The Garden and then Adventuring out on my Own!

Saturday started off with a delicious breakfast of fresh made scones! Wow! Further evidence that Doug is amazing! After breakfast, Doug and I headed out to do some shopping for dinner! Everything, I was led to believe is "just around the corner!". Nothing was particularly far and I soon realized that just around the corner is a relative term, but is meaningful for those who are used to walking. We ventured out to the grocery store, the Turkish market and then to the Turkish grocery store.

I was fascinated by all the memorial markers there were throughout the city. For example, where ever a Jew who was killed was known to have lived, they place a marker in the sidewalk out front of the home.

When we got back to his apartment, I confirmed that we were just dropping off our purchases before heading out to true garden. That being the case, I elected to wait at the bottom of the 75 steps for Doug to return! Soon, he and Ella were ready to head off to the garden!


The garden! Doug and Julien have a garden that is simply wonderful. The only down side is that it is about a 25 minute walk from their apartment. They lease a guarded that is a quite a nice size. It is in a community garden area so they have garden neighbors. They are require to use a certain percentage of the land for "useful" plants, such as fruit, vegetables, and herbs! They have decided to not have any grass (which is considers ornamental), but to instead use the space for flowers. They have a beautiful variant of plants and it was wonderful to see Julien, especially, enjoying the whole process.

I left the garden and Doug got me to the train station so that I could venture back into the city by myself. I was a little concerned since I don't speak the language and didnt want to be one of THOSE Americans who expect everybody to speak English.

My first stop was the information center which is beneath the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. It was an incredibly powerful exhibit. From there, I needed some relief so I set out to find something for my mom as well as postcards. Mission accomplished and the. I passed a Dunkin Donuts, where the donuts are labeled just like they are at home! Comfort food, following a very painful Memorial.

I walked back to where Doug and I had been the day before, and took it all in. It is humbling being in a different country with a different language. I am constantly reminded of how arrogant I am as I am constantly surprised that everything is not in English. I made my way back to the train and headed to the apartment.

Boy can Doug cook! He made a wonderful pork roast with small potatoes, and white asparagus. The entire meal was wonderful!

First Full Day in Berlin

I was astounded when I woken up to see tha I had slept past 8:30, which even with the time change was later than I've slept the entire time I've been away! Doug and sat on the couch for hours, just talking and catching up! It was wonderful!

After a quick shower, we headed out, taking a train to the city. The first stop was to see a portion of the wall that divided East Berlin from West Berlin which has been left up. It is just amazing to me that this really happened in my lifetime! This was was built the year that I was born! Throughout the city, you can see in the ground a two-brick wide trail of there the was.

From there we walked. Doug knows an amazing amount of the history of the city. As in London, I was kind of overwhelmed with a sadness that I didn't know much of the history at all. I was also humbled, because if I were asked to take someone around in America, I probably couldn't do much better than I can over here! Oh well, no sense in worrying about that now!

The next point of interest was the "Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe." This was a huge memorial that was very unique and yet very powerful. It is made up of over 200 slabs or Stelae as they are called over nearly 5 acres. They are of varying sizes and at different angle. The ground on which they are placed is not even either. There is an information underneath that I didn't visit this day, but determined that I would come back for.


We walked through the Brandenburg Gate (admiring the Quadriga on to) and continued down that street, passing various historic sites, including a memorial to burned books. This consisted of a piece of glass in the ground through which you could seen empty bookshelves. We stopped at the Neue Wach (New Guardhouse). This was a memorial to the victims of "war and tyranny." Inside, there was a statute titled, "Mother and Dead Son."


Julien, who is the director of the Sculpture Collection at the Bode Museum met us and took us into the Pergamon Museum where you can see the Hellenistic Pergamon Alter, the Gate of Ishtar, and the Babylonian Processional Street. I was most fascinated as Julien described that these "works" were delivered in creates in small peoples that had to be put together is some meaningful fashion. I will never allow myself to be intimidated by a jigsaw puzzle again!

From there, we took that S-Baun back to the apartment. Julien walked to the garden to unwind after work (more on that later) and when he returned we went to a lovely Italian restaurant. I had a pasta dish with sausage and mushrooms, which was wonderful! It was fun to discover that there was no sense in overeating because Doug and, moreso, Julien were more than willing to finish it off!

Upon returning home, we enjoyed peppermint tea and Doug's amazing oatmeal chocolate chip cookies! A perfect end to a wonderful day!

Class on Thursday and then Off to Berlin!

Yes, I do take classes! On Thursday, as a class we went to the Mind, Body, Spirit exhibit on the other side of town. Keep in mind, one of my classes is a "complimentary health" class, si we are being exposed to many things that are new to us. This exhibition was the peak of new experiences! There were hundreds of booths on every kind of activity that is thought to have healing or diagnostic powers that you can imagine!

