You are currently browsing the archives for September, 2009.
…at least if you go by the calendar, and nature’s little hints. In reality, of course, the weather is still way too hot, kids are still on holiday (until the 28th!!), and winter clothes will remain hidden in the back of the closet for quite a while longer.
Last Monday I had a day off in exchange for the Sunday. I’ll be honest: I love being off on Mondays far more than I worry about working on Sunday – if only the duty manager shift was a little shorter. I had a good lie-in until 10.30 am, went out for “breakfast” with hubby (who was off, too, hurray!) in Marsalforn at noon and generally let the day just slide by at its leisure. Really needed that for a change, and enjoyed it immensely!
A few random end-of-summer shots that I took on Monday:
School has no importance yet!
Deceptive clouds... just for show!
Lovely sight, regardless
Lapping up the sunshine
Herald of autumn
My favourite element I
My favourite element II
Posted on September 16, 2009 - 7:16 pm. Add a comment
These were more or less shot “from the hip” last Tuesday night in Marsalforn, when one of the fishermen drew a little crowd that was keen to see – and buy – his catch of the day. The photos are certainly no masterpieces. Nonetheless, I quite like the atmosphere they convey.
Posted on September 12, 2009 - 11:44 am. 3 comments
This is not a paid advert – just taking the liberty to give a little plug to my place of work. 
If you are planning to pay the little rock of Gozo a visit in autumn, which is one of the most beautiful times of the year - you could do worse than taking up the special offer of the Kempinski Hotel San Lawrenz! But you’d need to hurry, because this is available today only:
All online bookings made today for stays between 5th and 8th October or 19th and 22nd October will benefit from 4-star prices: you pay just EUR 99 per night for a Deluxe Poolview Room for 2 persons and including breakfast! Don’t phone: the offer is exclusively available through our online booking engine. You can book here. Obviously this is subject to availability, so if you’ve made up your mind, don’t leave booking until minutes before midnight…
You might want to consider that breakfast at the Kempinski is as good as lunch elsewhere, and in the unlikely event that the weather won’t oblige, you will love the heated indoor pool, the use of which is naturally free of charge for hotel guests. Using the gym, tennis & squash courts – and obviously the outdoor pools – is also free!
Deluxe Poolview Room at the Kempinski Hotel San Lawrenz - which can be yours for EUR99 per night in October!
Who knows, maybe we’ll meet next month?
Finally a proper downpour… though the heavens came down on me with a vengeance, waiting for me to leave the safety of the office before emptying not buckets but rather containers on me. I practically drove home blindly, the wipers not able to keep up with the floods.
Church Street, too, was unable to cope – but then, it never was, so no surprises here!
Welcome to Church River, Gharb, Gozo (and that's part of the EU, would you believe that?!)
But it’s raining, that’s worth something!! 
Posted on September 9, 2009 - 6:52 pm. 2 comments
Our last full day was uneventful. We took our sweet time for breakfast (if you ever stay at the Adlon, the worst that can happen to you is having to hurry at breakfast time!!), did a little more shopping and visited my dad in his garden, where he lives during the summer. A last dinner at a very good Italian restaurant – bummer I forgot its name – and our Berlin trip was over and done with.
Hubby in my dad's garden
Flower Power I
Flower Power II
Flower Power III
Flower Power IV
Resident frog in my dad's pond
Befittingly, it was raining the next morning; Berlin seemed to be crying because we left… I’m saying that because I felt like crying over our departure.
at the airport
Rain!
Time to leave
Last glimpse
Each time I’m a little sadder when I leave. Probably the age. Maybe I’m really fed up living on this rock. There was a time when I hated Berlin, but in recent years none of that is left. To the contrary, I think I really love the city that used to be home so long ago. Well, it’s too late now…
Posted on September 8, 2009 - 1:21 pm. 3 comments
Friday was D-Day; the reason for this trip. My little sister finally tied the knot! To mention that weather forecast again: Heavy rainfall was predicted – and didn’t materialise, once again. As a matter of fact it was a very beautiful day, just perfect for getting married!
Family is gathering for the big event
The beautiful bride...
...and her ring!
We did it!
The wedding coach, lovingly decorated by my niece
My niece - the bride's daughter - very happy because she caught the bridal bouquet!
