Christmas In Berlin

Although Christmas has never been my favourite festival I can report there is improvement ! Last year in Scotland was fun and this year seems set to be fine . Friday night found me at The Scotch and Sofa with a very cosmopolitan group .Then today after buying a new camera it was down to one of nicest Christmas Markets in Berlin. Held at the Gendarmenmarkt ,it really is beautiful . The choice of food was fantastic. Excellent entertainment too . Inspite of extremely cold weather these ballet dancers never even shivered . The flamenco was stunning . Perched on a table top it was impossible to avoid heads , heads and more heads . I've also found just what I want in place of a Christmas tree , but more of that later . Do note that the pictures are with my old camera . Next week will find me trying the new one .[fingers crossed ]

EU No Smoking Ban in Berlin

Today I was at Die Eins for a jazz brunch . One of the greatest spots to put on your 'places to go in Berlin' list-
Now when it comes to the EU smoking ban , Germany is not running true to world image . ie ) viewed as a law abiding people to a fault , this regulation has shown their weak spot . Many areas have revolted in a manner befitting the reputation of their French neighbours .
Quite a lot of places still permit smoking and actually advertise such - Others have upstairs rooms , outside tables . the variations are amazing . Die Eins has opted for hi tech sophistication.with this smoking chamber . Resembling an Internet booth it takes two people at a time . On entering, the smoker presses a switch , lights up and the offending fumes are extracted in a heavenly direction via a star trek type porthole . Here you see the brilliant drummer and vocalist Meinolf “Cookie” Saggel . Unaware of this gadget he had chosen to stand outside in the rain . Once informed he was in like a shot to try it . Reckon his smile says a lot for marks out of ten .
My own rating . Well as a none smoker I have to say it's a superb device and all are happy since it does work 100% . Upstairs rooms or partitioned places don't .

Lies --- The New Truth .?

The press is full of the story of the pair who gate crashed President Obama's state dinner. Reality TV is involved , claiming how the couple told them they had an official invitation . OK ..Why didn't TV do some checking ? It seems all the blame is being placed on security .
Reality TV is anything but reality .Cheap to produce ,it consists of wannabees doing anything to get their small trashy , fabricated moment of 'fame'.
One fictitious mess spawns another as the those who suffer from 'copycat syndrome' sadly sit glued to the box seeking what, for them passes as inspiration. The liars go unpunished .Indeed they are glamorized ..and so the great big wheel keeps turning .
Is this what society has sunk to ? My post will carry no image of these two creepy social criminals . If you think I'm being hard , think about how much security we already have in our lives . Stunts such as this only serve to increase it.

Good News For The World .

At times it seems the news is all bad . Then,as if to show there's hope , all be it seldom ,we get a great item . On coming home late last night and logging on ,there it was ...... No Tony Bliar [Blair as EU President ] , no Milliband as EU Foreign Affairs Minister . Cause indeed to celebrate .So called a friend, had a glass of port and lemon ,played Dr Feelgood's Hog For You Baby . Truly I was happy as can be .

One had to note how very widespead contempt for Bliar is.

Tony you may well perceive yourself as a presidential god , most see you for what you really are .

First beaten by a rare species of protected bat and the now the EU .

ps) it dawned on me today why G W Bush liked you . As the world knows ,this guy has THE LAZY HUNGRY CATERPILLAR as his number one read ..

Well hunger for power knows no limits with you and just let's think of how a caterpillar moves !

From Barcelona to Berlin.

What a fabulous Sunday this has been .Colourful too in a strange sort of way . The Yorkschlösschen in Kreuzberg was a 'must', as Acki Hoffman and Friends were playing there . These guys have your feet tapping with each number .Plus I was the recipient of a yet another snowdome from Acki .Here you see us with the little treasure from Barcelona . If anyone wonders as to why I am muffled in my coat , read on ... A waitress carrying a full tray of drinks tripped and one very large glass of red went all over yours truly .This resulted in my having to take my top off , rinse it well and hang on the radiators . Now OK, lovely as my lingerie may be I decided to cover up . It was hilarious and much later with a special rendition of Ain't She Sweet I was able to don a dry piece of clothing . Some talk of red letter days. Mine was 'red wine and snowdome. ' Lovely . Hence after this final piece I rocked and rolled all the way home ...... Apologies for my duff cam and mic

Stupidity of Another Kind

ALISTAIR

DARLING

A man that brains and honesty forgot . Yes the dreary little puppet of Gordon Brown's , still holds office in spite of his many notorious expenses claims coupled with tax evasion .[read Daily Telegraph revelations ]
Each time this specimen opens his mouth with yet another idea for financial recovery , global warming , you name it ,the pound sinks further !
You have to laugh ,as we the tax paying public foot another lush ,and oh so grand gathering of the greedy G20 , every syllable uttered by this fool is like some nuclear fall out ...DANGEROUS .
Ever tried using sellotape Darling -- on your mouth ?
Once more I ask why was this bunfight not done via video conferencing ?

