A "Professional" Potter

You might remember that I had the very good fortune of finding a beautiful pottery studio during my first week in Berlin.  Then the owner, Cordula, gave me the incredible opportunity to run her shop while she was on vacation with her family.  If you forget that story, you can always read it again.  It's basically one of the best things that happened to me in Berlin.  And the great news is, my pottery story has continued to get better and better!

At this time, I would really like to formally introduce you to Cordula... well, as formally as one can introduce another person via blog post.  

Here she is, standing in front of her beautiful pottery!  Cordula has owned Feuer Zeug Keramik for about 13 years and opened the shop after finishing her degree in ceramics.  I don't know if this is actually true, but from my perspective, she is a bit of an institution when it comes to pottery in Berlin.  She has taught countless pottery classes to people all over the city and she provides a firing service, meaning she will bake other people's raw pots in her kiln.  A month ago, I went to an art exhibit featuring sculptures by a local artist that Cordula had fired!  

Outside of her pottery life, Cordula has a lovely family and a very sweet one-and-a-half-year-old that keeps her on her toes.  Which brings me to my next point...

Running a pottery business and raising a child can occasionally conflict with one another.  The waiting list for Cordula's classes had been building up, so one day, I took a leap and mentioned that although I had never taught a class before, I would be very interested in trying if it might help her.  Admittedly, I have never studied ceramics the way Cordula did in a university, but I do have 5-6 years of experience under my belt, I have had 3 terrific teachers (Erica, Tom, and Audry), and I have quality educators in my family tree.  I can't think of a better way to share my love for pottery than teaching it to other people, and I had confidence that I would be able to explain the process to a group of beginners.  

Cordula took me up on the offer.  

Two weeks later, I was opening the graffitied shutters to Cordula's brother's wine shop.  

The teaching studio is in the room behind the wine shop.  Just past that white door is a magical world of clay!

In the studio, there are five wheels where I taught my very first class of five students for 2 hours every Wednesday at 11am.  

It was quite an international group.  We had representation from Germany (obviously), Switzerland, Spain, the US (that was me), and Austrailia!  I taught in English which worked well most of the time.  Every now and again I'd say a less common word and get some confused looks.  "Spin the wheel" was a minor issue... I guess spin isn't at the top of the English vocab list.  But generally I'd say it went pretty smoothly!  

My students were lovely people and very eager to learn pottery.  I made sure to arrive at least 30 minutes early so I could get set up because a few of them would be waiting at the door by a quarter of eleven, anxious to dive into the clay.  

I started each class with a demonstration of how to throw a bowl or a cup using the wheel while providing verbal instructions so my students could absorb the techniques visually and auditorially before trying it out themselves.  Cordula was in the studio during my first class and listened in on my instructions as she unloaded the kiln.  

The next time I saw her she gave me one of the best compliments I may have ever received.  

She casually asked, "Do you know who Bob Ross is?"  

YES!  I LOVE Bob Ross.  If you've never watched his show, "The Joy Of Painting," you just gotta do it.  Particularly if you are feeling stressed in any way, or maybe a bit overwhelmed and you just want to bliss out for thirty minutes (I mean that in a drug-free way) while feeling truly empowered a the same time.  Bob Ross has a magical way of making everyone feel like they too can be the most incredible artist as well as the happiest person on the face of the Earth.  He's simply mesmerizing.  

I'm not sure which components of my pottery instructions were Bob Ross-like, but I don't think it was my hairstyle that caused her to draw the comparison.  

Student pottery before glaze

Although my students each learned that pottery is much harder than it looks, in the end, all five were able to take home at least 3 pieces that I think they deserve to feel proud of!  I certainly was proud of each of them. 

I was glad to be the one to unload the kiln to reveal their finished products.  

Vases, bowls, and cups came out in a rich assortment of colors.  I might be a bit biased, but compared to other new students, I think my class's pieces were among the best!  Not bad for first-time potters!

