A Weekend In Berlin - Part 1

stop.

go.

A street I could live on...

LA MANO VERDE.

A vegan resturant thats completely sophisticated, delicious, creative, relaxing, adventurous, playful, concious and beautiful. I highly suggest it to carnivores and veggies looking for a place to eat in Berlin.

And they have extra dishes for your furry friends should they be dining with you.

Ok, so this blog is going to be in reverse. We actually visited La Mano Verde just before we left Berlin. So that will also explain to you why our evening here starts with desert. This is D's ginger mint sorbet with a vanilla-raspberry sauce. See, I told you! Sophisticated but adventurous and fun!

My absolutely incredible vegan chocolate mousse with raspberry sauce. This was gorgeous and tasted divine! I am not sure how it was made because there surely wasnt a hint of tofu in there. It was light and fluffy like mousse but really rich in flavour. D's dish with basmati rice, marinated tofu, cashews and lots of veggies in a yummmmy gravy.

My *raw* dish of "fettucini" noodles made from zucchini with a delicious cashew cream sauce, deliciously marinated mushrooms, fresh basil pesto and "vegan parmasean" made from housemade spiced pine nuts. I loved the creativity in my dish. And the flavors were amazing. Actually, being raw, it was also quite refreshing!

Amazingly delectible avacado gazpacho with pumpkin seed oil. "lecker!"

Housemade crackers - sundried tomatoes, herbs....hmmm, and deliciousness!. Not sure what else! :) Gluten free though!

Really great organic and biodynamic wines.

The Charlottenburg Schloss - Aka, Castle. :)

This is a photo of a photo of the castle. We were very impressed with how long the castle was.

No corny tourist pictures here :) This was an incredible walk through a tree-lined boulevard leading to the castle and flanked by gorgeous apartments with beautiful balconies and lots of flowers. It was slightly chilly but sunny and people were playing bocci (?) ball in small groups and having a picnics.

Ok, once again for good measure.

Oops, out of order but here is D sitting down for sushi. He was so giddy to eat our mushroom and avacado sushi that he couldnt stop makng funny faces. This is typical D. Everyday. :)

I ignoring you.

Seriously, what is you doing?!

Classic D face! He just looked at me and said, "YOU'RE POSTING THAT!?!" To that I say, "heck yes, I am!"

Hahahahah. He loves to laugh at himself. A fabulous trait if you ask me.

:)

A sushi night dinner with a crazy cat! Those were LED eyes that blinked and made you feel a little trippy. I was wondering the whole thing about asian people eating cats while I looked at it.

Where did my suhi picture go?????? Hmmmm. Well, so then, isnt that an interesting placemat?

The new Parliament building.

Wiouldnt it be great if in the US we built the new things to look a little more like the old architecture we've seen here?

A museum. Sorry, not sure which one.

Caskets of the many kings and queens of Germany's past.

An entire floor filled with them and their children.

The last project.

BEFORE:

So D and I wanted to design something to house the coats and shoes that were stored under the stairway when you walked in the front door. We realized Bea was lacking closet space and so we thought we would try to build a storage unit that matched the house and fit under the stairs. We wanted to declutter the wall with the purses and "hanging box of stuff" and give her somewhere she could hang up guests coats and have kids shoes out of the hall. The stairway was also open, which is nice for keeping things light, but meant that the kids dirt and toys would fall down through them and land downstiars on coats and shoes and hallway. Not exactly ideal.This way wasnt really working because it was, not only, difficult on the eyes but it seemed like the shoes were always migrating to the kitchen, livingroom or just in the way of walking in the door. You cannot see that the white paint here has taken a serious beating by the boys fingers and shoes. We figured that also needed to be remedied.

AFTER:

So, we painted teh walls the same cafe au lait colour that we did in the kitchen, so now the two rooms tie into each other. Not to mention it cleaned up the fingerprints. Actually, that only lasted a few days because they (the walls) were promptly redecorated by the children in no time. The paint here seems to be mostly flat paint. I dont think i've seen to many places with an eggshell or gloss so it meant that the walls were super absorbant to oil and dirt. So, the solution was to paint the walls with something called "elephant skin" which had a gloss finish to it. This way the dirt doesnt soak into the paint and Bea could wipe the walls down whenever she wanted them to look fresh again. Quite an improvement over REPAINTING the walls whenever she wanted them fresh again.

