With a hobby bird photographer pal. The area is recommended as a good bird watching area.
We took RE4 to Dallgow-Döberitz and entered from the northern side. It is a huge area of which we only saw a fraction. We did not see that many birds (and only got a couple of not very good photos), but I loved the area and the walk and will definitely go back.
I frequently hear people complain that it is difficult to find a good dermatologist in Berlin. I found one before Corona and made a mental note for future reference: Dr Martina Ulrich @Dermatologie am Regierungsviertel. Unfortunately, they only take private patients. This is a reference to the – to me reprehensible – German “caste system” within health care, which I will get back to at the end of this post.
As a teenager and young person, I did stupid things in terms of sunbathing when we were not so aware of the dangers, and in any case, I have such fair skin that I should never have spent much time in the sun. But I did, and the result is more and more small moles and other signs of sun damage which I am no longer able to keep a proper eye on. Given that a full-body skin cancer screening is part of what my sickness insurance offers every two years, I decided it was time and made an appointment with Dr. Claas Ulrich in the same clinic.
I had been dreading it slightly, partly because I had heard that these screenings take forever, and also because the shock and panic from my breast cancer diagnosis in summer 2022 is still lurking right beneath the surface and whenever I think of screenings, although happy that I live in a part of the world where they are easily available, I fear the worst.
Dr Ulrich very happily and enthusiastically operates a brand-new scanner which he introduced to me as if it were his favourite child. The room it was in was not even completely set up for that kind of consultation yet, for which he profusely apologised.
The scanner sees EVERYTHING, and points out what merits a closer look by the dermatologist and a hand scanner. The whole thing took less than 45 minutes – and nothing even remotely suspicious was found.
If this is something you keep telling yourself to have done – do not hesitate. Better safe than sorry.
Another enjoyable walk with Fritz Heiber, Empor Berlin.
Unfortunately, there are always people who,on those walks who, like badly-behaved children, can’t, or won’t, keep their mouths shut while the guide speaks, even when they are asked to be quiet. Yack-yack-yack-yack-yack. That is not only annoying because those standing near them can’t hear what the guide says, it is also impolite and rude towards the guide who in most cases, and certainly always in Fritz’s case, has put a lot of time and effort into preparing the walk. (Yes, I know, I sometimes wander off to take photos, but at least I don’t disturb the others, and I mostly try to stay within earshot).
Anyway, I had to cut the walk short in order to visit the current exhibition in “Alte Stadtbad Lichtenberg” (my only chance), and from there, take a short walk to “Alte Turnhalle” and the bi-weekly quiz.
A beautiful walk, about 12 km, led by Chris T.
Bonus tip: The last bit went along Bölschestraße in Friedrichshagen, which is full of nice little shops and cafés, as well as a Vietnamese restaurant.
(on my way to an evening class at VHS Charlottenburg Wilmersdorf)
Along this route, more or less, with detours once I got close to Bayerischer Platz.
I wanted to finally see at least some of this memorial. I don’t know how many signs I missed, but those that I did photograph are in the last block of photos.
Arrived in relatively heavy rain so spent the afternoon in Deichtorhallen. One exhibition of works by Claudia Andujar, and one absolutely magnificent exhibition called Dix and the Present. I was thrilled to see an Anselm Kiefer there. Always awesome.
Cindy Sherman’s Anti-Fashion had also reached Hamburg on what seems to be a European Tour, but I had already seen that in Stuttgart. (Not a fan of Cindy Sherman but I have to admit that she is a great make-up and costume artist).
10 February walkabout in misty weather, starting with a definite maritime flair, and ending in a park with a skating rink.
11 February AM NABU Birdwatching walk: Gefiederte Wintergäste und Durchzügler am Öjendorfer See.
Still misty, and the walk did not really seem to be going anywhere, so I did my own thing for a while before returning. Quite a nice area. Saw many birds but did not really manage any good photos. Just one of Mr Bigfoot here:
11 February PM wine fair “Weinfrühling Hamburg” in Hamburg Chamber of Commerce. Supposedly. But I stayed for less than a minute. They had let in far too many people, and people were still arriving. Impossible to move, impossible to hear anything (I was supposed to meet up with a handful of people from InterNations Hamburg), and impossible to breathe – no air, and a temperature of about 30 C. A complete nightmare.
12 February Hagenbeck Tierpark and that abominable sculpture still outside.
A big zoo with NOTHING to eat or drink, not even a coffee slot machine.
Caspar David Friedrich at Hamburger Kunsthalle, pre-booked ticket for Tuesday, 13 February 10.00-13.00 hrs. Possibly with a small group of people from InterNations Hamburg. It gets good reviews, for example this one.
Unfortunately, here too, ticket sales count more than comfort, and it was much too crowded and the rooms were small. I felt like a sardine in a tin, and almost panicked. Also, a true superspreader of course. I had to elbow my way out and only saw a few paintings in passing, and only because I am taller than a lot of other people. I did wonder whether I was still suffering from post-Corona “stay-away-from-me” syndrome, but I have since read many newspaper articles criticising the Kunsthalle for letting in far too many people at a time, and that many, like me, gave up seeing the exhibition properly.
I hope the organisers of the CDF exhibition in Berlin later this year have learnt from this and do not make the same mistakes.
The day was saved by meeting up for lunch with an ex-colleague from the European Parliament in Luxembourg where we both worked in the late 1970s. Very enjoyable.
After lunch, it was drizzling occasionally but I did go for a quick, last walkabout:
