One Week in Berlin – 2009

 

Following my one week in London, I spent a week in Berlin!  To go, or not to go, to Berlin, was a last minute decision that I finally made about a week before leaving for London.  In fact, I was still booking tours for Berlin one evening from my London Hotel!

I wonder now how I ever, for one moment, debated not going at all!  Especially with compelling reasons like these:

1. I had the vacation time already set
2. I have vowed to visit other International places besides the UK (tho’ I love UK so! )
3. I’ve been learning the German language for about 5 months now
4. I have friends in Germany to meet
5. My favorite Swiss Music Duo, Yello, would be launching their first album in six years and their first concert in nearly 30!
6. My best friend Jonathan bought one ticket to the concert and sold it to me!!

This was my first trip to Berlin, and Germany, so my goal was to see an overview of attractions and hope later to revisit my favorite parts in more detail. Yello’s World Premiere Virtual Concert wasn’t until later in the week, so until then I had plenty of time for a number of tours.

Here’s one of my first impressions of Berlin when I went for a walk the first Sunday afternoon near my hotel.

 

Park - Möllendorffstraße

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I took the bulk of my pics during two boat tours of Berlin’s Bridges and Waterways.  Here’s a sampling:

(Note: Throughout this blog, click on pictures for larger view)

Berlin Boat Tour

Berlin Boat Tour

Berlin Boat Tour

Berlin Boat Tour

Berlin Boat Tour

Berlin Boat Tour

Berlin Boat Tour

Berlin Boat Tour

Berlin Boat Tour

Berlin Boat Tour

Deutscher Bundestag

German Chancellery, Berlin

Marie-Elisabeth Lüders Haus

Marie-Elisabeth Lüders Haus

Bridge connecting Paul Löbe Haus & Marie-Elisabeth Lüders Haus

Berlin Boat Tour

Bodemuseum

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I also took a “Hop On-Hop Off” Bus tour to do some wandering on my own as well:

 

Berlin Wall remains

Berliner Dom

Danziger/Hagenauer Straße, Prenzlauer Berg, Berlin

 

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On Wednesday, I ventured out of Berlin and saw some countryside during the 2 hour bus trip to and from beautiful Dresden.

 

Between Berlin and Dresden

Dresden on the River Elbe

Theaterplatz facing The Catholic Church of the Royal Court of Saxony, Dresden

Semperoper, Dresden

Zwinger Palace, Dresden

Detail - Zwinger Palace, Dresden

Between Dresden and Berlin

 

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When I returned from Dresden it was a perfect opportunity to capture some night shots along Berlin’s Tauentzienstraße, which included the mega-store equivalent of London’s Harrods, KaDeWe (Kaufhaus des Westens).

 

'Berlin' in the middle of the Tauentzienstraße

KaDeWe Store, Berlin

KaDeWe Main Entrance, Berlin

 

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Besides boat and bus tours…I also booked a fantastic, well-presented 4 hour walking tour.  The tour guide really brought to life Berlin’s history for me.

 

German Historical Museum, Berlin

 

Lustgarten, Berlin

Mother with her Dead Son - The Neue Wache (The New Guard House), Berlin

Memorial for the book burnings of 1933, Bebelplatz, Berlin

Quadriga, Brandenburger Tor (Brandenburg Gate)

Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, Berlin

Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, Berlin

Französischer Dom (French Cathedral), Berlin

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By this time I was suffering from sight-seeing overload and beyond ready to meet up with Yello fans and get excited about the Yello Virtual Concert that night!

 

Touch Yello World Premiere Virtual Concert, Kino International Berlin

Touch Yello World Premiere Virtual Concert, Kino International Berlin

Yello is a Swiss electronica band consisting of Dieter Meier and Boris Blank.  Fans of Yello have been fairly resigned to never expect to see a live performance.  But, what a great idea to present a Virtual Concert!!  Yello’s new songs, plus some of their classics, featured in a 50 minute film with awesome graphics set to a concert theatre backdrop!

The evening began with Boris taking a seat in the theatre with the audience while Dieter did introductions and presentations.  We were then treated to live music performances by each of two artists, Heidi Happy and Till Brönner, who are featured on the new Touch Yello album.

Then, it was roll on the Virtual Yello Concert!!! AND…which ended with a ten-minute long standing ovation as Dieter and Boris both took to the stage for final thanks and acknowledgments …SERIOUSLY, I have never seen anything like it!!

For more about just how special the night was for everyone involved, here’s a great written recap of the night or watch the equally great video recap below…

Look for me in the background (@ 6:27) talking to my new Yello fan-friends, Jens and Michael!

But that’s not all!  Everyone at the concert was invited to an after-party and it was incredibly cool to see Dieter and Boris hanging out as well with their families!  Fans could continue to approach them for autographs, pics and general chit-chat.  I met up with Boris a second time and quickly snagged Michael off the dance floor to take a pic for me!