I was assigned to find out about iridology. In the brochure, it was listed under "Clinical Iridology!". I was so glad to see that it is clinically based. For those who don't know, this is the "science" of determining all that ails you by examining your irises! I talked to the women, who had more initials after her name than anyone I've ever met, and, not surprisingly, I wasn't convinced!

Well, I was full of anxiety today as I prepared to go to Berlin. I am guessing that this was because it was my first time flying alone outside the United States. The first challenged was to get to the airport. Because I made a mistake right off the bat, this involved a bus, a ride on the tube and the the train. I had to laugh when outside the window from the train, I saw where "Take Courage" had been painted on the side of a building. As it turned out, I got there in plenty of time.

Things are different flying out of London. To start with, nobody looked at identification until I was getting on the plane. Secondly, they don't post the gate in advance. Instead, from something like the food court/shopping area, we all watched these boards. My flight was listed and it indicated that the gate would open at 17:00. My flight was to take off at 17:40 and my boarding pass said that the gate closed at 17:10. Very confusing. What happens is that at the time listed Ian the boards, the gate number is posted and you have 45 minutes to get to the gate. This was my first indication that things were running late!

Well, at 17:00 they posted , "Please wait.". So I waited. And waited. Finally at about 17:45 the board was updated to say, "Gate. Closing!". I've never seen a group of people move so fast down a concourse to a gate in my life. Nobody knew what was happening! This is all compounded by the fact that you don't have an assigned seat on these discount airlines, so your place in line to board really matters.

So, now I'm in a mob at the gate where we wait and wait. Finally they tell us to take a seat because they don't know how long it will be. They were waiting for the plane to be refueled. After nearly an hour, someone turns around and says okay, and the mob jumps to their feet and stands waiting to board!

So I board and just take the first seat I see. I am glad I brought a very small bag so that I didn't even have to put it overhead. No frills airline-you pay for everything! Thankfully they haven't started charging to use the restroom, but I hear it's coming!

All that to say, I made it to Berlin, where, thankfully Doug met me at the airport! Two buses, later, I arrived it Doug's apartment, where I was greeted by 75 steps! My word, haven't they heard of elevators?

It could have been worse. A classmate of mine was also flying to Germany on Thursday, but out of Heathrow Airport. He arrived at his destination at 5:00 Friday afternoon!

Where was I - oh, yes, Wednesday!

This is why I need to post every day. It is so hard to remember because I am getting to do so much!

On Wednesday morning, on the recommendation of Dr. Karioth, i headed out to the Foundlings Museum. The Foundlings were children who were taken in rather than to be left on the street to die. This started as a hospital of sorts and was really a big boarding school. Amazingly it was in operation beginning in the 1700's all the way into the 1950's.

On of the exhibits they have is of people who lived there telling there story. It was profound hear from their perspective. As with anything, the stories varied, but all here intense. There were photos which reminded me of my high school reunion, with people laughing, but there many more sad images.

One interesting fact was that Handel (yes, of Handel's Messiah) was a huge supported of the hospital and used to do annual performances of the Messiah as a fundraiser! The top floor of the museum is dedicated to him and contains a collection of his music. They even have chairs where you can simply listen and enjoy.

From there, I headed on a meandering walk and discovered that the Lion King has a matinee on Wednesdays! Needless to say, I bought a ticket. The only problem with the afternoon performance is there there are a zillion children on trips with their class! Teachers really need to inform the children that it is not necessary to clap long with every song that has a beat! Other than that, it was an amazing show! I am constantly amazed with the creative mind that so many people appear to have! But I am thankful for those who use it for good and not for evil!

I had purchased tickets to see Billy Elliot in advance so that was my plan for the evening! This required that I go to a part of London that I had never been! I diligently checked and determined that I needed to be on the 38 bus. I was certain that I knew where the stop was, so I headed out. As I always do, as I boarded, I asked if this bus would take me to my desired destination. It wouldn't! The driver looked in his little book and found that I needed to catch the bus at a different stop, so I headed in the direction he sent me.

Upon my arrival at the stop, I realized that the 38 bus didn't come to this stop. However, the good signage indicated that the 78 bus would get me there. So I waited and waited. In the meantime, I kelp seeing 38 buses, but always turned just before getting to the stop where I was waiting. I was getting concerned so I decided that I'd walk to a different stop to get the 38 as I had originally planned. The problem was that when it turned the corner, I realized that this was a London intersection that had like five streets coming together and I had no idea which way the 38 bus went. In the end, I had walked around the block and ended up on the 78 bus, finally on my way.

Well, the 78 bus stops at every corner along Oxford street! I was certain i was going to be late! I was trying to tell myself to relax be use there was nothing that I could do. Keep in mind that even when I got to my destination, I had no idea where the theatre was and I had to pick up my ticket at the box office since I bought it online!

This was the first time that I had really been frustrated getting around London. I hate being late and I hate the panicked feeling of knowing I am going to be late and there was nothing I could do about it! I was not a happy camper, but was proud that I didn't just give up and go back home.

