Not to be read on an empty stomach!

Today was a holiday here in Germany. The 3rd of October is the day that commemorates the anniversary of German reunification in 1990 (Tag der Deutschen Einheit). It was a beautiful sunny day, and my roommate Anja and I went cycling, Germany's favorite sport! If you don't have a bicycle in Berlin, you are not a real Berliner. It was lovely to explore the city with someone who knows her way around. We actually wanted to go explore some flea markets, but of course, as today was a holiday, all of them were closed. But we still managed to enjoy ourselves and get some exercise at the same time.
Later in the day I met up with my friend Rebecca, another language assistant. Together we went to see a free open-air concert that was taking place not far from where I live, just in front of the Brandenburger Tor. There were so many people and so much food to be eaten! It was one stall after another of typical German food- it was a good thing that I had just had lunch, otherwise I would have needed to try everything (or almost everything!). There was something for everyone, from crepes (Une crêpe?) to waffles, from sausages to fries, from Haribo candies to candied apples. It was heaven!
I will let the pictures speak for themselves!

Damfnudeln, or sweet yeast dumplings, are served with vanilla and strawberry sauce. I am not sure about them....

Flammkuchen, or tarte flambée in French, is a specialty from the Alsace region in France. It's similar to pizza: the crust is a thin bread dough rolled out in a circle or a rectangle, and is covered by crème fraîche, onions, and bacon (but there are of course many other versions). In Montreal, you can find such a Flammkuchen at Les Trois Brasseurs.

Meat anyone?!

"Haribo macht Kinder froh / und Erwachsene ebenso"

This is Bowle, the German version of sangria. Basically, it is marinated fruits in wine. It is delicious!

The bread that you can see in the first picture is covered in Schmalz, basically lard! This is called Schmalzbrot and Germans love it! I am usually the kind of person that likes to try everything at least one before she says that she doesn't like something, but lard on bread is just too much for me!

A wall of separation

The Berlin Wall, known in the Soviet Union and in East Germany as the "Anti-Fascist Protective Rampart," was a separation barrier between West Germany and East Germany.
An iconic symbol of the Cold War, the wall divided East and West Berlin for 28 years, from the day construction began on August 13, 1961 until it was dismantled in 1989. During this period 125 people were killed trying to escape to the West, according to official figures (Wikipedia).
Not long ago, on a Sunday, when everything here is closed, I went for a walk around my neighborhood, to see what there was to discover. I found that my neighborhood is rich in history, albeit perhaps not from Germany's best moments. A ten minute walk from my flat brings you to the grave of 24 year-old Günter Liftin, the first person who died trying to cross the wall. The Communist regime gave explicit orders to shoot to kill attempted defectors, so when Günter Liftin tried to flee the East, his chances of success were very slim.
Another thing I discovered while walking was an old frontier area tower, one of many that stood next to the wall, so as to allow a better view on what was happening on the ground next to the wall. This particular tower was dedicated to Günter Liftin and to all the other people who diedtrying to cross the wall between 1961 and 1989.

The indentation in this cement circle shows you where the wall used to be. As you can see, it was not very thick, but as the top of the wall was lined with a smooth pipe, it made it difficult for escapers to scale it. Of course, getting to the wall itself was a feat-it was reinforced by mesh fencing, signal fencing, anti-vehicle trenches, barbed wire, over 116 watchtowers and 20 bunkers.

The sign in the window of the tower says "Passage not allowed".

To the German People

When I was here two years ago, one of the things I enjoyed the most was going up the glass cupola that sits on top of the Reichstag building. From the top of this cupola, you have a unique panoramic view of Germany's capital city. On a sunny day, you can see quite far away and it gives you a good sense of how much there really is to see here in Berlin. The view from the top of the Reichstag also shows you how green Berlin really is- there are parks and trees and green areas everywhere here, surprising for such a big urban city.
The Reichstag building houses the Bundestag, Germany's parliament. It is the members of the parliament that elects the Chancellor (presently the Chancellor of Germany is a woman, Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel), passes laws and oversees the work of the governement.