Meanwhile, I've continued to work on my own projects in the shop.  Cordula lets me open the store and work on the wheel during the days that she is home with her little son.  Even though I have several years of pottery behind me, I still feel like my work gets a little bit better with each piece that I make.  The walls of the mug get a little thinner, the handle becomes better proportioned, the whole thing is a bit larger so you can have an adult-sized cup of coffee rather than a shot of espresso. 

I like making cuvier mugs with a big bottom and a skinny neck toward top like the collection in the picture above.  I think it helps your beverage stay hotter a little bit longer since there is less surface area exposed to the cool air.  

I've been working on teapots too.  They are a bit trickier and definitely a time-consuming process.  There is a reason why handmade teapots cost upwards of $75.  Attaching a spout is no joke!  

I'm quite pleased with my unglazed collection!

My mugs work well too!  They are the perfect size for a latte macchiato just the way I like it: 

2 ounces of espresso

a solid cup of foamed milk

 and a generous portion of cinnamon and sugar!

Helping Cordula in her shop and working on my projects has lead to an incredibly fulfilling existence in Berlin.  It's a rare and special opportunity when a person is able to create an entirely new identity for themselves.  I don't mean that I have become a different person.  Of course I am the same "me" that I've always been, but I realized that a huge part of our identity, at least in the US, is defined by our occupation.  I've always been very proud of my job as an Occupational Therapist, but I wasn't going to be able to do that during our time in Germany.   That lead me to the existential questions of, "Why am I here?  What is my purpose?"  Well, here my time and energy that isn't going to my wonderful fiancé has been fully directed at my art. 

Toward the end of pottery class one day, my student Chris asked me, "So are you like, a professional potter?" 

I had to think about it for a second.  My instinctual response was to laugh and think "No, I'm an OT!"  I've spent over a decade either in OT school or actually working as a therapist, so the idea of being something other than that hadn't ever even crossed my mind.  But as I considered Chris's question, I realized that I was spending a significant portion of my week covered in clay and now that I was teaching, my only source of income (besides Fritz) was through pottery.  I don't know what it takes to be classified as a "professional potter."  Perhaps I need to sell some of my stuff instead of giving it all away.  Perhaps I need to teach a few more classes to be a true professional.  Or perhaps it's as simple as feeling it as a significant part of my identity.  

The truth is, I absolutely LOVE making pottery.  There are few things that cause me to feel more relaxed (lying on the beach in the summer sun might take the cake but I don't think "professional beach bum" counts as an occupation) and simultaneously accomplished than making a piece of art that is fully functional.  And isn't that what pottery is?  Functional art.  It's perfect!  Being able to share this love with my five students as they learned the magic of transforming a messy blob of clay into something they can use and feel proud of brought my enjoyment of the craft to a brand new level.  

Cordula could not have known the impact of her decision to entrust Feuer Zeug Keramic to an American stranger when I showed up on her doorstep the last week of January.  But for some reason, she decided to trust me.  She decided to give me an opportunity.  And in so doing, she gave my life in Berlin purpose and meaning.  Life in Frankfurt was wonderful: reading, exploring, taking pictures, blogging...  But Berlin is different.  Here, I have a schedule.  I have a place to go, a responsibility.  I wake up each morning thinking about what I'm going to make!  I have work to do.  

Here, I am a professional potter!

Saniye's First Birthday

No, Saniye is not turning one.  But this was the first time she was able to celebrate her birthday on the date of her birth according to my best guess based on novice astrological calculations.  

Let's back up a few steps.  Who is Saniye?  Well, she was essentially the first person we met in Berlin, and she has become one of our best friends here.  She owns the fantastic café, Bitter Süß (roughly pronounced Bitter Zoo-s), that we live above so we see her daily.  She and I have passed many afternoons chatting about life, human nature, love, travel, religion, and the stars while sipping latte macchiatos in her shop.  

