The Definition of "Coincidence"

Coincidence: noun 1. a remarkable concurrence of events or circumstances without apparent causal connection.

And remarkable is certainly what it was.  Please allow me to explain. 

Upon returning to Berlin, I knew Fritz would be spending most of the weekdays buried under documents in the archives.  Therefore, I would need to find my own purpose and assume responsibility for filling my own schedule during our 4 months here.  Entertaining myself has never been an issue for me.  Still, I aspire to be very intentional about how I execute each day in this lovely city.  Living life "on purpose" has always been important to me.  While moving to a foreign city can make intentional living a little easier, it still takes a conscious effort to stay fully engaged, especially since I am not allowed to get a job while we are here.  In order to accomplish this purposeful living, I set two priorities for myself.  

1.  Join a pottery studio.

2. Attend yoga classes 2-4 times a week.  

As my third day in Berlin began, Fritz and I initiated the search for a pottery studio.  Actually, I really should say that Fritz initiated the search while I slept off my jet-lag.  We assumed that most of the Berlin studios would have websites in German, but after he had spent over an hour using his German vocabulary and reading skills, he hadn't gotten very far.  At this point, I woke up refreshed and ready, fired up my own computer and entered "Pottery Studios Berlin" into the search bar. 

Feuer Zeug Keramik popped up as the first hit.  The website indicated that they have a pottery shop, they offer classes, they seem to have available studio space for experienced potters, and they speak English.  Conveniently, the studio is located one neighborhood over from our flat.  Well that was easy!  I wasted no time in emailing Cordula, the owner of Feuer Zeug Keramik, explained my desire to join a studio and wondered if I could stop by to meet her.   

I must have refreshed my inbox one hundred times in the 24 hours that followed.  Waiting for a response is always the hardest part.  Fritz had to remind me that if she owns a pottery studio, she probably isn't doing a ton of desk work and checking her email every 10 minutes.  Hands dripping with wet clay don't mix well with electronics.  He had a point.  So I had to be patient. 

The next afternoon, I opened my email and discovered the message I had been waiting for!  Cordula indicated that I was welcome to stop by the shop the next day around noon.  

I woke up that Thursday morning totally jazzed and ready to start my Berlin life.  With the first of my two Berlin priorities in motion, I decided to initiate the second; finding a yoga studio.  With any luck, I thought I might just be able to follow my pottery meeting with a zen-tastic yoga class!

Again, I returned to my laptop and typed in "cheep yoga Berlin English."  I actually even spelled cheap incorrectly.  Luckily Google doesn't discriminate against poor spellers.  I was a little worried that finding yoga in English would be tricky.  I wasn't totally opposed to German yoga, but so much of the experience comes from the meditation and dialogue a good teacher provides in combination with the physical challenge of the class. 

Unsurprisingly, Berlin is LOADED with yoga studios.  My search revealed several blogs where other young yogis had provided lists of studios that had English-speaking instructors, as well as classes that weren't too expensive.  I clicked on one of the top hits.  Yellow Yoga.  The website was inviting and clearly met all of my requirements.  This was going well.  

Now the location.  Berlin is a huge city with more yoga studios than Vietnamese restaurants (which turns out to be quite a lot!).  If this yoga studio was even in the same quadrant of the city, I would have considered myself very lucky.  Looking at the website, I found Yellow Yoga had two locations, one of which was in the very same neighborhood as my pottery studio.  How perfect!  And you won't believe me when I tell you it gets better than that.  

I had already plugged in walking directions from my flat to pottery.  It would take 1 hour and 4 minutes to walk there from my home.  I could also take public transportation and be there in 20 minutes, but it was a beautiful day and I thought the walk would be a great way to get a sense of my neighborhood.  

I switched back to Yellow Yoga's website to identify the address of the studio.  For a moment, I thought my computer was playing tricks on me.  I rubbed my eyes and refocused on the address.  It was EXACTLY the same as the pottery studio.  Was this a mistake?  

Apparently not.  Somehow, my random search for two completely unrelated activities in a huge city was bringing me to the exact same point on the map.  If this isn't the definition of a coincidence, I don't know what is.  

