It's Berlin Time!

I am happy to report that I am currently sitting in my new home for the next two week in Berlin, Germany. I spent yesterday traveling over the Atlantic Ocean and landed safely this morning at 7:30 a.m.. I got off the plane excited for my new adventures, but unfortunately my checked bag wasn't as excited to come along. I am waiting on its delivery, hopefully soon.

Following my baggage drama, I found my way to meet my Airbnb contact, Jannik, to get the key to the apartment I will be staying in. (From the airport, I made a bus to train transfer at the Alexanderplatz station, but unfortunately I didn't see the "Fast Lane." I'm hoping it is just in another section of the train station.)  My two dance friends, Ryoko and Elizabeth, are meeting me here, at the apartment, tomorrow evening and we will all be sharing the place together. It might be tight, but completely adequate because we are close friends.

After I settled in, dropped my bags off, and sent an email to my parents telling them I was alive, I went for a five hour walk around Berlin. Now, I am sitting on the couch exhausted with my legs and feet swelling as I type.

I want to share with you the Hot Spots I've already seen Berlin and take you through my day. The red type is factual information about each location Hot Spot and the bold black type is my tour guild voice taking you from spot to spot. Within these texts you can find links to the official websites, so you can learn more.



Saturday, August 3, 2013

I started my adventure by walking North of my apartment (right next to the Eberswalder Str. U2 train station) to the State Ballet School Berlin. I wanted to see the school and determine whether it was a manageable walk to take every day. It's a little over 30 minutes away, so it's possible, but not ideal when we'll be dancing for six hours a day.

State Ballet School Berlin. Photo by Cecilia Iliesiu.

The State Ballet School Berlin offers state certified diplomas for dance education unique for the Federal Republic of Germany. It is the only school in Germany where the students are educated academically along with their dance training. Interestingly enough, the Ballet School united with the Academy for Acrobats in 1991. 





Next, I grabbed a five euro lunch (salad, banana and tea) at a grocery store and took the streetcar South to the Museum Island.

Altes Nationale Museum. Photo by Cecilia Iliesiu.

Museum Island is the northern tip of the Spree Island. Six thousand years of history and culture are stored along its museums. You can start your historical journey in Egyptian times, through to Christian and Islamic art, and through to 19th century European art.

It houses the following museums:

• The Altes Museum (Old Museum) offers artifacts from Etruscan, Greek and Roman art.
• The Bode Museum is a collection of sculptures and treasures from the middle ages until the 18th century.
• The Museum of the Ancient Near East houses some of the oldest examples of script on cuneiform tablets from Uruk. It also presents the Processional Way and the Ishtar Gate from Babylon recreated with thousands of colour glazed bricks.
• The Münzkabinett (Numismatic) Museum offers Byzantine art from the 3rd to 19th Centuries, as well as a selection of valuable coins and medals from Antiquity to the 20th Century.
• The Neues Museum (New Museum) is a collection of Egyptian and Early history. The bust of Nefertiti is the central attraction.
• The Pergamon Museum is a three-winged museum by Alfred Messel. It exhibits ceramics, glass, metal and ivory, as well as the sandstone facade of an early 8th Century palace from the Jordanian desert. It is currently under reconstruction.

While I was wondering the Island, there was a wonderful crafts fair (Kunstmarket am Zeughaus). I started speaking (in English) to a local artist about his pottery as I admired his beautifully glaze mugs and bowls. I bought one of his light green with a teal glaze-drip handmade mugs. I will have such wonderful memories went I sip my tea in his mug in Raleigh, NC.

Kunstamarket. Photo by Cecilia Iliesiu.

The Berliner Kunstmarket is a art market where local artists and antique collectors are able to present their goods; it is open on Saturdays and Sundays. Berliners loved the art and culture of this market so much that it has been expanded four times.  You can find traditional fine art (paintings, graphics and sculpture), new art (photography, digital art) and fashion design. Every artist must be involved in the creative process to be able to present the work at the market. Kunstamarket offers new fashion designers the opportunity to sell their own creations to a culturally interested audience.

As I walked around through the Kunstamarket, I passed some interesting characters. There was a man playing music on the rims of wine glasses and a man selling pretzels alongside his son paying the saxophone. 