She didn't expect this to happen LOL!
The occasion calls for bubbly!
The occasion calls for bubbly!
Yours truly, in the smokers' area... (can't believe I'm not smoking on this pic!!)
Shortly after, the wedding party set off – in three cars – to a secret place about 100 km from Berlin, to celebrate in style. At the start, we drove in a convoy, which is a difficult thing to do in Berlin. After the third traffic light we split apart. However, my dad was supposed to be in the know about the destination, so we weren’t too worried.
On the autobahn
We drove about a hundred kilometres, when it suddenly dawned on my dad that we might not be on the right highway because we should have almost arrived by then… So he phoned my sister and they worked out together where we were supposed to be going. The line got interrupted but things had been cleared up. As he drove off the parking place my sister called back on my mobile to ascertain that in fact everything was clear… Meanwhile the exit from the highway came so surprisingly quickly for my dad, that he went into the curve with way too much speed – and while were still chatting, I saw us dashing into the crash barrier…
None of us got seriously hurt. My souvenir consists of interesting looking marks on my neck, where the seat-belt pressed on my pearl necklace, and a little ugly abrasion on one elbow. I shudder when I think about what would have happened without that crash barrier in place… I know it’s futile to talk like that afterwards, but I can’t help it. The very first thought I had when I realised what was about to happen, was that I had no ID on me… Morbid, I know. Sorry.
The end of our afternoon outing, waiting for the tow truck...
...which arrived amazingly quickly
2 hours later, back in Berlin
The tow truck took us back to Berlin, straight to the Ford garage where my father – unbelievably – immediately hired a car! Although the damage doesn’t look that bad, the cost for repairs was initially estimated at around € 6,000 – a proper estimate was to follow, of course (I don’t know the outcome of that yet). But my dad reckons it’s time for a new one.
Having sufficiently recovered from the shock, we went to the restaurant where the wedding party met for dinner. And the day ended how you’d expect it of a wedding day!
Father & daughter bridging the time until the others arrived
Table decoration at the restaurant
The menu
The dessert - *SIGH*
All is well that ends well: 3 generations of the Alpert family!
When we left just before midnight, it actually was raining… Instead of having my dad cross the city in that weather and with an unfamiliar car, we had him drop us at a nearby S-Bahn station and went by train – which was a breeze once the 20 minute wait was over!
S-Bahn
Coming out of the Reichstag Building and strolling towards Potsdamer Platz… (we urgently needed to eat at that point!!)
So many trees in Berlin...
A traditional street light - they are found everywhere in Berlin
A typical city street view
Potsdamer Platz & Sony Centre
Once a neglected no-man’s-land between East and West Berlin it became the city’s largest construction site after the wall came down. Nowadays it’s buzzing with life, day and night!
On the way to Potsdamer Platz
DB Building at Potsdamer Platz (head quarters of the Deutsche Bahn)
First glimpse of the Sony Centre
The Sony Centre's ceiling...
...in differently coloured light
Finally, sitting down to eat. I was as tired as I look... it had been a hell of a day!
Aaaah, but little did I know about the real meaning of a hell of a day… to be continued!
The Reichstag’s Cupola
Without a doubt the biggest crowdpuller of the Reichstag is its modern dome, also called cupola. The queues of people wanting in can be daunting; we were quite lucky, our wait was only about 45 minutes. When I went there last a few years ago, it was longer than that – and bitterly cold. Still, it is worth the wait!
Apart from offering spectacular views, it also serves a number of energy-efficient purposes, such as the mirrors on the huge cone directing light into the plenary hall down-below, collection of rainwater (the cupola is open at the top) and ventilation of the plenary hall.
The cupola is a feast for the eyes, so I’ll let the photos speak for themselves:
The cupola of the Reichstag Building
The cupola of the Reichstag Building - the mirrors on the cone direct light into the plenary hall down-below (and provide for photo ops with a difference - you can see us standing right at the top!)
Mirror, mirror on the wall...
A comfortably slanted walkway leads up to the top - and a separate one down again (that's George in the centre, by the way...)
Looks like a spinning top, doesn't it? Under those glass panes lies the plenary chamber.
Reichstag cupola detail
Those walkways again...
At the bottom of the cupola
The cone & walkway... every visitor has that pic I guess!!