Of course, I still had to seal the deal with Cordula at Feuer Zeug Keramik.  She hadn't accepted me yet.  

Cordula said I could come anytime between 12 and 5pm, so I started my walk at 11am.  

Naturally I took pictures along the way.  The day was perfect for walking and discovering Berlin.  For example, I learned that Berliners love to make pole-warmers as you can see above.  Someone took a lot of care in knitting this multicolored, cozy pole-warmer.  If you look closely, you might even notice that decorative buttons have been added for extra pizazz. 

The bright Berlin buildings looked quite cheery under the blue sky. 

I must have passed 15 playgrounds on my walk today.  Fritz told me that Germany has an aging population, but Berlin seems to be crawling with young families.  And therefore, loaded with playgrounds like the one in front of this church. 

I crossed over a lovely river.  Many of the Berlin sidewalks are made from cobblestones or bricks.  Here the street is also nicely cobbled.    

There were a bunch of people taking pictures on this bridge. 

When I looked over the other side of it, I saw that it was loaded with swans!

For a short time, I was strolling along the canal.  I was impressed by the apartments on the opposite side.  

The street art and murals of Berlin continue to catch my attention.  Some of them are so vibrant!

I was almost sorry to reach my destination after such a  lovely walk, but at last, I had reached Feuer Zeug Keramik.  Cordula was waiting for me inside.  It was a cute shop with lovely pottery on display and two potter's wheels in the middle of the showroom.  Cordula and I talked for a few minutes and I explained that I'd be living in Berlin for the next 4 months.  I was very interested in spending as much time working on the wheel as possible. More than that, I wanted to be a part of a studio where I could help with upkeep; carry out the laborious and often dreaded tasks of recycling clay and mixing chemicals for glazes.  "Sign me up for mopping floors," I told Cordula.  Really, I'd do just about anything to be a part of a studio.  

"I'm not really in a position to pay anyone," she said.  I quickly assured her that I was not looking for a job.  She told me she would think about it seeing as the studio was quite small and the space was limited.  In the meantime, she invited me to check out her other studio space that has a few more wheels.  It's where she teaches her pottery classes.  

"It's only about a 20-minute walk from here.  It's in the back of a wine shop that my brother owns.  He opens at 2 today and will let you see the studio if you want to check it out.  Just tell him I sent you."  Of course I wanted to see it!  She gave me the address and we arranged to meet again later in the week after she had some time to think about whether she might have a place for me in the studio.  

With my pottery goals in motion, I checked the schedule for Yellow Yoga.  An "advanced beginners" class was starting soon so I headed to the back of the building and up the stairwell to yoga.  

Appropriately, an open yellow door with a meditating buddha statue marked the entrance to a bright open room.  The signs on the door and floor indicated that visitors should remove their shoes and put them on the rack before entering the studio. 

That class was perfect.  Equal parts relaxing and refreshing.  If I didn't already have good energy flowing through my body, I did now.  We ended the class with a love meditation, during which we were invited to focus our attention on sending loving energy out into the world.  I try to do this regularly, but it helps to be reminded sometimes and it seems more powerful when I'm doing it with a group.  After the traditional exchange of "Namaste," my fellow yogis and I quietly shuffled out of the studio. 

Time to find the wine shop.  

Here I met Constantine, Cordula's brother.  He was lovely and happy to show me the secret studio in the back.  It was glorious in that it looked exactly like a pottery studio.  Potter's tools were neatly stacked on a shelf, the kiln was nestled in the back corner of the room, and five wheels sat in the middle of the floor, throbbing with potential if only the right potter would sit down and set them spinning.  

I thanked Constantine for the tour and asked if he could recommend a white wine to go with a vegetarian meal.  Conveniently, perhaps even coincidentally, I was planning on cooking a meal when I got home with a recipe that called for 2 tablespoons of white wine.  Funny how the day brought me directly to a wine shop, don't you think?  Will the coincidences never cease?  

Constantine was quick to select a lovely German riesling.  After paying him, I packed the wine away in my bag and started home.  

I'll share a few more photos before closing out this post. 

You might have noticed that in Berlin, bikes are parked almost everywhere.  

Similarly, you don't have to look far to find a little graffiti... or a lot of graffiti.  Here is a Berlin phone booth.  I haven't ever seen anyone using one, but they are still scattered around the city. 

