Category Archives: Life in Berlin while Covid lingers

This and that about life in Berlin, and with Max, while people act as if the pandemic has gone away, which results in rising numbers again

Life in Berlin while Covid lingers

Tomorrow is New Year’s Eve

30/12/2021 Helle Møller

It is raining, so people might hold off on the fireworks tonight, so that Max – and, by extension, I – can get some sleep (unlike last night).

Berlin, in its usual half-hearted, half-brained and half-assed fashion, has banned – wait for it – the sales (not the use) of fireworks, and only from about 18 December or so. Laughable. And typical Berlin. “In order to protect the emergency and health care services”…

If they were serious about this, they would ban the PRODUCTION, SALES AND USE of the types of fireworks that are only designed to a) make one hell of a noise and scare the shit out of the many citizens with trauma from the life they have recently escaped, of many pets, especially dogs, and of all wildlife in any kind of proximity to the city, and b) take people’s eyes out and separate various limbs from the bodies of idiots too ignorant/stupid/drunk to know how to handle them. For the whole year and forever after.

And let people enjoy the fireworks that do not make much noise but are nice to look at on this one evening of the year.

By the way, I had always heard that dogs that are afraid of fireworks don’t really care whether you are there or not, they just want to be able to crawl underneath something, like a bed for example, but that is not true. All last night, Max demanded my attention all the time and refused to be in any other room than the one I was in – even in my bedroom although he has been trained to never sleep there. If I shut any doors, he would scrape at them and whine (and he has never behaved that way before) until I gave in and tried to find a way for him to settle down, which finally happened at about 3 AM.

Anyway, since for the second year running I can’t have the usual crowd over for a Silvester party, I am going to be a complete glutton and have started preparing the other duck bought through a friend of a friend, this time I am using this recipe.

Life in Berlin while Covid lingers

Two videos of Max (consider yourself warned) from two very quiet public holidays

25/12/2021 Helle Møller

– as quiet as they get in Berlin – several museums and exhibition places are open today, and tomorrow there will be more signs that things are getting back to normal.

Yesterday (24 December), the weather was dark and sleety, which Max hates, so I had to drag him out the door for a couple of very short walks. I do have three coats for him, but he refuses to move no matter which one I put on him.

Also yesterday, this toy arrived – no, that was not intentional – do I come across as someone who would give a dog a Christmas present? I don’t even buy any presents for any human I know. It is a lucky coincidence that Max is an atheist like me. It was recommended to me to get something which has a battery-driven thing inside it which makes it sound like a heartbeat. It does not work, at least not on Max. It seems to irritate the sh.. out of him when the thing is switched on (here is how he treats it). When it is switched off, he completely ignores it.

Today, the weather is the opposite of yesterday, with sun and that blue winter sky. I had recently become aware that there is a dog enclosure in Volkspark Friedrichshain, which is within walking distance, so off we went. It is not a very nice dog park, but the dogs don’t care, do they, as long as they can run off leash and sniff each others’ butts. Here is today’s route on MapmyWalk.

I did notice Max shivering from the cold a couple of times yesterday. Earlier on I had tried to make him wear a coat, but he refused to move, so I had decided that that would be one of the issues to work on with a new trainer, Sabine, from Instinkt & Intuition, but on 26 December, the weather was every bit as glorious as the day before, but even more frosty, so I dropped the idea of walking to Tempelhof and back in those temperatures and instead give the coat training another try. This would require several short walks instead, and it actually went quite well, so there is hope (but we would definitely not have made it all the way to Tempelhof without drama).

Favourite recipes, Life in Berlin while Covid lingers

This and that and polenta with chestnut and mushroom ragout

22/12/2021 Helle Møller

Finally geboostert, as they say around here.

This time, I did not want to be caught unawares with insufficient clothing for queueing up outdoors for hours at the mercy of the elements, so I dressed as for bivouaking on the North Pole, including boots of a model sort of the last stop before moon boots, and armed myself with an extra shawl and some hot, spiced tea. So the queue was inside a well-heated shopping mall ….. I thought I was going to melt and was glad the whole thing went unexpectedly quickly.

In the meantime, in the name of “things I can photograph without leaving home”, I took these:

So now I can focus on the quiet time coming up. A non-believer, Christmas means nothing to me (other than an excuse for some good food and wine :-)), and since I moved to Berlin, every 24 December I have either had a few friends over for a “this is NOT Christmas dinner” dinner or I have eaten in a restaurant with one or two friends. This time, for the second time, like for just about everybody else, will be different. I guess this year I could have had a couple of people round, or even gone out, but with omicron looming, and only receiving the third vaccination on 22 December, I decided against it.