Shelley, Boris Blank - Touch Yello Premiere After Party, Kino International Berlin

Boris is all kinds of awesome! 

And many thanks again to Michael for the pic!  Speaking of…here’s an example of just how happy us Yello fans were that night!

 

Shelley, Michael, Jens - Touch Yello Premiere After Party, Kino International Berlin

 

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Wow, the main event has passed and the next couple days were a bit more relaxed pace for me.  I took a short bus tour one afternoon to Potsdam and toured Sanssouci Palace.

 

Sanssouci Palace, Potsdam

Gardens of Sanssouci Palace, Potsdam

Stairs to Sanssouci Palace, Potsdam

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My final evening in Berlin and as with my last night in London, it was certainly not the least of times to meet NEW friends!  I met Silke (who’s been suffering through my attempts at learning German ) along with her husband and son for a wonderful dinner and plenty of drink!  I was introduced to the Brazilian cocktail, caipirinha, that may well replace my Mojito’s at my next summer party! 

Shelley, Silke - La Mulata Cuban restaurant, Berlin

 

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Sunday morning 8 am.

I’m stood waiting with luggage at the bus stop for Tegel airport and my flight home.  I look up…and see… the Fernsehturm Berlin (Television Tower).

 

Fernsehturm Berlin (Television Tower)

This tower is not a new sight for me.  It has been visible throughout my week in Berlin since day one and quickly became a “Where’s Waldo” in many of my pics.

The tower is a symbol of Berlin and I find it unquestionably perfect that this would inevitably become the very last picture that I took of Berlin.  The final picture to not only wrap up my memories of my week there, but also my wonderful 2-week vacation that started in London.

See more Pics from Berlin, Germany

(See “One Week in London” Blog)

 

 

One Week in London – 2009

It’s two years since my last trip to London and this time my agenda was to primarily just hang out and meet up with old and new friends. I had timed this trip to coincide with friend Chris (who lives an hour or so away from me in southern California and) who would also be in London for part of her trip in the UK.

Fortunately, just four days after booking my flight I suddenly had a new purpose for my trip…the announcement that my favorite actor John Simm would be on stage in a new play in the West End! That’s great! I was so very fortunate to see him two years before in Elling and after his beautiful performance I vowed never to miss any opportunity to see him on stage…and the next time would also be more than once!

But first, no trip to London is complete without meeting up with Denzylle who I’ve known for about ten years now. On Monday, Denzylle and I had the opportunity to join Chris and her friend Tony for their day planned full of splendid activities, which included:

The Darkest Victorian London Walking Tour and a visit to

The Old Operating Theatre Museum and Herb Garret

Spiral stairwell entrance-Old Operating Theatre Museum and Herb Garret

Operating Theatre

Scale in the Herb Garret

After a short pub crawl we end up at the The Anchor

Denzylle, Chris, Shelley, Tony at The Anchor Pub

By then it was about time for the four of us to see John Simm in “Speaking in Tongues” at the Duke of York’s Theatre.

John Simm in ‘Speaking in Tongues’ at The Duke of York’s Theatre

I really enjoyed this play during its preview run. The split screen scenes with the synchronized scripts are incredibly interwoven and the timing is unbelievable work. John’s 2nd role is my fav of his two. Story is mainly on relationships, communication and trust, with great suspense scenes, a missing woman and some funny lines to ease things a bit here and there.

After the performance we met John at the stage door exit for a group pic!

Shelley, John Simm, Chris at the Duke of York’s Theatre

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One of my passions is that I am a lifelong horse-lover and learned to ride as an adult. In addition to my day job, I spent 10 years of concentrated schooling at a few equestrian centers on hunters-jumpers, attended a handful of clinics given by professionals and inevitably, in order to offset my lesson and clinic expenses, worked part-time for a number of years at my last trainer’s barn. Unfortunately even supplementing my riding lessons wasn’t enough…it’s all very expensive and I had to give up riding for about the last 10 years now.

BUT there’s nothing like a vacation to pull out all the stops and do the things we love to do the most! So, I arranged for a 1-hour private guided hack/lesson at Wimbledon Village Stables. And that’s when I also experienced my first London Tube “Service has been Suspended” announcement while I was at the station ready to leave!!! Arrghhh! Service suspended at Putney Bridge?! Take a bus from there? LOL well by the time I tried to make other arrangements on the fly, I simply took the Tube as far as I could… and it seemed service was resumed because I made it all the way to Wimbledon and had a great ride out in the parklands.