I was in my seat at 7:28 for the 7:30 start! It was so worth the stress. It was an amazing show! The music and the dancing was wonderful. I was in total awe to see this young boy with so very much talent! My favorite part was after he had danced his audition (I am not going to explain the show so you'll have to trust me), this young man, broke into a huge grin! He nailed in and he knew it! I am sure he wasn't supposed to do that, but it was wonderful to sees that he was enjoying himself so very much!

As I was leaving, I ended up on the 38 bus heading home and it was a perfect trip back from what turned out to be a wonderful evening in London!

Touring Tuesday

This Tuesday, we had an organized trip to the Tower of London and to Greenwich. The Tower is fascinating to me! I went on a guided tour with a Beefeater who was charming! I so enjoy hearing them tell the stories. Of course, I did stop in a visit the crown jewels, which were as impressive as you would expect. We also saw the ravens that are kept there. It is said that if the ravens ever leave that will be the end of the monarchy, so they keep them caged . . . just in case!

I was fascinated that there are some 130 people (including some children) who actually live at the Tower of London, including a doctor and a chaplain. I would think that would be a very strange place to live. I'm not sure how I'd feel about it.

It was interesting that while we were there, there was a 21-gun solute in honor of President Obama's arrival. I found it most fascinating that there was no press coverage, as if this is "normal." Of course, Mr. Obama wasn't there (he was at his own private 21-gun solute elsewhere). In spite of the lack of attention, the British servicemen still "performed" with the precision that we've grown to expect.

From the Tower, we took a boat ride down the Thames River to Greenwich. I have to admit, I was underwhelmed until I got to the top where the observatory is and took in an incredible view! Of course, it was fun to stand with one foot in the eastern hemisphere and one in the western hemisphere. It just proves how arbitrary we are in our ways of making sense of things.

Slow Monday

This monday was kind of slow. I was exhausted from the TCF supportive weekend. I realized that my time is quickly running out. So I spent the morning planning out my theatre priorities! I mapped out the remaining evenings that I will be in town and made a list of shows I still hoped to see. Then, I began to fill in the spaces. My first priority is anything that is showing at the National Theatre. I am glad to say, that I am now in possession of tickets for all the remaining shows playing there! I only have 7 days to fill in and that makes me very sad.

After that most important task was under control, I did a considerable amount of reading for school. I only mention that as some have begun to wonder if I remembered why I was here. I do and I am pleased to say that I meeting all of my professor's expectations to this point!

After getting cleaned up, I headed out to spend some time with a friend, just talking. It was a good, needed time, to reflect on the weekend. And it was fun, filled with laughter as well.

I had ordered my tickets to "The Cherry Orchard" online so I had to pick them up when I got there, which was a new experience. I, of course, arrived very early, "just in case," but there was no problem. Because I had successfully navigated unfamiliar food over the weekend, I took a chance and at at the theatre, ordering Stuffed Aubergine and Peppers. It looked rather fancy and tasted wonderful. I guess eggplant isn't that special to a lot of people, but for me it was an adventure!

I've decided that I am a simple person who likes the theatre and that's okay. I enjoyed it and was simply fascinated by the set. You have to understand, however, that I stood on that set last week!

This entire trip has been an series of amazing experiences for which I am truly thankful!

Weekend in Sheffield

On Friday, after doing laundry, I packed up and took a two hour train trip to Sheffield. I have no idea which way it was relative to London, but I do know that it was beautiful. It was not the side trip to which I was most looking forward. The purpose of the trip was to participate (not just attend) a TCF (The Compassionate Friends) supportive weekend. I slept on the train (stress does that to me), but was greeted by the most delightful older man, Jerry (in the background below) who made me feel quite welcome.

The food over the weekend was in abundance and was, I'm told, typically British. For example, I had duck salad, ocean pie, and yorkshire pudding with roast beef! Each morning offered a full english breakfast. The odd thing to me is that it includes what looks to me like it might be Van Camps beans! I passed on that. By the end of the weekend, I was free to ask these dear people anything about what they were saying and what we were eating. The seemed to enjoy watching me try to navigate their world.

Saturday afternoon, a group of us went on a hike through the countryside. We left through a back gate from the Whirlow property (pictured above) and walked between two "dry walls." These are the walls that are simply stones piled very carefully. They are called dry walls because there is now (wet) cement kind of stuff used to put it together. it was simply amazing! It is the law that landowners have to allow you to pass through their property. In order to do this, we had to climb over the fences using these steps. Towards the end we went into the woods and descended using steps that were built into the side of the hill. This brought us to our destination, a magnificent city park. While we were sitting there, most having tea, of course, a wedding reception began and we just sat there. I don't know, but somehow I found it kind of funny!

All in all it was a good weekend. It was very encouraging to see people who had lost children years ago who had found the balance of moving forward while honoring their children who had died. I had psyched myself up before I went by telling myself, "It's only 48 hours and you never have to see these people again!" I left kind of sad saying, "We only had 48 hours and I may never see these people again." What an amazing turn-around!