That means again a whole duck to myself, which means leftovers for several days. Yaay. I have to make life easy for myself for the next three weeks. My dog walker is going on holiday, so for fifteen days, Max’s exercise regime will be my responsibility and mine only 🙂 – seven days a week instead of five. And no public transport till 5 January (i.e. two weeks after my third vaccination) – or even longer if the omicron situation gets out of control, so we will be visiting all the same-old-same-old dog parks within walking distance.

Anyway, where was I – I love duck and can eat it any time of year. For the third year, it is a bird acquired via a friend of a friend, that has had a happy bio-upbringing somewhere in Brandenburg. I will roast it this way.

(I actually bought two ducks and will cook the other one this way some time during the winter).

To accompany it, I will try a recipe which can also easily serve as a meatless dinner in its own right:

600 g mushrooms (the original recipe calls for mixed mushrooms, cleaned, trimmed and halved or quartered but this time I will probably just use dried shiitake)
2 red onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
200 g chestnuts (prepared, vacuum packed)
Marjoram
125 ml white wine
250 ml cream (I am using sour cream – I am not fan of cream at all, actually find it a bit disgusting, especially in savoury dishes)
1 l vegetable stock
2 tblsp cashew butter
1 tsp thyme
150 g polenta
2 tblsp sugar
50 g hazelnuts, lightly roasted.
2 tblsp olive oil
50 g parmesan

Polenta: Bring 700 ml stock to the boil. Add thyme and one garlic clove. Stir in polenta, salt and pepper and mix well. Take off the heat, cover and leave to rest for ten minutes.

Ragout: Fry onion, the other garlic clove and chestnuts briefly, add mushrooms and sautée on medium heat for five minutes. Season with salt, pepper and marjoram. Add white wine, stir, then cream and 300 ml stock. Simmer for a couple of minutes, then stir in cashew butter. Keep warm.

Back to the polenta: Stir in the olive oil, whisk, and add water if needed. Serve with the ragout, hazelnuts, and grated parmesan.

And perhaps a variation of this as a side:

https://www.olivemagazine.com/recipes/quick-and-easy/sprouts-with-ginger-and-orange/

Life in Berlin while Covid lingers

Really? I am “living in fear”?

15/12/2021 Helle Møller

……. and if yes – why do they say that like it’s a bad thing?

One of the most annoying expressions that has come to fame in the last couple of years, and that I have been tired of right from the beginning is “living in fear”, “I refuse to live in fear” (and the derivative: being asked “are you afraid right now?”).

I am doing what I can to avoid catching Covid19 (or any other disease for that matter, since – largely thanks to the anti-vaxxers ((who funnily enough suddenly believe in science when they need a hospital bed and life-saving treatment)) the health care systems are overwhelmed and don’t have the capacity to deal properly with anything other than Corona patients) – does that mean I am living in fear?

I also look left, right, and left again before crossing the street. Does that mean I am living in fear?

Life in Berlin while Covid lingers

Update on Max, for my own records and for those who might still be following him in his new life

14/12/2021 Helle Møller

As described in a previous post, I was off to the North Sea Island of Amrum last week, and Max went to dog holiday camp with Lucky Dog Berlin. I am very happy with his stay there. They sent me a video showing how he was out exploring, off leash, together with a handful of other dogs of all shapes and sizes, looking content. I am sure he has had loads of exercise in mostly car-free areas.

Yesterday, as I picked him up in Grunewald, he staged the usual “reunion” scene (like after his walks with Frank, and when he has been home alone for a couple of hours), just worse, of jumping, barking, howling , whining, and clinging to me, and when we started walking towards the bus stop, he kept pulling and sniffing like crazy. After a few minutes on the bus, he became anxious and unruly, much more than normally, again whining and barking and generally behaving a little like a wild horse :-). The bus was quite crowded so it took ages to get home because we had to get off the bus many times and walk and then get back on another one – two stops on the bus, five stops on foot, repeat.

As we approached home, he pulled more and more and when we got into the flat he took several wild sprints in and out of all the rooms and then did a slower round sniffing everywhere. He remained whiny and groany until I made him at least stand in his bed and started stroking, petting, massaging, and singing (yes, Max, as the only living being, likes my singing – even I myself feel like running away screaming when I sing). He eventually sat, and finally lay down, but every time he was just about to drop off to sleep, he got up again and took another sprint around the flat and then came back and clung to me, shaking, whining and groaning. This took a couple of hours till he was finally so fast asleep that I was able to get up and move around without waking him.

