The Trabi .

The Trabant or Trabi was the ultimate in the auto industry in the former DDR ! Waiting lists were long and once purchased a Trabi had a life span of approximately 28 years.Not due to great engineering , but rather a question of needs must ,make do and mend, and if you had smelled those 2 stroke fumes you would have thought the devil himself was driving .
According to statistics 3,096,099 Trabants were produced in 30 years. During this time no noteworthy changes were made.
I well recall the smog caused by the influx of these smelly vehicles. With the fall of the Berlin Wall, many were driven over and dumped as trash. Then a wave of nostalgia meant a few became collectors items . Others after much TLC have been used as ' Berlin experience items '.
For a fee you can rent a Trabi and drive around Berlin. However waiting seems to be the name of the game with these cars .
The picture is of a young man who had travelled especially from Zurich to try this mode of driving. Sadly the vehicle died on him and here you see him smiling at the irony whilst waiting for the man from the rental firm . It was made to cough and splutter back to life ... well enough to take back. I have a bike, there is the BVG and railnetwork but if engineering and odd cars happen to be your thing, plus you find yourself in Berlin then how about that for an adventure ? Seems the police were very good and helped out by moving the car off the road.

Viola Profonda --'The missing link '

Last night I was at a gathering with a difference . Food , drink , people, music were all present. So what you may ask was so special. Composers and friends of the Viola Profonda project gathered at "Cafe am Ufer" in Kreuzberg for an evening of music including a live presentation of the Viola Profonda. It was sensational.
Present was Bolivian composer, director and instrument-developer Gerardo Yañez . He certainly has created a masterpiece with this instrument .Look it up on line and see why I've referred to it as the missing link.
The American composer Daniel Leo Simpson was the very special guest and presented a work he has written especially for the instrument. The rich warm timbre was a joy to hear. The talent was amazing and ensured a programme of music including classical, flamenco, tango and Bolivian pipe music and so much more. Proof once again that multi culturism works.

Sleeping Beauty .

There was one shock on returning to Berlin . That most amazingly elegant tower , the Funkturm was not illuminated . Horror for yours truly . After four nights of no illumination I had to call and ask what was amiss. Above see the norm and what is for now.
The facts are that until mid September a massive cleaning and inspection etc is underway then all will be well and sleeping beauty will awake to bring light and elegance to the night sky of Berlin. Now that's something to look forward to .

Back In Berlin .

Some people adore their cars but I prefer bikes . Others frequent high class luxury stores but my superb outfits all come from Mode and Sparen at a fraction of the cost . Finally cuisine ... for many only such when at a top class restaurant...Give me Rogacki Berlin any day . Late on Monday I arrived back in Berlin somewhat shattered . After a visit to Mode and Sparen where it was a joy to meet and be greeted by familiar and friendly people I realized why 'Ich hab noch einen Koffer in Berlin ' The weather remained warm and sunny until today when it rained and rained true British style , terrific . In steady luke warm rain I cycled the city finishing my day at Rogacki where this delicious plate of fish soup ( 4.50E with a basket of bread) , saved having to cook this evening.
The magic of this city is that it gives you affordable choice plus you can be as hectic as you wish or as quiet . Friendliness is genuine but not at all invasive on privacy .
I love Berlin and feel it has adopted me as I have it .

Helena Vix Sings To Four Legged Groupies.

Hardly a star is born but the cows are a very appreciative audience ..... You tube is already kicking up a fuss re copright issue .
I am Helena and the pun with Vix is a sketch . As for the singing and added lyrics that's me , best i could do on the spot plus bike and camera .Hope it gives you a laugh . Let's face it we can never have enough of such .

Dishing The Dirt Murdoch Style -

To tap phones, pay for confidential information such as medical records and hack computers on a mega scale is not only disgusting it's criminal. The Murdoch 'Empire' is guilty of the lot yet they are walking free as indeed are all the small brained so called journalists who work for them .Shutting one paper will make not a jot of difference to these rogues .
The best way of dealing with Murdoch is never to buy his products. Not even fit for loo paper in an emergency . As for his other media concerns .Why not put him and Berlusconi together far away where they can leave the decent of this world in peace . Both these ignorant types use their money to wield power. Anyone who continues to read Murdoch filth is akin to those who get a thrill from lavatorial graffiti. Let Murdoch return to Australia and taint the air there .

Tour de France 9 July 2011

Yesterday I went to see the 8th stage of the Tour de France .The route was very close too where I've been staying so watch and film was a must . Having selected a suitable spot for a tripod all that was to be done was wait . First came 'The Caravan ' and with it a selection of little gifts from the various sponsors. Real fun . Then later helicopters,, a signal that the cyclists were approaching.
As one who rides a bike daily I have to say this is something else . These guys leave me in awe and having ridden a few hilly parts in this region I have respect plus .They are astonishing.
One of my gifts was a yellow Tour hat . Not my colour or style but never mind it served as a superb 'rain coat ' later for my camera.

The Wolves of Chabrieres.

 

Yesterday I went to a rather spectacular wildlife park.Set high in a forest it's home to many wolves, an endangered species, this place is proving successful at increasing the numbers within an environment is as close to the natural habitat as possible, It's well worth a visit and led me to further investigation on the internet. Britain has had no wolves since Henry Vlll. Germany now has a small group .France, Italy, Spain all have isolated groups with Poland being home to between 500--600 animals . Sadly in other Eastern countries a dead wolf still fetches a bounty .Later I'll upload a video of these elegant creatures to YouTube .
Should you be in France this park is well worth a visit :-
www.loups-chabrierers.com

Calling All Bird Watchers ....

Identify this bird for me ....please .

B Equals Brocante

 

The word brocante does have a somewhat nicer ring than fleamarket and this event at Issoudun had flair, style, plus a very relaxing atmosphere, rendered even more so by some exceptional wines ( of which BVFL enjoyed rather more than she should ) The goods on offer were excellent and my 'treasures' are to be be seen on the tray , also newly aquired . Add to these,but unseen, six delightful tumblers perfect for my place in Berlin and no prizes for guessing who was happy . There were some exceptional bikes on sale. One I really liked was a Peugeot folding model .You can see it in the collage . Temptation said to get it but instead I had more wine. Cheaper . The roasted suckling pig was not quite as wonderful to eat as it was to to be seen grilled but an experience . Not all goods were second hand . Handicrafts were a plenty as can be seen from the knitted toys .The straw hat with raspberry decoration was a snip at 5 euro . Who needs to be a millionaire ? I don't .

'Amazed' at Labyrinthe Geant De Gueret France

In French,the word labyrinthe means maze and today , for the first time in my life I went to such a place in Gueret. It was hot , very sunny , but a lot of fun which eradicated any fatigue .All in all , enjoyable .This little film is made up of stills .There is also a short HD video film. ( Only on YouTube ) The funny character above was a figure encountered next to a welcome bench . I rather liked Mr Cyclops....