Glass music. Photo by Cecilia Iliesiu.

Pretzel and Saxophone family. Photo by Cecilia Iliesiu.

Next, I walked towards the Lustgarten ("Pleasure Garden" in German) to find the Berliner Dom.

Berliner Dom with the Lustgarten to the left. Photo by Cecilia Iliesiu.

The Lustgarten is situated between the Berlin Dom (Cathedral) and the Altes Museum. It is used by locals and tourists as a resting and meeting spot to lounge in at their leisure.

The history behind this garden is quite interesting. The plot of land was first used as a garden to grow fruits and vegetables for the nearby City Palace, Stadtschloss. In 1640, it transformed into a royal garden that involved ornate landscaping including flower beds and herbs. In 1713, the pleasure garden was reduced to a military parade square. In 1830, the Altes Museum was built and the area was once again designed to serve as a suitable accompaniment. Again, in 1934, the garden was paved down to make a parade square by the Nazis. After WWII, the area became part of East Berlin and yet again became utilized as a public space for public gatherings, as it is today.

I used the Lustgarten to rest my legs before investigating the church I saw ahead. I found out it was the Protestant church of St. Petri - St. Marien. The exterior of the church reminded me so much of the Cathédral St-Etienne that I saw last summer in Toulouse, France. (Here is my blog post about it.) Both churches have such an interesting mix of history presented on its exterior that you can't help but want to learn more about it. I sat in the church for a few minutes to take in its beauty while an organist played wonderful music.

The interior of St. Petri - St. Marien church. Photo by Cecilia Iliesiu.

The St. Petri - St. Marien church began construction around 1270 as an early Gothic hall church. In the 15th century, it acquired the tower at the front. In 1720, a mechanical organ was built into the church and a couple years later the gilded decorations were added. Finally in 1790, the architect Carl Gotthard Langhans (the architect of the Brandenburg Gate) crowned the tower with a Baroque and Neo-Gothic dome. 

St. Petri - St. Marien church with Fernsehturn TV tower in the background. Photo by Cecilia Iliesiu.

Next, I found myself at Media Market. Originally, I was attracted to the art around it. I didn't actually go into the shopping mall because I am in no need of more electronics, but the art and architecture was intriguing.

The Media Market is the German and Europeans market leader in costumer electronics industry. They offer household appliances, costumer electronic, and telecommunications. Unfortunately, I could not find any information on the wall art and sculpture online.

Media Market. Photo by Cecilia Iliesiu.

At the Media Market I found a "Sausage Man" who didn't need a cart to sell sausages. New York City needs some of these portable food sellers around Times Square!

Sausage man. Photo by Cecilia Iliesiu.

As I was about to call it a day because I was getting tired, I walked into a festival at Alexanderplatz. The entire square was full of shopping tents, street performers, and interactive games. The shopping tents were different than those of Kunstmarket craft market. These vendors were selling hippy cloths, jewelry, bags, and such. People of all ages were having a great time and it was fun to photograph them. By researching the event did I learn it was a Peace Festival.

The Friedensfestival Berlin is an organization that encourages the Berlin community to agree with the objectives of the United Nations pertaining to peace, equal rights, non-violence, and social progression. The "Peace Festival" invites empathic and creative minds for an active engagement towards world peace. Whether through information booths, the stage programs, the street theater, or the oasis of peace, everyone can get involved.

Friedensfestival Entertainment. Photo by Cecilia Iliesiu. 

Friedensfestival Entertainment. Photo by Cecilia Iliesiu.

Friedensfestival Food. Photo by Cecilia Iliesiu. 

Friedensfestival Street Art. Photo by Cecilia Iliesiu. 

Friedensfestival Street Theater. Photo by Cecilia Iliesiu. 

I got a second wind of energy from the Festival and decided to walk back to the apartment. I wanted to get a feel for the Mitte neighborhood I am living in. Of course, I stopped into almost every fashion store; my excuse was because they are all having sales! These are two funny sights I spotted during my walk.

Fashion in Berlin. Photo by Cecilia Iliesiu.

White Trash Fast Food. Photo by Cecilia Iliesiu.