Here she is opening up her shop first thing in the morning.  Her locally painted sign and colorful handmade pillows are like a welcoming beacon to all who live on the block. 

When we walked in on the first day, Saniye was playing Devendra Banhart's "At the Hop" (one of my favorite songs) and she had The New York Review of Books (Fritz's favorite periodical) displayed on one of her coffee tables.  Surrounded by cozy 1950s decor and newspapers hanging from a rack on the wall, listening to one good song after the next, and sniffing the sweet smells of freshly baked scones wafting through the air, I took one bite of her heavenly chocolate cake and felt like we had struck gold!

The regulars who frequent Saniye's shop have lovingly started to refer to Bitter Süß as "the living room".  I have met many of our neighbors here and have made several good friends because of the wonderful environment Saniye has created.  She knows just about everyone who enters her shop and often hugs most of her visitors.

Fritz, Allie, and Ben during their visit to Berlin

Fritz and I always bring visitors to Saniye's shop for her delicious brunch or a slice the most amazing chocolate cake I could ever dream of. 

Saniye and her little duck, a birthday gift from Fritz's parents

It didn't take long for Fritz and me to figure out that Saniye was a very special person.  In one of our early interactions with her, we learned that she can speak 5 languages fluently.  She was quite humble about this fact and then she said, "And I want to learn 5 more before I die.  I think if I could speak 10 languages, then I would be rich."  With this kind of life perspective and ideas about where true wealth lies, I knew that Saniye was someone I needed to get to know.  

She was born in a small village in Turkey but came to Berlin with her parents as a little girl.  She went to university in Scotland and spent a year in Chile teaching English.  So as you can see, she is quite the international woman!  Still she dreams of moving back to the Turkish village where she was born to connect with the land and lifestyle of her ancestors, learning from the richness that would come from such an experience.  

Over the months, Saniye has generously shared many stories from her life.  The quiet conversations we have had together, or occasionally in the company of another "living room visitor," has enriched my life as I have absorbed her unique perspective and tried to soak up the incredible openness with which she greets the world.  

So as I mentioned, Saniye has never known her exact birthday since she was born in a rural Turkish village.  Her mom can only remember that she was born just after sunset at the end of April or early May based on the farming cycles of the village.  As a young student of Astrology (just starting my 3rd year), figuring out Saniye's birthday based on the location of the sun and moon during the month of her birth was a challenge I was excited to tackle.  

Our many conversations that dove into the depths of Saniye's life, purspective, and purpose, resulted in, not only a date but the exact time of Saniye's birth.  April 27th at 9:11pm, and I won't tell you the year out of respect for Saniye... though she seems like the kind of person who doesn't really mind if people know how old she is.

Now, you may or may not believe that anchient Astrological principals hold any relevence to todays modern world, but somehow the universe brought Fritz and I to Bitter Süß where we met Saniye.  And she told me her story, and I am a richer person because of it.  

For that reason, on April 27th Fritz and I held a small birhtday party for Saniye in our apartment.  Our beautiful friend Laura came too, bringing a colorful assorment of the best macarons in Berlin, and the four of us talked, and laughed, and shared our memories until we were all yawning and too sleepy to utter another coherent sentence.  

So Happy 1st Birthday Saniye!  You have made our time in Berlin so special, you give this neighborhood a shelter full of warmth and welcomeness, and because of you, the world is a better place!

The REAL Reason We Are In Germany

After 7 months of digging around in federal archives, ceaselessly translating German documents, meeting with local academics, and even hiring Polish and Hungarian "research assistance" to help with translations, Fritz was given an opportunity to tie a pretty bow around his hard work in the form of a 45-minute talk at Goethe Universität in Frankfurt.  This was the longest and most complete presentation Fritz has given on his bold dissertation topic: The Privatization of the Cold War.

Our endlessly kind and generous friends, Johanna and Frederic, hosted us in their apartment for the 2 days we were in town.  