Just Who Is Stupid ?

We seem surrounded by prophets of doom these days. All bent on informing us that our days are numbered and we are guilty . Not they .. merely us .
Take the Green Party. If I could ,I would,only to leave them somewhere extremely untamed .Let's see how well they'd do minus all their creature comforts ! Then how about a tour round the house of Al Gore ,noting if he puts into practice that which he preaches . As for Franny Armstrong ... what a joke she is . Has the gall to condemn air travel yet , deems it as being OK for herself to get from A to B promoting her dictates.
Their whole mission is a farce . One in which over population is never mentioned .There is never so much as a whisper about China's increasing daily pollution . Not a word about the third world factories spilling chemicals into the water table whilst at the same time spewing toxic gas into the air .
The latest joke is to take place in Denmark .Yes, in December UN delegates will meet in Copenhagen to discuss what can be done . Question ) how will they get there ? Answer ) By air .
Why I ask in these days of amazing telecommunications is this necessary ? A video conference would save so much fuel , so much money .Ah, but what then the free luxury beanfeast , the
hotels , etc etc .The wives out for a shopping trip and gala ball.
I for one am weary of footing the bill for these types and then being made to pay even more tax on any air ticket I choose to purchase . In the following words ..IT'S A RIP OFF .
The world climate has changed ever since time began .
Continents have shifted ,and will ,over many years continue to do so .There are things we can do to have a clean planet.
Are all governments banning nuclear tests ?
Are all governments insisting that there are no oil spillages by the use of rust bucket ships ?
Are all rain forests truly left in tact and protected .
Are firms banned from sending spam advertising mail through regular postal systems ?
The list is endless. And all answers are NO
Who is stupid ? Well as I see it we are for accepting these dictates of pay up or else on an annual holiday . At the same time the likes of Franny Armstrong are for expecting us to take her oh so seriously .
Until all G8 ,G 20 and UN can work debating using video conferencing ,minus a financed super luxury freebie,I for one say. Sorry guys, I'm neither green nor am I cabbage looking in spite of my headgear in this picture .

B A T S

Born Again , Back Again To Sin ! BVFL.

On the Eve of All Hallows ,

Somewhere deep in France .

A creature so sombre all dressed in black ,

Decided Miss V had better come back

With a flash of light and the blood of live mice,

His strange incantations rang through the night ,

Then who should appear from webs spun so thick.

But Berlin's Foxy Lady...How's that for magic ?

The Final Curtain

It's been fun writing as BVFL but now the time has arrived to say " Good bye ".
Let's hope one day , all in this world will learn to be kind to each other and we'll see an end to the rewarding of corruption .
Where I'll go and what comes next , who can say .

THE END

Aint She Sweet,Got Blue Plastic On Her Feet .

Miss Vixen as you have never seen her . Not wearing her furs or the latest from Mode und Sparen,but protective gear which had to be worn to enter a room left in a real unhealthy mess by some German workman . Even with this outfit I can honestly say it wasn't a pleasant experience .
When will this problem be resolved via legal process.? No point in saying "watch this space", as I calculate it will be many postings before that occurs .
So for the time being this is Star Wars Vixen off to gather her photographic evidence of the worst work I have ever set eyes on !

Heidelberg,Worms ,Frankfurt, Mannheim, Speyer ,Mainze

The last ten days have been spent in Darmstadt . Not exactly a large German city , but a friendly one. An amazing German rail system coupled with Vodafone UMTS enabled me to set out each day [plus small notebook] to get work done and explore various towns and cities .

These were :-

Heidelberg , Worms ,Frankfurt , Mannheim , Speyer , Mainze .

Heidelberg situated on the River Neckar is delightful and clearly a tourist haven .With its castle ,old town and river ,this is a place which draws you back .

Worms [pronounced vorms ] is small ,pleasant with an impressive cathedral .The day we went there was a choral organ concert and one could but marvel at the acoustics .

Frankfurt , standing on the River Main is a business city.One feature I do like about this city is the extremely modern architecture . There is also a small Alt Stadt.

Mannheim is a city which had to be more or less rebuilt after WW 2 and a grid system was used .There remains a fascinating water tower ,a beautiful Jesuit Church and a very old palace

There is also has a truly superb ice cream shop. Fontanella . Look up http://www.eisfontanella.de/ In my jargon a place such as this is a 'hot spot' .Really great ice cream is a find and make it .

Speyer built along the Rhine is small but very pretty . It's an Alt Stadt with lots of cafes , churches, museums and shops . I made several lovely purchases here.