I found myself back home with some wine and meat I got at a market next door. What a beautiful sight to look out to as I share with you my wonderful first day in Berlin. 

Instagram Photo by Cecilia Iliesiu.

Starting tomorrow, I will have my days full of dancing and being a tourist every other minute. I will say "Auf Wiedersehen" ("Goodbye" in German) for this month and hope to check in after my trip. I will be updating my photography travel blog almost daily, Capturing Cecilia's Canon, as a way to keep my friends and family up-to-date with what I am doing.

I have come a long way since I started this blog on June 2^nd and I can say I am better off having shared my research with you, my viewers, through this blog than I would have on my own. I hope you will travel to Germany some time in your life because I can already tell it's a wonderful city full of endless possibilities. 

Haben einen schönen Sommer! Have a wonderful summer!

Feeling like a Foreigner

Today, I searched the web for an American blogger who had already published a few posts about their time in Germany. I wanted feedback for what I am going to expect next month. I will be living with two of my American friends for the first two weeks of the trip in Berlin. Then for the final two weeks, I will mostly be on my own. I am looking forward to this because it is something I have never done before. I see it as my ultimate freedom. A new country, new culture, new people with no constant iPhone and internet connection - just the freedom to roam the world.

The Resident on Earth blog is written by a woman named Jen who moved from the United States to Germany to live with her boyfriend, who she calls “The Mann.” I love her narrative style of writing and the subjects she addresses through her variety of posts on German movies, German food, German toilettes, and much more.

I want to share with you a post of hers, The Foreigner, that I really enjoyed and I thought pertained directly to my desire to prepare myself for a German life. She shares with her readers the experience she had returning back to the U.S. after a few months of living in Germany with The Mann.

German Architecture from Jen's blog.

At this point in Jen's life (on April 26^th, 2011), she is in a state of reverse culture shock. Although she was an American, who only lived in Germany for a few months, Jen felt that she was returning to her home country as a foreigner. The amount of high-pitched noises, different races of people, and bad fashion are a few of the things that shocked her as she entered the Chicago airport. She felt like an alien in her own country.

48 hours in Stuttgart

As I am continue my list of places to see and things to do in Germany, I stumbled upon this fabulous blog called the 48 Hour Adventure. I figured I'd use this opportunity to introduce this blog to you and plan my few days in Stuttgart with my wonderful cousin Ana Despina. She recently moved there to attend film editing school and I am lucky enough to be able to visit her for a fews days after my ART of dance program in Berlin. This post is quite appropriate for me because I will only have about 48 hours in Stuttgart with Ana Despina. I will not only use the information from the original 48 Hours in Stuttgart post, but I will also find new ideas and other places.

Hot Spots

Wilhelma Zoo

• Schlossplatz: Castle Palace & Garden 
• The Opera House for their world-famous ballet company 
• Wilhelma Zoo with its botanical garden & historic park 
• Mercedes-Benz and Porsche Museums
• State Gallery Stuttgart 
• Wine Village 

The Stare Challenge in Zurich

I want to share with you an attraction that's made Zurich's Hauptbahnhof train station a Hot Spot. Digital Buzz blog always has fun, short updates on the latest social and digital trends. They make you realize how technically advanced the world really is. As in previous posts, "Fast Lane" in Berlin and TUM slides in Munich, this project is a fun way to engage the public to make a happier world.

The Stare Challenge installation is not necessarily art related, but more technologically driven to promote a product and engage the public. The person's goal is to be able to stare at an image of the Samsung S4 for 60 seconds, without looking away. Your rewards is to receive a free phone of your own. Trouble is there are distraction, such as barking dogs at your feet, animated guitar players, arguing couples, motorcycle crashes, etc.  This is a creative and interactive campaign that involve personal and interactive events so that the product goes viral. It certainly will create a buzz on the new Samsung product and make travelers more likely to stop at the Hauptbahnhof station! I know I will!

I leave for Germany in four days!

Top Ten Hot Spots in Berlin

I am going to be a bit of a tourist in this post and list my top ten attractions in Berlin. I am getting a bit anxious about my trip to Germany because I have so much left to do before I go. This list of Hot Spots should help me make sure I see all the important sites while I am there.