I received a private preview of his presentation in their living room before it was debuted for the German academics.  

I was invited to attend the real thing along 21 other academics; a rather impressive crowd for such a talk.  Professor Plumpe, a well-known German historian and Fritz's sponsoring professor (pictured above) was extremely complimentary of Fritz's project, and said something along the lines of (paraphrased and translated from German), "Fritz has the potential to reorient the field of Cold War history. "

After his talk, the historians in attendance proceeded to ask questions and debate the topic for at least 30 minutes.  They asked their questions in German while Fritz responded in English, clearly understanding everything they were saying.  I couldn't follow any of the German, but Fritz fielded each question beautifully.  It was a very cool dialogue to witness!  

Afterward, the entire group migrated to a traditional German restaurant where Professor Plumpe generously treated the two of us!  The whole day was a complete success for Fritz.  He delivered an excellent talk that succinctly wove together an explanation of how global finance affected the end of the Cold War in Hungary, Poland, and East Germany.

He was brilliant!  And I could not have felt prouder of my handsome and intelligent love who just might change the world's interpretation of the Cold War!  

BUDAPEST!

Is anyone Hungary?  Anyway, I figured I'd write a Buda-post... about Budapest.  Poor Fritz has had to listen to my bad Hungarian puns for a solid week without cease.  Ok, let's be honest, he has to listen to my bad puns every day.

In any case, Fritz and I spent 6 days in Budapest, the capital city of Hungary (the country, not that grumble in your tummy).  In addition to an archive visit, Fritz arranged meetings with several historians that have expertise in Hungarian Cold War economics.  In between meetings and archive scrounging, he explored the city with me!

We began our journey with a train ride from the airport to the city center.  The old-school turquoise train car made me feel like I was riding in the public transportation version of the Mystery Machine from Scooby Doo cartoons.  

The M3 line connects the airport to downtown Budapest.  If we can break out of chronological order for a moment and jump to the end of our visit, I'll tell you that just after we got off the train in route back to the airport for our departure, Fritz said, "Now that we made it through that alive, I can tell you that apparently the M3 catches on fire about once every two months."  Lovely.  I'm glad we caught the M3 on a good day!

The escalators to get up down to the subway were super long but they were also super speedy.  I've never seen an escalator move so fast!  I don't think the US could ever adopt this kind of machine with all the potential lawsuits after people break their face trying to get on and off this speedy thing.  But they sure were efficient! 

The city of Budapest (pronounced Buda-pesht) is absolutely beautiful.  Like many European cities, Budapest was badly damaged during the Second World War, though much of the architecture either survived or was very nicely rebuilt afterward.  Above is a picture of the train station that was around the corner from our AirBnB.  Beautiful! 

We stayed at a cute little AirBnB just north of the city center.  It had an arched entranceway leading to our door and a sunny courtyard. 

Our funny little apartment had a lofted sleeping space with two twin beds pushed next to one another.  It felt a bit like bunking up in an indoor treehouse.  

Budapest is the result of two cities coming together in 1873.  Buda on the west bank of the river Danube united with Pest on the east bank.  There are multiple bridges providing river crossings.  They are all quite new because, sadly, every bridge was destroyed during WWII.

The stone lions that have decorated the Chain Bridge since 1852 survived the war without being damaged and they watch over both sides of the river.  Behind the lion, you can get a glimpse of the Hungarian Parliament building. 

The construction of this striking building was completed in 1904, during which 40 million bricks, half a million precious stones, and 88 pounds of gold were used.  

In general Budapest is just a beautiful city.  It has a very quaint aesthetic and it also is not too large so we were able to walk to most places of interest.  

And when we didn't want to walk, the public transportation did the job.  

The food was quite good and we found a hip little neighborhood in the Jewish district that had some really great restaurants, cafés and craft beer establishments like the one in the picture above. 