Colorful children's art is also scattered here and there. 

Basically, if there is something to paint, it will be painted.  

Well, that about sums up my start to Berlin life.  I promise there will be more to come soon on how the happenings of this serendipitous day played out in the days that followed. 

Ich bin ein Berliner

After a wonderful Christmas season in the US with our families, Fritz and I are back in Berlin, Germany and it is SWEET!  

We are subletting this super cool flat that looks like it is right off the set of Mad Men.  It's owned by a  very hip couple who is taking a 5-month sabbatical in South America, as one does.  The surrounding neighborhood is incredible with more eateries, coffee shops, markets, bookstores and shopping than anyone could possibly want.  

AND, we actually live 2 blocks from David Bowie's old flat.  

No joke.  The Berliners love Bowie and people are still dropping flowers and lighting candles as they mourn his recent death.  

Normal people live in this building, so every day they have to wade through the wilted, frozen roses in order to exit their apartment.  As a matter of fact, the fellow we are subletting from knows a girl who lives there.  She happens to be dating his son!  

To give you a sense of where we live, here is a map of Berlin.  It's a huge city and is the capital of Germany.   It has a rich history, probably the most notable recent event took place in 1989 when the Berlin Wall separating East Germany and West Germany since 1961 was torn down and with it, communism in Germany was brought to an end.  The country was reunited.  Fritz and I live in Schöneberg (pronounced shoe-nah-berg... sort of), which is in the middle of the city toward the south.  This neighborhood used to be part of West Germany, which was not the part controlled by the communist party.  There is a noticeable difference in architecture, among other things, if you hop over to the old East German neighborhoods.  

Here's a snapshot of our street looking to the right after exiting our front door.  We live on the edge of a quieter residential area and a bustling commercial area.  

The reason we are here in Berlin is because it is the home of the Bundesarchiv- the Federal Archive.  The records inside are extremely important to Fritz's research and since East Germany does not exist anymore, access to the records are not restricted.  Fritz can see it all!  This was one of the challenges he ran into in Frankfurt since private banks and the archives of the current German government are a bit protective of their files.  

There it is.  He is going to be spending A LOT of time in that white building. 

The ornate door handles on the entrance to the Rathaus Schöneberg.

One of the obligatory steps involved in moving to Berlin is registering our home.  We had to do this in Frankfurt too.  It's a magical opportunity to stand in line and experience the German bureaucratic system.  Or not, as the case may be.  Twice we attempted to register at the Rathaus Schöneberg, the city hall of our neighborhood.  It's a beautiful edifice and the historic location where President John F. Kennedy gave the famous speech in which he said, "Ich bin ein Berliner"- I am a Berliner.   In our first attempt to register,  we waited in line for about an hour until Fritz went and asked if we would actually be able to register today.  After he was told they were only taking people with appointments, we left.  For our second attempt, Fritz walked over at 7am in order to be the first in line when the Rathaus opened at 8.  He arrived to find 15 people already waiting.  When the doors opened, a Rathaus administrator told Fritz that, once again, they were already out of numbers for people without an appointment.  You might be wondering why we didn't just make an appointment.  Well we tried that too.  The earliest appointment was not until mid-March and we are technically required to register within 2 weeks of moving.  

So Monday morning, we decided to try our luck at an alternative building 30 minutes away.  We thought maybe there would be shorter lines and better luck getting a number if we tried a small establishment.  

No, the Bürgerbüro is not the place to pick up a quarter-pounder with cheese and a Diet Coke.  It means civil office.  Fritz and I arrived at 7:25am, and this time, we were the first pair in line.  When the doors opened at 8, we had no trouble getting a number.  By 9:30 we had successfully registered our residence!  

We've been doing plenty of fun things too.  It's not all archives and bureaucratic line-standing.  My first weekend there, we went to the Jewish Museum.  

Fallen Leaves is an installation in the "Memory Void."  The artist, Menashe Kadishman, has dedicated his work to all the victims of violence and war.  Visitors are invited to walk on the faces and listen to the clanging and rattling as the metal sheets crash into one another.  