Clockwise: Brangenburg Gate, Reichstag, Berlin Dom, Holocaust Memorial

1. Brandenburger Gate
2. Reichstag 
3. Berlin Dom or Berlin Cathedral 
4. Holocaust Memorial 
5. Grunewald
6. Bauhaus Archives - Museum of Design 
7. Charlottenburg Palace & Gardens
8. Berliner Dom 
9. Potsdamer Platz 
10. Checkpoint Charlie 

This list was a compilation of several tourist websites.

A View on Cities: Berlin Attractions 

TimeOut: Berlin’s Top 10 Sights 

TimeOut: 20 Great Things to do in Berlin 

Every Trail: Berlin Sightseeing 

Although this video does not list my Hot Spots in the same order, we have similar attracts that must be seen in Berlin. I am creating a list of must-sees so that I can check them off as my time there flies by. I leave for Berlin in six days!

How to Travel like a German Local

I am going to be doing a lot of traveling around Germany next month and as my local German friend Hinako said, trains and buses are the way to get around! Although flights within Europe are super cheap, there is something calming about seeing the land zoom by on land transportation. A plane might be faster travel time, but by the time you add the transportation to and from the airport, the security check, the waiting, the delays, you have missed the sights by land. Hinako mentioned these three companies that I should use to get from city to city.

Thalys Train

Destinations 

Big cities within Germany, Belgium, France, The Netherlands, United Kingdom

Tickets

1. Flex (in Comfort 1)
2. Semi-Flex (in Comfort 1 or 2)
3. No-Flex (in Comfort 2)

• Board ticketless, with an ID.

"Fast Lane" in Berlin

I wanted to continue with my series on the contemporary public art in Germany’s Hot Spots, as I did with TUM slides in Munich. These fun art installations give culture to otherwise dull structures, such as university buildings or subway stations. In this post, I want to share with you Volkswagen’s Fun Theory. The project is dedicated to making everyone’s life as simple, as easy, and as fun as possible. They want personal, environment-friendly, and entirely different projects that will upgrade our lives. The award entries are truly fascinating and makes me wish I came up with the ideas myself. Most of their installations have been in Stockholm, Sweden with Piano Stairs, Speed Camera Lottery, and Bottle Bank Arcade Machine. All these projects promote good behaviors for the soceity in a creative way that compels you to do it. I love it!

How-to: Airbnb

I might have to say that Airbnb is the best tool in traveling today. The company, founded in 2008 in San Francisco, is a community for people who list and book unique accommodations around the world. I used Airbnb to book my accommodations last summer in France and Italy and even within the states for two family vacations.  Each experience has been an incredible way to connect with people from around the world to create a unique travel experience. In my case, I was able to stay with locals from the cities I was visiting, as opposed to scouring around for a dirty hostel. To name a few, I lived a week in Paris in a four-bedroom loft, two days in Florence in a villa, and a week with my mother in the Outer Banks in a beach box. I am going to walk you through how easy it is to use Airbnb with my tips and tricks. I have used screen shots from my search for my Berlin accommodations to help you better understand.

How to Book on Airbnb

• Search the location of your travel destination. Add your travel dates and choice of room type.
  

Interview with Hinako from Dusseldorf

Since my trip to Germany is two weeks away, I’ve been in major planning mode. My main destinations are Berlin for the dance workshop, Stuttgart to visit my cousin, Heidelberg to visit my distant family, and Dusseldorf to visit my good friend. I am so grateful to technology for how easy it is to keep in contact through Facebook and Skype with family and friends across an ocean.

Hinako and me at a café in Rome, Italy (August 2012).

I am dedicating this post to my good friend Hinako in Dusseldorf. She and I grew up in New York. Although she was a few years older than me, we spent a lot of time together in school. We were close enough to call each other sisters. She moved to Germany six years ago to continue her career in dance. Unfortunately, time flew and we lost touch. 

TUM slides in Munich

A few months ago, a friend of mine shared this link on Facebook and she commented how she wished her college had an inner building slide to get from class to class.  Only recently did I realize that this installation Hot Spot is located in Germany. These giant four-story slides are in the interior of the Technical University of Munich (TUM). In 2002, the Munich-based artists, Johannes Brunner and Raimund Ritz, were inspired to make the slides look like a parabola due to their location in the Math and Computer Science department. The two “Parable” slides allow students to forgo the elevator or stairs and ride a tube from the top to the ground floor. It’s like having an amusement park in your university. Below is a funny video showing you the slides.