The queue to get to the cupola can sometimes be very long, but on the day I visited it last week, I only waited 40 minutes to get in, which is really not bad and well worth it!
Here are a few pictures for your amusement:

Crazy traditions!

One of the things I love the most when I am in a new country is to discover and experience the different traditions that are celebrated in that country. It is so interesting to see how things are done somewhere else. Sometimes it is easy to forget that things are different everywhere, that because we celebrate one special occasion in a certain way does not mean that it is done the same way everywhere else.
In Germany, for example, it is bad luck to wish someone Happy Birthday! before that person's actual birthday. That means that if your birthday falls on a Monday, you will not celebrate it with your friends and family the week-end before, but rather the week-end after, to avoid bad luck for the new year to come.
Another tradition not known at all to us, but so interesting, is something called a Polterabend (Annie, Julie, Patrice, Carl et Caro- cette entrée va vous rappeller des souvenirs!). A Polterabend is generally celebrated the Thursday night before a couple is to be married. The purpose of the evening is for all the guests that are invited to bring old dishes (only porcelain- no glass) and to proceed to smash everything on the ground, trying to brake things in the smallest pieces possible. Apparently doing so is supposed to bring luck to the soon-to-be-married couple. The future bride and groom have to clean up all the pieces before 12 o'clock midnight, and the guests are supposed to make the cleaning-up process rather difficult, by for example tipping over the wheelbarrow full of broken dishes or spreading the pieces everywhere.
At this particular Polterabend, we were more than 200 people, so as you all can imagine, there were A LOT of broken pieces of everything from plates, to cups, to vases and even an old toilet!!! As this was my first ever Polterabend, my friend Anja managed to find me 35 plates to brake- fun times!!!!
A party would not be a party here in Germany without something to drink! The couple provides food and drinks for everyone invited. The 200 people attending this party managed to polish off 400 liters of beer and 70 bottles of Schnapps- yes, that means a lot of headaches the next day!!!!
As this party took place in a small town, some of the music was provided by the local fire brigade, who not only put out fires, but also play various instruments! They provide their musical services for all big occasions in the town.
It was a most interesting evening and I am glad that I got to experience such a fun and different tradition.

The sun also exists in Germany!!!!

One of the only things (or should I say many things?!) we don't have control over in life is the weather. You can plan the perfect trip, booking all the best hotels and restaurants, making sure you see and do all that the country you are visiting has to offer, but the only thing you cannot plan is what the weather will be like once your dream vacation starts.
The weather in Europe this summer has been less than perfect. I, of course, cannot complain about it too much, as I had a beautiful summer in Montreal, but let me tell you that I did not expect it to be as bad as it has been over the last few weeks. I had packed some of my favorite dresses, thinking I would put them to good use here in Berlin, but I have been yearning for some of the fall clothes I did not bring with me, thinking I had time for my mom to send them to me via post!But life has a way of surprising you and for the past week or so, the weather here has been beautiful! Sunny and warm every day, perfect dress weather!
On Sunday, a few friends and I went to the beach- well, not the real beach, next to the ocean, but close enough. This "beach" is a man-made lac. It was formerly some kind of mine, and once it was not needed anymore, the big hole left behind was filled with water, and presto! a beach was created. The water was too cold to swim in, but I enjoyed walking in it until my knees nonetheless! The sand felt wonderful between my toes- no need for a pedicure when you have a "beach" not far from home!

Long overdue!

I have been promising this post for a long time now and I have finally managed to get my act together (i.e. clean my room!!!) and take some pictures of my new home for the next year.

My room, as you will all notice, needs a fresh coat of paint, which it will get sometime this week. The walls are pretty empty at the moment, but I am sure that will change soon- I have already accumulated so many pamphlets and fliers, I just need a clean wall to stick them on!

The apartment is very comfortable and cosy- I feel right at home here.I hope you enjoy the pictures!

My bedroom:

The bathroom:

The hallway:

The kitchen:

and the living room: