is very dirty business, and it is simply never hot enough for me! But this has given me the excuse to buy warm, nona-made wool socks, and to cuddle up with my oyster!

The oven!

Black gold!

The wood is nice and hot, and I can lay the coals in the oven now.

Burn, baby, burn!


The bottom door of the oven needs to stay open until the coals have finished burning and are glowing red.

Picture perfect!

I urge all of you to go and have a look at my friend Rebecca's blog. She is an excellent photographer and has put up a couple pictures of yours truly, that, if I say so myself, are lovely-but it is the rest of her entries that are really well worth the click of your mouse, so go ahead, click on the link!

http://www.fromtheponyhof.blogspot.com/

Berlin- a few pictures 6

Risky business

On Sunday, Ronny and I went for a long, long walk, to take advantage of the nice weather and to make up for the fact that we did not leave the house on Saturday (except to go out for dinner at our little Italian restaurant up the street, but that does not count!!!). We started our walk in Treptower Park, a lovely park that lounges the water. People of bikes, on rollerblades, walking their dog or their baby, everyone was out. After drinking something hot and cold (I had a "heisse Zitrone"- a freshly squeezed lemon in hot water served with honey- and Ronny had an iced coffee), we headed towards the Molecule Man (see previous post). We then reached the East Side Gallery, a 1.3 km stretch of the Berlin Wall that runs parallel to Mühlenstraße and the River Spree. Last July, a 40 meter section of the Wall was removed, allowing people to walk along the side of the Wall that faces the Spree. It is along this side of the Wall, and not the side facing the street, that you will find graffiti artist adding their own personal touch to the art work already found on the Wall. Of course, that is risky business. As my friend Rebecca wrote on her blog: "Getting caught tagging the wall can mean up to a 500 Euro fine. Getting caught multiples times lands you in jail for five years". These threats did not seem to bother the taggers that were there on Sunday. We saw many of them at work that day, and the dozens of spray cans that littered the ground testifies to the popularity of this pastime.



Graffiti artists at work on the Wall.




What we did not realize as we started walking alongside the Wall was that at the end of the stretch of the Wall, one was "imprisoned": the gates that replaced the Wall were locked! There we were, along with a group of Spanish tourists that had walked behind us for the last 20 minutes, stuck. We all were not liking the idea of having to walk all the way back to the opening of the Wall and so, noticing that the gate that was blocking our exit did not go all the way down to the sidewalk, us girls decided to slide under it, while the boys, wanting to be boys, decided to climb over it. And of course, what was meant to happen happened- no, no one got stuck on the gate, no holes were made in jeans or coats- rather, a police car showed up, just as Ronny was climbing the gate and a Spanish girl was sliding under it!!! Talk about perfect timing! But in our un-luck we were lucky- the police officers seemed more interested in the group of Spanish tourists, so as soon as Ronny landed on the other side of the Wall, we discreetly walked away, as if nothing happened! No worries, nothing happened to the Spanish tourists- the police officer just made it clear that they (us) had been on private property and that that was not permitted.
Fun times!

Molecule Man

FYI (not written by me!): "This substantial sculpture, created by the renowned American artist Jonathan Borofsky, thirty meters high, weighing some forty-five tons, yet transparent and light, as been on display in Berlin since May 1999. The three aluminium figures, which unite to form a whole, are meant by the artist to remind the viewers "that both man and molecules exist in a world of probability and that finding wholeness and unity within this world remains the aim of any creative and spiritual tradition". Treptow's special location, with the river Spree at hand and the metropolis Berlin just beyond, was predestined for this purpose."