I was starting to worry whether eleven nights had been too long, keeping in mind that Max has only been with me for six months, but Lucky Dog Berlin has a slightly restrictive pick-up service (can only take place Monday to Thursday in Grunewald) which explains why I went to Amrum already on the Friday, although the course only started Monday morning, and I only picked Max up again yesterday (Monday) although I was back in Berlin on Saturday night – just in case anybody was wondering …..

However, after all that, this morning it seems that trust has already been reestablished and he is back to normal – and perhaps beyond?: I was up for an hour and moving around before Max woke up. This is the first time that has ever happened. He is also not reacting in any way at all to the usual sounds just outside the flat by the lift.

Today, Max is going on his usual Tuesday walk with Frank (Instinkt & Intuition – die andere Hundeschule). It will be interesting to see if Frank notices any difference in Max’s behaviour.

I would be happy to use Lucky Dog again if it were not for the pick-up arrangements, which might fit in some cases but not all. I have found another similar holiday service, Tom for Dogs, that I might try next time to see if they actually pick up and bring back from and to the home to spare us that nightmarish journey on the bus. (Much as Berlin is quite a dog friendly city – taxi drivers generally hate them and it is hard to find one that will accept a dog).

On a slightly different note, I hear from several people who know about dogs that Max’s anxiety could be a sign of thyroid problems. No blood work was ever done as far as I know, so some time in the new year, I might try to find a way to have him properly examined (our regular vet – Felmo the mobile vet that comes to our home does not do blood work). Anything to spare him all this apparent agony.

Questions, comments, suggestions? Please send me an e-mail.

Daytrips from Berlin, Life in Berlin while Covid lingers

From Grünau to Erkner with Berliner Wanderclub

16/11/2021 Helle Møller

In autumn colours that are hanging on thanks to the fact that we have not had the usual several autumn storms (which we also did not have last year, as far as I recall). Perhaps Mother Nature decided to spare us, in view of the other troubles ….

Anyway, the day was a little misty, but dry and mild, so it was a very nice walk, led by Joachim Wenzel. Here the route on mapmywalk.

Daytrips from Berlin, Life in Berlin while Covid lingers

Fürstenwalde (Spree)

14/11/2021 Helle Møller

To finally take a look at Fürstenwalde an der Spree and not least the dog park in the area Hundeauslaufplatz Kleine Tränke, following this map – more or less.

The dog park turned out to be a lovely space, large and pretty and a section of normal forest fenced in. Plenty of opportunity for dogs to disappear out of sight and do their own thing for a little while (slightly unnerving, but Max is great at doubling back to check in with me at very regular intervals, and I did not even get to use the whistle today). It is also completely quiet, so next time, I will bring lunch, coffee and a book :-).

Here is a video of Max frolicking.

We walked there from the station through a large park, and afterwards we walked along the river, past the lock, though Fürstenwalde old town and back to the station. Max was restless both ways on the train. I guess we do not do this kind of thing often enough.

It was a very pleasant day out, despite the mist, and we ended up walking a total of nearly 15 km.

Life in Berlin while Covid lingers

Note to self: Short and medium-length dog walks in loops from home

12/11/2021 Helle Møller

With links to the recordings on mapmywalk.

DEVELOPING

2,89 km Just a little bit more than once around the block

4,09 km Mehringplatz-Hallesches Ufer-Schöneberger Brücke-Anhalter Bahnhof

4,47 km Märkisches Ufer-Köllnischer Park

4,80 km Urbanstraße, Grimmstraße, Admiralbrücke, back along Landwehrkanal

5,08 km Friedrichstraße-Spree-Charlottenstraße-via-Gendarmenmarkt

5,50 km plus a visit to a dog park: Park am Gleisdreieck

5,61 km Märkisches Ufer-Brückenstraße-Engelbecken-Ritterstraße

5,63 km Potzdamer Platz-Brandenburger Tor-Unter den Linden-Schinkelplatz-Spittelmarkt

5,93 km Zossener Brücke-Kottbusser Brücke-Oranienplatz

6,61 km plus a visit to a dog park: Hasenheide

8,77 km plus an S-Bahn ride plus a visit to a dog park: Hundeplatz Rummelsburg

8,89 km Friedrichstraße-Torstraße-Rosenthaler Straße

9,14 km plus a visit to a dog park: Tempelhofer Feld Columbiadamm side

Life in Berlin while Covid lingers

A way to make friends in the neighbourhood

12/11/2021 Helle Møller

Almost every time Max pees on an abandoned E-roller (which I have not actually trained him to do – I swear – but I have also never tried to stop him), he gets positive feedback from an on-looker or passer-by, in the form of a “bravo”, or “good dog!” or a thumbs-up or at least a big smile.

Life in Berlin while Covid lingers, Photography