This was a classy café that we visited on the morning of Fritz's one free day.  

We spent the rest of that day up on Castle Hill.  We hitched a ride on the Budavári Sikló (or the Budapest Castle Hill Funicular) to get to the top of the hill, which originally opened in 1870.  

Funicular Friends! 

The view from the top was lovely! 

Castle Hill was first established in the 13th century after the Mongolian invasion.  Its golden age was in the 15th century when King Matthias Corvinus married Beatrix of Naples in 1476.  At this time, many Italian artists and craftsmen came over and Buda became a very important European city.  

A Fritz double exposure!

Fisherman's Bastion was named after the guild of fisherman that defended this stretch of the city walls in the Middle Ages.  It was built between 1895 and 1902 and has a lovely view of the Danube river and the city. 

Matthias Church constructed in the 13th century on the grounds of the former first church of Castle Hill, which was founded by the King of Hungary in the year 1015. 

The weather was perfect during our visit and all the spring flowers were out soaking up the sunshine. 

St. Stephen's Basilica is a Roman Catholic church named after the first king of Hungary.  Interestingly, it is the same height as the Parlament Building which is meant to symbolize that worldly and spiritual thinking have the same importance.  Regulations in Budapest prevent any buildings from exceeding the height of these two buildings so all the other structures in the city are under 315 feet tall. 

The inside of the basilica was very lovely.  Fritz took this picture of the dome. 

I was more interested in taking pictures of all the art students who were scattered throughout the church, eyeing up the angles and perspectives of the beautiful architecture by holding their pencils at arms-length while squinting through one eye.  

On the days when Fritz had academic meetings and archive time, I strolled around the city.  I found lovely outdoor markets selling handmade Hungarian crafts. 

I also took this random double exposure with a rusty, graffiti door. 

But my biggest mission was securing bathing suits for the two of us!  

"Bathing suits?" You ask.  Yes. Bathing suits.  Because Budapest is well known for its famous thermal baths.   

The Széchenyi Medicinal Bath is one of the largest bathing complexes in all of Europe.  Unlike many of the European bathhouses, at Széchenyi people actually keep their bathing suits on while in the company of others.  This factor mixed with a weather forecast of 75 degrees and sunny made going to the bathhouse imperative.  Thank you H&M for carrying affordable bikinis and men's swimming trunks that aren't too... European, if you know what I'm saying.  (Some of these guys like to rock the short shorts!)

The bathhouse has 3 outdoor pools and 15 indoor pools, each with varying temperatures for a complete therapeutic experience.  Fritz and I rented a private "cabin" (also known as a stall or dressing room) where we could change and store our belongings while enjoying the amenities.  We spent about 30 seconds wading through a steamy indoor pool filled with a bunch of old guys before we were like, "What are we doing floating around in here?  It's a beautiful day.  Let's go outside!" 

And man was it perfect!  We got there nice and early, so we staked out two lounge chairs in the sun and went for a dip in the thermal pool!  The sulfate, calcium, magnesium, bicarbonate, fluoric acid and metaboric acid in the water are supposed to be good for all kinds of medical remedies.  For me, the water felt nice, but laying in the warm sun and soaking up that vitamin D for the first time since last summer was like heaven on earth!  Don't worry, we wore our sunscreen.  

We weren't the only ghostly white couple at the pool, but there was also clearly a group of local men who must come and play cards together at least 4 times a week judging from their sun-kissed bods.  These men looked like a pack of bronzed buddhas sitting around with a beer on a Friday morning.  As one does.  Anyway, it was a perfect day!  

And before we knew it, the week was over.  We were walking down the street passing sidewalk-couch-geese on our way to the airport.  Random?  I think so.  

But it was a wonderful week from start to finish.  Budapest was absolutely beautiful and the trip was the perfect combination of very productive for Fritz and a delightful adventure for the two of us.  Goodbye Hungary.  Back to Berlin we go!