Finally Mainze built on the Rhine .This was /is my favourite . The cathedral is astonishing and the old town sensational. Food is wonderful ,reasonably priced and well served . Shops are tasteful and display quality goods . Guess who can't wait to revisit ?

I saw so much in each place and would advise any visitors to Germany to forget the A train... Just take DBahn .

Top Row L-R
Above the roof tops of Frankfurt / Commerce Area /Bridge into Worms / Heidelberg Castle.

Mid Row L-R

River Neckar /Water Tower Mannheim /Jesuit Church Mannheim/ St Josephs Speyer.

Bottom Row L-R

Speyer Cathedral /Old City Mainze / Mainze Cathedral / Above roof tops of Frankfurt .

Seen In The London Scene.

Yesterday I got up at 4:15 am in order to get ready and take the first BA flight to London.
Not my favourite city but well worth it to spend a day with a friend who used to work here .
We had a terrific time catching up on news , latest in books read etc etc . People watching , eating and drinking . At my request she kept me well away from Downing Street and Parliament .
The collage shows our 1st watering hole , a street show in Covent Garden , one of many fountains , Piccadilly Circus , a view of Parliament ,then inside a super Doc Martins shop .
The solo picture was also taken in this shop .I couldn't resist it. Born in Manchester and a lover of double meanings this appealed to my wicked side . British Airways may have lost their edge , terminal five is a nightmare, UK security checks are administered by 'fish wife ' types who bawl and shout ,BUT for friendship , fun and so much laughter ,all of these horrors were bearable.

note:- not only did I walk miles in my new boots , I was given another snowdome as a present !

IFA Berlin 2009

IFA is a huge exhibition for the latest in consumer electronics . Maybe ,but for me IFA stands for ,' International Fun Always' . This afternoon [ the last day ] I went and had the time of my life . Impossible to see everything, yet I packed a lot in and even had a go at the Vodafone Air Guitar competition . Vodafone made their own film which is on You Tube .A member of the staff made these using my little camera . Letting your hair down , not to mention kicking your legs up is extremely good for one .... why not try it.







One note to US viewers .
In my 20's I was hit by a driver. All these very lively limbs were smashed and the prospect bad . The amazing health service of UK put me together and to this day I give thanks for that . My mother was a recent widow ,and I a student yet the best Orthopaedic Specialist in the North West of England saw to me . President Obama is right and for those who say he is wrong take note.

New Boots , New Jazz Season.

A new month and we move into a new season . As luck would have it I found the very pair of boots I've been looking for . Then to start Die Kleine Weltlaterne season, who else but Otto Hamborg and the Viertakter. They really got things moving with a programme of Barock to Rock 'n' Roll.

Today I saw this amazingly tall man and wondered how he would look in boots .[ a lot of leather would be needed ]

Finally how about this guy's job ? Coming up the escalator in Karstadt Store what should I see but a lady being painted ! Totally naked save for her chic knickers she stood ín public as the artist did his work .

Never a dull moment . Note ] today the smell of Autumn was in the air .It made me feel almost drunk with joy . A colourful season which I for one love .

Wild West ? No ,Western Berlin

It isn't every day that you come across a group of cowboys standing outside a drinks establishment. So lucky that I always have a camera with me . Here's the proof .A great bunch of guys they explained how they were having a days ride around the city . Each owned a horse so all was possible . Getränke Hoffmann on Kaiserdamm was their watering hole . Minus a horse I may be, but I did have my trusty bike .

Germany, USA, Ancient Greece, Egypt--- in one day !

Saturday was Ruddesheimer Platz Festival .A terrific event with so much to see and do that one had to make choices . For us it was the US Air Force Band Check Six. Glenn Miller really began a tradition of great music and it's good to see today. The stage show was compared by the man you see in costume 'Echensteher Nante' see his web page www.nante.de He managed so much with such humour. Quite a guy. Then followed a fashion show to promote Oxfam ."So what," you folks in UK may say. There you have charity shops galore on each street . In Germany the concept is relatively new .I worked for a while at one and had a lot of fun. Now this is not yours truly getting wed .It was the surprise finale of the show and wow what a dress. 'Almost' had me wanting to try it on . Instead a friend bought me a delicate black shawl. It's beautiful. Then a surprise as we were given tickets for the Long Night Of The Museums . This astonishing event held twice a year, runs like clockwork . There are so many fabulous galleries , museums , studios etc it could take a life time . Photography [minus flash ] was permitted .Here you see Aphrodite , then the head of Nefertite and a truly ancient coffin . Could be used as a bath during ones life. Economical. There was glorious music in the Berliner Dom and outside a light show with the music broadcast to give extra effect . The shows went on all over the city until the early hours but at gone 1 am it was a very tired Miss V who stumbled into her bedroom after such a lot of 'cultural travel'

"12th IAAF World Championships Athletics Berlin 2009"

Last night was wonderful . Watching some of the worlds 'greatest' athletes in the Berlin Olympic Stadium was magical.

