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!

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. 

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.

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.

Friedrichstadt-Palast in Berlin

Berlin’s Hot Spot is Friedrichstadt-Palast. It is Europe’s biggest and most modern show palace with quite an interesting past. It opened in 1867 as Berlin’s first market hall. Then in 1873, it converted into a circus arena. After World War II, the abandoned building reopened, but had to close a few decades late due to the building’s unstable foundations. Finally in 1984, Berlin opened the doors to this spectacular new entertainment venue.

Top 3 German Cities

Fun fact: Germany is the 5^th most traveled to country in Europe and the 7^th more visited worldwide. It is one of the safest travel destinations worldwide.

The goal of this post is to give an introduction to three major cities in Germany I plan on visiting. I will be in Germany’s capital, Berlin, for two weeks attending a contemporary dance workshop at the State Ballet School of Berlin. I am looking forward to this exciting opportunity to explore a country I’ve never visited before and dance in a country I never have before. Following the program, I plan on traveling to several of Germany’s other great cities, including Munich and Cologne.

Berlin is the capital of Germany and indeed the largest of its cosmopolitan cities. Its population is close to 3.5 million and has become the center of politics, culture, media, and science of the country. It is the home of the renowned Berlin Opera and Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. The city’s most famous landmark is the Brandenburg Gate; it used to be a symbol of separation, but now the gate is the scene of artistic and cultural inspiration. I look forward to wandering the charming streets of Berlin and making feel like home for two weeks.