I'm running out of captions...
An abstract view on things - I love it!
At the top of the cupola!
Exhaustion is taking over!
The roof, which is open for ventilation and collection of rain water
View on Tiergarten - the largest green area in Berlin's city centre, with Victory Column & Funkturm (radio tower) in the background
View towards Alexander Platz with TV tower (nicknamed "Alex")
View towards Potsdamer Platz & Sony Centre
Brandenburg Gate with American Embassy in the background
The sunset from atop the Reichstag Building
The setting sun reflecting in the Reichstag Building's cupola
Posted on - 11:13 am. 3 comments
After an extremely good breakfast, the second day was dedicated to shopping and sightseeing. Getting around in Berlin is a breeze with the U- and S-Bahn system – once you know your way around, that is! You can spend a lot of time deciphering the public transport map, but then, you’re on holiday, so what!
S-Bahn station Brandenburger Tor, with TV tower ("Alex") on Alexanderplatz in the background
The original name of the station by the hotel - it is now called 'Brandenburger Tor'
My favourite means of transport: the S-Bahn
Kurfürstendamm – or Ku’damm for short
Kurfürstendamm (or Ku'damm): a great place for shopping and people-watching!
A tourist's staple shot: Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church
Do you see that great blue sky? Although the weather forecast had promised us four days of rain, we hardly ever saw any. On this particular day it had rained in the morning, but as soon as we left the shops, it cleared up. Temperatures were always around 20-22°C – what a relief after the Gozo heat!
Detail of Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church
Detail of Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church
I wasn't the only one who needed a coffee after the first shopping spree!
Brandenburg Gate
The Hotel Adlon Kempinski is situated right by the Brandenburg Gate, very convenient for sightseing!
A tourist...
Brandenburg Gate
Brandenburg Gate
The Quadriga on top of the Brandenburg Gate
Russian & American soldiers side by side - a bit of a touristy gimmick symbolising the city's splitting into two
Reichstag Building (seat of Germany’s parliament)
A few minutes on foot from the Brandenburg Gate you find another visitors’ staple, the Reichstag Building. Built from 1884-1894, it had a long and turbulent history before becoming, once again, the seat of the German parliament in 1999, nine years after the reunification of Germany and four years after extensive restoration works began.
Reichstag Building
Dem deutschen Volke - To the German people
Reichstag Building - Detail
Platz der Republic - Republic Square) in front of the Reichstag Building
self-explanatory...
Too many pictures for one post… In my next post I’ll show off the inside of the Reichstag, its famous cupola.
I wasn't the only one who needed a coffee after the first shopping spree!
Departure from Gozo
So long anticipated and over in a hurry already… Having left Gozo in the blazing noonday sun last Wednesday, we arrived in Berlin’s soothingly cool weather just before 7 pm. The actual journey takes just about 3 hours; the rest is pure waste of time, just because you live in Gozo!
First smoke after arriving...
My sister and her then almost husband chauffeured us to the Adlon Kempinski – and I’ll be damned, I didn’t take a photo of it!! Inside no photos were allowed… probably to protect the privacy of all the hot shots staying there, be it politicians, CEO’s, actors or whatever. The Adlon is every bit as luxurious as you’d expect. There is a German adage that says vornehm geht die Welt zugrunde (“there’s nothing like going out in style”) which seems to have been coined right there. I loved it, though LOL! We had a superior deluxe room – an upgrade that we very much appreciated. All the more so when we realised that it was the weekend of the Internationale Funkausstellung, an annual mega electronics exhibition that usually causes Berlin to burst at the seams. I am indeed surprised that they accepted my staff booking in the first place – on the weekend of our stay the hotel was actually overbooked! So, a big thank you to the Adlon for having us!!
My only quibble was with the internet access, which I thought was outrageously overpriced at €12 per hour or €22 per day – when I chose the latter option on one occasion, I still didn’t manage to get much more out of it than an hour because we were hardly ever at the hotel!
View from our room at the Adlon: the Reichstag building
Superior deluxe room at the Adlon Kempinski
The fabulous bathroom *sigh*
We were allowed half an hour to change before we took off with my sister to have dinner at a cosy eatery, specialising in South American cuisine, located in some side street of the Ku’Damm. And in a blink, the first day was over and done with!
Dinner
