Müggelseesingen

This evening we met up with a few people for dinner at our favourite sushi place on Bölscherstraße.  Afterwards it was on the beach at Müggelsee, where we went ice skating before, for a a Christmas sing-a-long.  

It was fun.  There was a stage with choir singers and there a few mini-bonfires and candles while people drank glühwein and sang Christmas songs.  

Some of the songs I knew but there were several German songs that I'd never heard before.  Fortunately the programmes contained the lyrics to all of the songs.

After a few hours of singing it was back to the flat.  I needed to make the buletten for tomorrow's Christmas dinner.

I still can't believe that Christmas is tomorrow.  

Ku'Damm des Ostens

Germany reunified more than 30 years ago but there are still differences, cultural and economic differences, between between what used to be East Germany and West Germany.  The same goes for Berlin.  I can feel the difference between West Berlin and East Berlin.  

Personally I prefer East Berlin.  And not just because East Berlin has trams and Ampelmännchen.

In West Berlin, the posh street was Kurfürstendamm.  Or Ku'damm to the locals.  Basically the Berlin version of the Champs-Élysées. 

The street was damaged during the war and it wasn't rebuilt until the 1950s.  It is 3,5 km (2 miles) long and it was the heart of West Berlin whereas the heart of East Berlin was Alexanderplatz.

Ku'damm has lots of cafes, high-end shops, and Kaufhaus Des Westens, called "KaDeWe", the Department Store of the West.  It is over 100 years old and is the 2nd largest shopping centre in Europe.

Here's a five-minute video I found on YouTube about Ku'damm.

©DW News

In Friedrichshagen, the main posh street is Bölscherstraße which is nicknamed Ku'damm des Ostens which means  "Ku'damm of the east".

Bölscherstraße is about 1,3 km (0.8 mile) and runs from the S-Bahn station all the way to the Müggelsee.

The street was named after Wilhelm Bölsche who was a local author and poet.  There are more than 100 buildings that are a mix of residential and shops.  

There's quite a bit on this street including my favourite Döner Kebab place, the spaghetti ice cream shop, and even the Union theatre where I had to watch the movie about a girl and a horse. 

At the Friedrichshagen S-Bahn station there are photos of what the street used to look like why back when.

Here's a 3,5 minute video highlighting the street but the text is only in German.

©kulturring.berlin

Back to Back Berlin Weekends

Last weekend I was in Berlin for the Pet Shop Boys concert with Claudia.  This whole last week I was on a business trip to Frankfurt.  I wasn't planning on being in Berlin this weekend but with Natalie making a surprise visit to see the girls I just had to join in too.  

Once we finally arrived, we went to Claudia's parent's place in Rahnsdorf.  It's been hot in Euroland.  It was 35℃ (95℉) so the swimming pool felt great.

Once pool time was over, I was put to work picking cherries.

Later on we went to to Friedrichshagen and grabbed some döner kebabs for dinner.

This was a whirlwind weekend but I got to see Nat a second time while she's here with the Red Cross and Tünde got a double godparent visit.  But I was completely knackered after the delay getting to Berlin on Friday night.  

I left around 7:30 am because my train from Hauptbahnhof to Brno left at 9:16 am.  I had a seat reservation in 1st class but there was a last minute reconfiguration and there was one less 1st class wagon.  

Of course, the wagon that wasn't there was the one where I had a reservation.  So lots of people were scrambling to find a seat.  Not a big deal. but the train was late and I missed my connection in Prague.  

The next Prague train was completely booked so I had to wait just over three hours for the next available train to get back home.  On Thursday I go to Dresden and Moritzburg.  My fourth trip to Germany in three weeks. 

Germany's €9 Ticket

For Christmas 2019, I bought Claudia and I concert tickets to see the Pet Shop Boys in Berlin on 1 May 2020.  Then came Covid and the world shut down and the concert was postponed.  Then postponed again.  It's 2022 and we finally get to go see them.  The last time I saw them was back in 2013.  

While I'm in Germany this weekend I'm going to use my new €9 ticket which the government launched this summer to help with the rising energy costs.  For just €9, you can travel, in 2nd class, on all local and regional public transport across the country.  Buses, trams, ferries, U-Bahn and S-Bahn trains, plus local and regional trains.  This is an amazing deal.  

EC and IC trains are excluded so I still need to have a normal ticket from Brno to Berlin.  But once I'm in Germany all of my local travel is covered.  A one-way S-Bahn ticket from the Berlin Hauptbahnhof to Friedrichshagen is €3.  The €9 ticket is good for the entire month of June.  It's going to be available in July and August as well so €27 for all three months.  It seems to have already caused a big jump in the number of people using public transportation all across Germany.

I'm on the train now and I'll get to Berlin tonight.  Tomorrow night is the concert at the Mercedes Arena and then it's back to Brno on Sunday because I have a business trip on Monday to Frankfurt.  I'll be able to use my €9 ticket on public transportation there too.  This really is a cool deal.  I wish Czechland did something similar.

December 2022 Update:  I loved my €9 ticket but Germany didn't extend it.  The German states finally agreed on a new country-wide public and regional transportation ticket.  It costs €49 a month it is only available as a monthly subscription.  

Now I just use my BVG (Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe) app on my mobile phone.  I can buy 4 one-way tickets (AB zones) for €9,40.  Four individual tickets would cost €12 so it's basically buy 3 and get 1 free.

2G, 2G+, 3G

In Germany you'll see signs everywhere that say 2G, 2G+, or 3G.  These have nothing to do with Internet speed.  This has to do with the public health requirements for Covid.  

A person has to either be vaccinated, tested or recovered which in German is geimpft, getestet or genesen.  The 3 G's.