2 Cute Cafés in Frankfurt

I want to get back to touring German cities as a local. A good way to scout out the local vibe is to take a break at a coffee shop.  Recently, I’ve started doing my work at a few local coffee shops in Raleigh. I love the relaxed and welcoming atmosphere and don’t forget, it’s a great place to meet new friends.

To find local Hot Spots abroad, I highly recommend the blog Spotted by Locals. This blog lists many major cities in Europe so you can explore the wealth of Arts & Culture, Food, Theater, etc there. There is one blog per city that has a few local authors contributing to it, allowing you to get a well-rounded view of the city.

For this post, I have found two local coffee shops in Frankfurt that I thought seemed super cute. They have coffee, food, and culture all in one. Their actual websites are posted on the link I provide, but they are in German so good luck reading them.

Revisit the Friedrichstadt-Palast in Berlin

I wanted to revisit a post I did a few weeks ago on Berlin’s Friedrichstadt-Palast. I had updated the Palace’s Wikipedia page because it was missing information on its current events. There have been no changes to my text, but some photos of the current theater have been added.

As I mentioned on the Wiki page and on my blog, the Palace specializes in complex state-of-the-art performances with hundreds of performers and elaborate sets. It certainly would be a different type of performance than one I would see at one of Berlin's three opera houses.

ART of in Berlin

I promise this will be my last post on ballet and theater for a while. One of my blogger friends Brianna, of Penny Pinching New Yorker, is also a dancer and wanted to know more about the Berlin State School and the program I am doing in Berlin in August. I knew about the program, but little on the school itself. Below, I have linked the organizations to their direct webpages so you can learn more.

Staatsballett in Berlin

I figured I’d continue on my current trend of Berlin’s performing arts. As I mentioned previously, I will be in Berlin for the first two weeks of August doing a contemporary dance program at the State School of Berlin. I want to become familiar with the local companies and their repertoires. Interestingly enough, before 2004, each opera house has its own ballet company. Today the Staatsballett Berlin has become the single professional ballet institution in the city. Here is a bit of the history.

• 1742: Frederick the Great began his court opera under the name of Staatsoper Unter den Linden with included a ballet company.
• 1856: Paul Baglioni, descendant of the famous dancing-family, became director. His visionary leadership made dance in Berlin rank equal to Paris.
• 1920s: Deutsch Oper Berlin as a contemporary dance company. The company’s most known artistic director was Tatjana Gsovsky in the 1950s.
• 1951: The first ballet school in Berlin was established to train their own dancers instead of importing dancers from Paris.
• 1966: Tom Schilling brought his modern dance choreography, Komische Oper, to Berlin for almost thirty years.
• 2004: The three former ballet companies were transferred into one single institution even though they continue to perform in all three opera houses.

3 Opera Houses in Berlin

While introducing Berlin’s neighborhoods a few posts ago, I mentioned the State Opera house was in the Mitte district. Since then I’ve done more research and found that there are not one, but three opera houses in Berlin. What a delight!

For me, as a dancer and a performing artist, European opera houses are a sea of history. I love to walk into these fabulously decorated architectural gems, stroll on the red carpets, and feel the spirits of famous artists who graced their presence in these houses. I was lucky enough to have seen the Paris Opera Ballet perform La Fille Mal Gardée at the Palais Garnier last summer in Paris. This summer, I plan to relive that memory by visiting Berlin’s opera houses.

Berlin’s three opera houses are the Staatsoper Unter den Linden, the Deutsche Oper Berlin, and the Komisch Oper Berlin.

Beers around Germany

Germany is the capital of beers, lagers, and ales. Although I prefer wine, I look forward to becoming more educated on beers. I am going to go about this venture by becoming familiar with the German beer terms and then order the most local or popular beer at every joint. I will probably get so spoiled by German beers, that I won’t want to drink the ones we have here in the states. The name of the beers are linked to a website with more information or a video.