Here are two short videos . Not RTL standard, but they catch the atmosphere . One is a part of the 3000 metres Steeplechase won by EZEKIEL KEMBOI of Kenya . Fantastic to see. The other is of PHILLIPS IDOWU from Britain doing a lap of honour having won the Mens Triplejump . The stills show SANYA RICHARDS of the USA doing her lap of honour after creating a new world record for the Women's 400metres and an ecstatic STEFFI NERIUS for Germany .She is now the world champion for Women's javelin throw .

Then last but not least you see Berlino ,the mascot ,who one could safely say , is a winner every day.

Frankfurt Oder and Back to Berlin.

On Sunday I travelled to Frankfurt Oder with bike and the train . On arrival the temperature was 31°c and shade where ever possible , a must . The top row shows the German side of the Oder , with food as usual, served in vast quantities .Note , not only was it impossible to finish my lovely meal at the Ratskellar , it was mission impossible for this icecreamholic to even consider 30 scoops plus cream etc . The centre row shows Slubice in Poland and Frankfurt Oder viewed from there . On the return journey the train was packed with cycles giving one the impression of being in travelling cycle store . As some landmarks of Berlin came into view it felt good .. there would be a shower, a coffee , not to mention a chance to throw off all clothes and relax . Paradise .

Daramsala --- Berlin.

On the 17th August 2007 a very special armband was lost in Leipzig.( see the post for that date )

This led to my knowing a really exceptional young lady in Daramsala. We became regular email contacts then, actually met for the first time this summer in Frankfurt. Later she and her colleague were able to visit Berlin and stay with me. Action packed is an understatement and it was a very tearful farewell when we said goodbye . They gave me these beautiful gifts as a token of their friendship. The workmanship is astonishing and all is done by hand . I had stayed with a friend in Frankfurt and they too were presented with a gift . Should you ever require a special gift then go to http://www.norbulingka.org/ Online ordering is possible.

As we stood on the railway platform , each of my visitors took out the finest woven white scarf. These were placed around my neck and loosely tied . This it seems is how Tibetans say goodbye and thank you . I shall never forget the effect of that simple yet graceful custom . Now one question , "how do I say thank you to that hornet ?" Without him or her I may never have known such amazing people . Quite a thought .

The Dalai Lama in Frankfurt 2009

Last Tuesday I arrived late at night in Darmstadt . For those who haven’t a clue where this is, let me put you in the picture .It’s a small town /city outside Frankfurt am Main ..not far from Heidelberg and very close to what is known as Burg Frankenstein Castle. Yes you have read that correctly.
A Buddhist I’m not ,but it’s a faith which I respect . In my opinion HH the Dalai Lama is the worlds greatest spiritual leader, his respect being equal for all humans and all beliefs. Furthermore he is one who speaks truth seasoned with a lot of common sense. Something seldom experienced these days.
Thus when a good acquaintance said that I was welcome to stay with them for the duration of this huge event staged in the Frankfurt Commerz Arena , I accepted their hospitality. Why ?
I have a Tibetan contact . Like so many she lives in exile and works at the Norbulingka Institute. [see links Tibetans in exile ] Via the wonders of cyberspace we are best described as email friends .She and a colleague came all the way from India, hence cyber became reality and I was able to help them.
The weather was scorching and extremely humid but meeting up and working together proved terrific fun. We had lots of laughs , I met many interesting people. In the Asian exhibition virtually all countries were represented .
My day was not as long as my friends and it was a very exhausted Miss V who almost ‘fell off the train ‘ in Darmstadt each night .
Am I glad that I went ? YES , YES a thousand times YES but for now it’s back home and prepare to be their hostess and tour guide for a few days in the magic capital of Germany --- Berlin.

Note) I choose to live in Germany . My home country was not invaded and taken over. If you are reading this I hope the same can be said for you .
Yet to this date over 6 million Tibetans live under a Chinese dictatorship in their own country which is Tibet not China . Not only is their culture and language being eradicated , they are marginalized and minus freedom to worship .
The UN says nothing ,does nothing and why … because money is the God most revere and crossing the Chinese could result in lost contracts. “ So what... do we really need Chinese rubbish goods ?” Most of all can we really stand by and watch a dictatorship abusing human rights without saying a word ? UN representatives , EU members of parliament , indeed all politicians are working for us . They are well paid so let’s see them earn their money.

FREE TIBET .

Let me leave you with a wonderful quotation from HH Dalai Lama . True for all and in light of the new greed for wealth , even more so.
"Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive."
Dalai Lama.