3G is the least restrictive.  For entry to a 3G place you have to either be vaccinated, have recovered from Covid, or have a negative test.  A rapid test can't be older than 24 hours.  A PCR test can't be older than 48 hours.

2G means that you have to show proof that you're either fully vaccinated or you are recovered from Covid.  Showing a negative test isn't enough for entry.

2G+ is the most restrictive.  You have to either be fully vaccinated or you are recovered from Covid and you have to show a negative test.  If you've received a booster vaccination then you do not need a test.

I heard that there's now a 2G++ which is vaccinated or recovered with a test and you need a respirator.  This one just seems redundant because it's 2G+ with a mask and you have to wear a mask everywhere in Germany anyway.

The 3G requirement is for public transport, supermarkets, at work, at school, and outdoor events.

The 2G requirement is for hairdressers, beauty salons, retail shops, museums, galleries, libraries, and hotels.

The 2G+ requirement, the most restrictive, is for restaurants, bars, cinemas, clubs, and theatres.

We don't  have this 2G, 3G thing in Czechland and not just because the Czech words don't all start with a "G".  In Czech it would be očkovaný, testovaný, uzdravený.  

In Czechland, since mid-November, negative tests are no longer accepted as sufficient protection from Covid.  You have to be either vaccinated or recently recovered in order to go to pubs, restaurants, hairdressers, theatres, and sporting events.  Right now only about 58% of adults in Czechland are vaccinated.

Austria had the 2G/3G thing before but it's even tougher there.  If you're not vaccinated then you aren't allowed to leave the house except for essential reasons.

Today I had an appointment for a free antigen test in Friedrichshagen.  I don't need it for the train back home tomorrow but I figured that I'd tested and have the test results with me just in case.

It was easy to register online.  I queued up and waited my turn.  I took the test and about 15 minutes later I received an e-mail with a negative test result.

I've been waiting for my booster shot in Czechland. They are rolling them out based on age and I was finally able to register online on 2.12. It took two weeks but on Friday, before I left for Berlin, I received my confirmation and I was able to book an appointment for the 29th.

Knocking Out The List

Another great week in Friedrichshagen.  I knew that it was going to be a busy week and I was right.  First of all, there's always a list of things to do and no matter how full the list is to start with, additional things always some to get added.  

A few things were added to the side and even to the back of the list. In the end I think there were some 20 things that we checked off.  Not too shabby.

On Friday night we went out for sushi.  Tünde still uses the training chopsticks that I got her during my first trip to Singapore.  

On Saturday, we over to Oma and Opa's house for lunch.  Oma cooked up a feast as usual.

I normally try to catch the non-stop train that runs from Hamburg to either Vienna or Budapest which means that when I hop on the train in Berlin, it's a direct trip all the way to Brno.  Right now though, there's only one such train per day and it leaves just after 6 am.  If I don't catch the direct train then I have to change trains in Prague.  

Well my reward on Sunday morning for being at the Berlin main station before 6 am was to find out that the train had a last minute configuration change which meant that the first class cabin where I had a seat reservation wasn't there.  

So I got to take a business class seat instead.  This was my first time ever riding business business class on a train.  It was nice.  Very private with plenty of space.  I may have to do try this again.

Spaghetti Ice Cream

After surviving the movie about a horse and bad popcorn we ticked off another item on the list.  After dinner we went to the local ice cream shop in Friedrichshagen for spaghetti ice cream.

Spaghettieis is a thing in Germany.  It's vanilla ice cream pressed into the shape of noodles with strawberry sauce and grated white chocolate or nuts to mimic marinara sauce and parmesan cheese.

There's also a "carbonara" version for adults made with eierlikör (strong German eggnog type liqueur).

Overall pretty good.  I wonder why we don't have this in Czechland.

Here's a short video I found on YouTube that talks all about Spaghettieis.

©DW

It's Going to be a Busy Week

It's going to be a busy week.  I took an early train to Berlin this morning and got to Friedrichshagen this afternoon.

Tünde seems very excited that I'm here for a week.  She's already started the to-do list.  There's always a list.  So far, the preliminary list has 15 things on it but I'm sure that more items will get added to it.

 Some of the items on the list include taking her to school, eating spaghetti ice cream, visiting the new Berlin castle, having breakfast at the TV tower, going to the Volkskammer, visiting Teufelsberg, going to the theatre to see a movie about a horse, visiting her grandparents, postcards, eating döner kebab pizza and sushi.  

Not only am I already tired, I'm already stuffed because there's quite a bit of food related items on this list.  Let's see how the week goes.

Completing the List

With Claudia and Tünde in Berlin, and Natalie currently in Switzerland with the U.N., we're lucky if we can meet up once a year.  So it's amazing that from Christmas, to our weekend in Geneva, and this past week in Friedrichshagen we've gotten three visits in seven months.

After breakfast on Saturday morning Tünde made up a list of all of the things that had to do together.  What a to-do list it was.  Some of the things on the list were to do something together, jump on a trampoline, read stories, take a nap, make a volcano, go to the summer garden, write postcards, visit grandma and grandpa, go for sushi, and eat ice cream.  

We definitely over achieved on the ice cream.  But what are godparents for if they don't spoil you with lots of ice cream?

Natalie had never been to Spreewald before so on Monday we made a day of it there.  A boat ride along the canals, the world's best pickles and lard...what a great day.

We even got in a little beach time.  It's pretty cool that the beach area is where we went ice skating at in December.

On Tuesday we went over Rahnsdorf to help Claudia's parents with a major re-roofing project on the garden shed.  

They put us to work as day labourers with some of the cousins.  It felt so good to help out.  

Plus we did manage to complete everything on Tünde's list too.