BMW in Munich

You can probably guess from the title that this post is about “the ultimate driving machine.” It is no joke when the company brags about their customers creating a special bond with their cars because I have a friend who would have a panic attack if something happened to his precious BMW M3. Although BMW cars are a bit luxurious for my taste, I feel like royalty being a passenger in one.

Bayerische Motoren Werke (translates to “Bavarian Motor Works”) started as a manufacturer of aircraft engines that then transitioned into cars. Below, I share with you the history timeline behind the company.

Rapp engineering his motors.

• 1913: Karl Friedrich Rapp established his own aircraft engines in a former bicycle factory near Munich. Unfortunately, the business didn't do so well.

• 1913: Gustav Otto set up a business building small aircrafts. Otto’s father was the inventor of the four-stroke internal engine.

Neighborhoods in Berlin

Berlin will be my home for the first two weeks in August, so I have started to become familiar with the neighborhoods. I want to be able to find the best local cafés, trendy art galleries, and historic sites. Due to the 40 year division of East and West Berlin, the city’s center today is dispersed into vibrant individual boroughs. I will be dancing and living in the Mitte district, but I plan to explore as much of Berlin as possible. Below I’ve listed three Berlin neighborhoods that strike my fancy (with their respective photos and links).

Popular Cuisine from Germany

Food is one of my passions and I want to dedicate this post to it. The idea of endless combinations of ingredients to create delicious dishes is so exciting. I love trying new ethnic cuisines and experimenting with new recipes. I’m quite adventurous when it comes to food. I have tried a pigeon stew in Italy, a cow's tail in France, and a crocodile sausage in New Orleans to name a few. So you can imagine that when I travel, my taste buds are in heaven!

Germany will be no exception. I’m looking forward to going to different regions and tasting their unique cuisines. Each state has distinct ingredients than vary their dishes. 

Germans are known for their hearty and meaty dishes with tons of sausage and potatoes. Below, I have chosen four regions I will be visiting and explored their local foods dishes. The links on a few of the foods will lead you to a recipe. Maybe you will want to give one of these German specialties a try.

Oktoberfest in Munich

Everyone knows about Oktoberfest, but do you know how it started?

The First Oktoberfest was held on October 12, 1810 when Crown Prince Ludwig was married to Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen. The citizens of Munich were invited to attend the festivities on the field in front of the city gates. That land was renamed Theresienwiese (“Theresa’s fields”) in honor of the Crown Princess, which the locals later abbreviate to “Wiesn.” The public occasion was such a success that it became an annual event.

1810's Oktoberfest

Today's Oktoberfest Festival

Top Ten Tips to Polite German Etiquette

When traveling, one of my biggest fears is to offend the culture of the country I am visiting. I don’t want to follow the stereotypes of “a dumb American” or “a clueless tourist.” I want to blend into the society as much as I can. With that said, I want to share the top ten ways to polite German etiquette.

1.  Correct Address 

---  The correct address of a person’s title is the key to a good first impression. There is nothing worse than starting on the wrong foot!

- Herr (Mr.) or Frau (Ms.) + title + last name. Example, Frau Doktor Meier.
- “Du” is reserved for friends, family and younger people.
- “Sie” is used for strangers, casual acquaintances, business partners, and elders.

 2. Don’t be late 

---  Germans are very punctual and do not enjoy people who are “fashionably late.” Even if you are a few minutes late, they might be offended. Plan to arrive 5-10 minutes early to an appointment.

3.  Hand-Shaking 

---  Germans are great hand-shakers, so go ahead and give them a shake.

Reeperbahn District in Hamburg

Reeperbahn Street, Hamburg, Germany

Although I’m not keen on strip clubs or erotic theaters, I still must mention the Reeperbahn District, Hamburg’s most visited Hot Spot. It is Europe’s biggest red light district and is home to the legendary nightlife mile. I seem to be reminded again of New Orleans’ Bourbon Street, as I did with Dresden’s International Dixieland Festival. (On the right, I have two comparative photographs of the two cities.) The street transforms at night with bars, restaurants, cabarets and clubs popular for locals and travelers.

You might be wondering where its name came from. In the 18^th century, heavy hempen ropes, that were used for sailing ships, were produced on this very street. So, Reep translates to “heavy rope.”