Wimbledon Village Stables

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On previous trips I stayed in hotels in central London, but this time I tried the Docklands area and not only added the DLR (Docklands Light Railway) to my repertoire of London transport options, but also added new areas of sight-seeing which included the following:

Greenwich Park

Greenwich Park

Greenwich Royal Park Rose Garden

Greenwich Park Groundskeeper

The National Maritime Museum & Royal Observatory

National Maritime Museum

Royal Observatory Greenwich

Prime Meridian Of The World – between East & West Hemispheres

Prime Meridian Of The World – Standing in both East & West Hemispheres!

Canary Wharf

1 Canada Square – Canary Wharf

1 Canada Square – Canary Wharf

West India Docks, near Canary Wharf

Museum of London Docklands

Museum of London Docklands, West India Docks

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But hang on!! What’s with all the sight-seeing? I thought I was supposed to be meeting up with Old and New friends!!! I was thrilled to be able to join up again with Chris and Tony to meet briefly with writer, producer and director, Sacha Bennett for a quick coffee. Due to work commitment last Oct 2008, I had missed attending the London premiere of Sacha’s first feature film,  Tu£sday. Now, having seen both gorgeous films (also his award-winning short “Devilwood“), I cannot wait for more of his work! Sacha has a number of potential projects lined up…so hopefully the wait won’t be a long one!

 

Sacha Bennett, Shelley – The Breakfast Club, London

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Later in the week I also met up again with Denzylle for the popular early evening Jack the Ripper Walking Tour!

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Friday I travelled to Houghton Regis to meet up with friend, David. The last time we met was all of 10 minutes at Piccadilly Circus! I blame the London Tube strike back then for my being late!

Well this time we certainly made a day of it! A Thousand Heartfelt Thanks to David’s lovely wife Kerrie for a perfect start in the morning by letting me ride her beautiful horse, Gemma, for a quick hack in the arena and then out in the surrounding lands.

A morning hack on Gemma (Wildmoor Gemini) – Thanks Kerrie!

Kerrie then let me borrow [or is that good riddance? ] her husband for the rest of the day. David and I took a drive over to Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk for a brewery tour at the Greene King Visitor Centre.

On the way I noticed a bizarre traffic speed control device…which entails installing a physical barrier steadfastly in the one direction lane of traffic, thereby forcing cars to slow down or ultimately stop in order to move out into the opposite lane of oncoming traffic in order to get around the barrier. The hell?!?

“Give Way To Oncoming Vehicles” – Thanks, since there’s a sign on a pole blocking my lane!!

Anyway, I digress!! Back to the Brewery Tour!! Here’s a great pic of David (aka R.S. )

David – Greene King Brewery, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk

Greene King Brewery tour – Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk

Greene King Brewery tour – Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk

Greene King Brewery tour – Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk

Beer Tasting Room, Greene King Brewery tour – Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk

David, Shelley – Greene King Brewery

See more Brewery Pics in this album on Facebook

After the tour and beer tasting we were in need of a walk around town…

Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk

Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk

Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk

Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk

…before getting in the car to head to our final destination, Harlow, Essex and…

THE DOGS at Harlow Stadium!!!

Harlow Stadium – Greyhound Racing

I love going to the racetrack to bet on the ponies but I had never been to a greyhound track!! I was really looking forward to this experience and indeed it was!

Harlow Greyhound Racetrack

My fav bet in horse racing is an “Exacta Box” so I went with the same type of bet, “Reverse Forecast” for the dogs. I only need to pick the two dogs that I think will come in first and second or vice versa. This is actually 2 bets in one so my £1 wager cost £2 per race…steep I know! lol So, I was thrilled when one of my bets paid off!! I can’t remember how much I won exactly…about £15, I think? David won on one of his bets as well.

And They’re OFF! Harlow Greyhound Racetrack

It’s still hard to pick winners even with only 6 dogs in every race. Horse racing has at least 2 times the number, you’d think dogs would be easier to get lucky!

Thanks again to David and Kerrie for such a fantastic day! David, I think next time it’s the Cheese Rolling event for us, then?

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Saturday, and while it may be my last full day in London, it’s certainly not the least of times, to finally meet NEW friends, plus one more chance after to see John Simm on stage!

Roy, Shelley – The Salisbury, London

Tracy, Shelley – The Salisbury, London

Cath, Yvonne, Shelley – Duke of York’s, London

I also met new friend Leigh Ann but our pic together (also with Tracy plus another)…while absolutely hysterical…is still under review by the zany police!! LOL

See more Pics from my One Week in London in this photo album on Facebook

It’s hard to leave after such a wonderful week meeting wonderful friends, traveling the Tube, Bus, DLR, National Rail, seeing London again and the beautiful surrounding areas of England. But the only thing that saw me through my sadness in leaving was that my vacation holiday was only half over! Hey! Now that’s not too shabby! Early the next morning I was on my way to Heathrow Airport and Berlin, Germany!!

(See “One Week in Berlin” Blog)