We have also spent time just walking around the city whenever we can.  Sometimes we have a destination, but sometimes we just walk.  

One very obvious characteristic of Berlin is the presence of many many murals painted on buildings all over the city.  

I think I am going to have to dedicate an entire post to some of the murals I find.  Or perhaps I'll just weave them into posts as I go.  

Things That Are Different

Welcome to my first installation of "Things That Are Different."

This a where I shall explore with photos and dialogue all the things that are different in Germany as compared to the United States.  I have been building up a list so I can hit you with a bunch of things at once.  Shall we begin? 

Number 1: The Number One

Pictured above are handwritten numbers.  It says 12.10.15, but as you can see, Germans draw the Number One with an extra flare on top.  When I initially saw this, if figured it was just a personal style choice for the single person who wrote it, but as the weeks have gone on, I realize that everyone forms the number one in the same way.  

Number 2: The Date

The picture that I used to demonstrate the alternative formation of the number one, I will also use to demonstrate the way Germans write the date.  12.10.15 means October 12th, 2015.  They reverse the month and the day when they write it out and then separate each number by periods instead of backslashes like we do.  

Number 3: Sidewalks

In Germany there are no large concrete slabs of sidewalk that will eventually crack because a tree root grew under it or separate so that one piece sticks up 3 inches higher than the next piece causing you and everyone else to trip every time you are too busy text-walking to realize that the sidewalk is uneven. 

No.  In Germany the sidewalks are arranged in smaller pieces to create an interesting parquet design.  This is both pleasing to the eye and it prevents extreme cracking.  If a tree root grows underneath, the little pieces just roll along gracefully, allowing a little extra room for nature to do its thing.  

The other notable thing about German sidewalks, is that they are often divided so that the right side is intended for walking and the left side is designated for biking.  It is important to remember this and  to take care not to drift into the biking lane when you are mindlessly strolling down the road. 

  

Number 4: Door Knobs

They are beautiful!  So many intricate door knobs can be found all over the place.  And they all work too!  This is amazing to me because I grew up in an lovely old home where the doors are pretty standard but don't really work that well.  None of the doors really closed and I figured it was just another little element of character that comes with living in a cute old home.  You know, creaky floor boards, plaster walls, arched ceilings, interesting roof line, and slightly ajar doors all over the place.  But a lot of these German doors are pretty old too and they still close really well with their fancy old door knobs!  Blows my mind.  Maybe it just isn't as humid here so the wood doesn't warp as much over time.  Here are a few other door knobs and related hardware for you to appreciate...

They are all so pretty.  If a door knob is not ornate, then they are perfectly ergonomic and rather modern looking.  It seems to be either one or the other here.  The ergonomic ones are typically brushed silver with a lateral skinny handle that you push down to activate making them more handicap accessible than a knob that you would have to grip and turn. 

Number 5: Fences 

Where in the US we have vertical picket fences, in Germany the fences are built on diagonals.  Pictured above is one of many fences I saw in the suburbs of Frankfurt when I went on that long walk in search of a guitar capo.  

 Number 6: Graffiti 

It's everywhere!  I don't know when or how people do it without getting caught, but somehow they manage.  If you own a building in the city, I bet you have to repaint ever 6 months or else just embrace the "self expression" that some angsty youth applied in the middle of the night. 

Number 7: Crosswalks

Respect the little red man!  

Germans do not, I repeat DO NOT cross when there is a little red man.  There could be 20 people lined up along the side of the street and absolutely no cars coming, but still they wait.  It's hysterical.  I'll be standing on the sidewalk with the crowd of obedient Germans, no cars in sight, and like any normal impatient American, I step out into the street and start to cross.  This bold move stirs all kinds of reactions.  It's clear some are totally judging me.  It's the first time in my life I've felt like a real rule breaker.  Others don't hesitate to follow and quickly step off the curb with me.  They just needed a brave leader.  Still other pedestrians appear totally conflicted.  A complicated dialogue is running through their heads, "She did it.  I've been wanting to do it but no one else was doing it but she did it so maybe I should too but I my gosh I can't!  It's against the rules!  Should I do it? Ahhhh!!!  I just don't know!"  

I didn't realize this whole cross walk thing was a big deal at first.  Now I follow the rules and wait for the green man... most of the time. 

Number 8: Potties

German toilets are so funny!  They just stick straight out of the wall.  And the flusher is usually mounted above.  It's just a little button you push.  I guess the water is in a tank that is built into the wall somehow.  

Number 9: Coffee

It's so good!  The Germans love frothy milk!  I have become completely hooked on latte macchiatos.  I'm pretty sure it's the same as what we call a latte in the US.  They serve them in glass cups so you can see how pretty they are before you mix them all up.  I actually made the one pictured above at home with my new and very inexpensive milk frother.  I realized that it would be much cheaper to get a milk frother and make the coffee at home than going to a coffee shop every day. Plus, I think I make them just as pretty as the coffee shops! 

Number 10: Street Meat Vendors

These guys are NOT lazy.  In the US the hot dog guy usually has a cart on wheels, but here, the sausage guy actually wears his own personal grill on a harness and has a backpack condiment dispenser plus a built in umbrella!  Incredible! 

 Number 11: Lunch

While we are on the subject of food, let me introduce you to Frau Schreiber.  She is an institution in Frankfurt as she serves the best sausages in the city.  She's the woman in the blue vest pictured above.  Admittedly not the most flattering picture of her, but a girl's got to work with what she's got.  Frau Schreiber serves the best Fleischwurst, which is essentially a fat hot dog.  She isn't the only one.  Every market, deli counter, and restaurant sells Fleischwurst.   

 But Frau Schreiber boils hers and then thoughtfully peals the skin off of them for you so they aren't too crunchy when you bite into them.  At lunch time, the streets are packed with people holding a sausage in one hand and a roll in the other with a blob of mustard on a plate.  Let me be clear, they do not put the sausage on the roll.  That would look silly.  The two entities remain completely separate.  The people alternate munching one bite bread and one bite hand-held sausage wrapped in wax paper.  Frau Schreiber will also throw in a pickle if you are feeling a little low on veggies. 

Number 12: American Dressing

I didn't know we had a salad dressing!  I've heard of Italian dressing and Russian dressing, but this is the first time I've ever seen American dressing.  It kind of cracked me up!  

Number 13: Water

You have to buy it.  They don't really do tap water in Germany.  And it's usually expensive.  I think this little one was 3 euros!  To put that in perspective, we have bought a full size bottle of wine for 3 euros.  You also have to specify if you want "Selterswasser" or "Stil" (pronounced selterz-vassehr or shteel).  The Germans love the bubbly water. 

Number 14: Foreigners Get to Vote

A giant ballot came in the mail at Mikko and Inna's house.  Since they are from Finland they don't vote in the regular German election, but the German government cares about its foreigners too.  The ballot is the size of a newspaper with long lists of names.  The instructions on the top indicate that you get to vote 37 times.  

 Number 15: Elevators

Or whatever this thing is!  This contraption totally blew my mind!  It's like an elevator with no doors that moves continuously.  This would NEVER happen in the US.  Way too much liability.  The side on the left moves up, while the right side moves down taking you from floor to floor.  It's pretty fast too.  You have to jump on when the platform is level with the floor and then for God's sake, keep your limbs inside the vehicle!  

Number 16: Emergency Vehicles

This is my favorite thing.  The picture doesn't really provide any insight as to why I love the emergency vehicles in Germany.  The ambulances in particular are incredible.  I don't have a good picture of one yet, but when I get one, I'll post it.  

The reason I love them is because they were designed by a genius.  I'm quite sure of this.  They are equipped with two sets of speakers to project the sirens.  One set points forward in the direction of travel, and the other point backward.  The speakers pointing forward play the sirens in a major third.  For those not musically inclined, that means two notes are played in succession and if you could ascribe feelings to music, I'd say the sirens sound happy.  

As the ambulance passes, you pick up the sound from the sirens being projected from the back of the ambulance.   These speakers play two notes in a minor third this time, making them sound sad.  It's incredible!  It tells you whether there is an emergency vehicle coming toward you (so you can move out of the way) or driving away from you even when you can't see it!  Genius! 

Ok.  That is all for "Things That Are Different" today.  Maybe I'll post another installment if I collect more interesting differences.