So, this is the closet D custom built to fit snuggly under the staircase. It has three doors on the front for coats, shoes, and *something*. :) We made an extra door on the end for hats, gloves, etc, = extra storage, and two coat hooks for backpacks.

I am so impressed by D's craftmanship becuase he really did a great job making this visually pleasing. He created it so that it fit right under the edge of the staircase (no seams) and followed the crazy curve of the stairs. It was semi awkward to create the doors so that they didnt look like a funhouse with their decreasing sizes. The hardware matches the kitchen cabinet hardware too. Everything is so sturdy and well made. He did a great job!Inside the coat door. Extra room on the bottom for guests shoes.A *special* drawer for each of the boys and one for mom & dad.The drawers pull out. :)The mini door. Storage for....???? :) The end storage and extra hooks.Inside that cupboard.D also finished the staircase so that no more toys could fall down and dirt wouldnt land on the coats and shoes. Now things look a little "cleaner" to the eye. He did an excellent job.

DTM Auto Race

So I (Daniel) went to East Germany to an auto race a few weekends ago and it was a blast! I have never been to a real auto race before and it was very exciting. It was a little scary when you first saw how fast these guys run into the corners, but the more you watch, the more you want to do it yourself (c:

The highlight race was a DTM race (Audi and Mercedes cars based on production models with V8 engines), but there were a few other races before that were very good also. The first race was a Porsche GT3 Cup race and I think it was my favorite. The Porsche's sound soooooo good! (drool). One of the Porsche drivers had nerves of steel. The first corner after the high speed straight was a sharp 90 degree left that you had to almost stop for and he would charge in full speed and try to pass on the inside of the corner here. While very dangerous, it was very exciting to watch.

Me with Markus and his son Kevin. Kevin was so excited on the way to the race that his stomach was aching. Ha Ha.A little race inflicted damage ^

After this they had a Formula 3 race. These cars are a little smaller and slower than Formula 1, but they are still very fast! Most of the drivers of these were pretty young (maybe upper teens). I wish I would have taken up racing sooner. This Formula 3 car ^ had some front end damage and had to be trailored in to the post-race inspection (it is hanging from a crane here).

Here is the highlight DTM race. The most notable thing about these cars is how loud they were. I needed to get some ear plugs to enjoy the race, but is was really cool. \

An Audi and a Mercedes in the garage before the race.This car ^ was one of the two female DTM drivers (both had pink cars). She was forced wide on this corner and went through the grass into the wall (low speed so no injury).

And here below is a video clip of the DTM drivers practicing their launches (I think) before the race. The second car, a Mercedes, sounds wonderful! Enjoy...

Ironic.

“We nurture and care for the things we love and feel connected to. We neglect and destroy the things we do not.” –Unknown

How many of your relationships (with a family member, a friend, yourself, the things that surround you in your world) follow the path of this thought?

My Beebs...

Makin' it happen in the kitchen. :) I had to blog this photo because I came across it just now and realized I cannot let the last post happen without telling you all how much help Daniel has been around the house. He helped me to put together this cabinet we bought for Bea's kitchen, he helped to paint the cealings in the dining room ( I HATE painting cealings), he has repaired many small things around the house and all while he is working on a major project to simplify the coats and shoes mess that currently clutters the staircase. But, this is not the time for discussing that. Those pics will come later! He is still working hard on that.

I am a darn lucky girl to have married such a good man. And, he can build and fix things. Not that he always knows how it can be done, but he always knows he can study a little and figure it out, my kinda guy. :)

Pointe your toes please...

I used to love to dance. Actually, I still do deep inside. But since I had my knee injury in 2001 I've been through a rollercoaster of emotions and physical experiences which has led me not to dance for the last 8 years. I miss it. I can often be found doing ballet in the corner when I think no one is watching or listening to my old Tchaikovsky CDs. Especially at Christmas time.

I did attempt to find a new studio when I was 19 to pick it up again but, I couldn't really find anywhere I thought I would fit in. I was apparently too old for dancing with the younger, more advanced girls, but I felt to young and embarrassed to be in an "adult" class with the older ladies (who, at the time, I felt I couldnt relate to and the class was just not strong enough for me). I was crushed and couldnt believe it. Actually, now I realize, I was stupid because my ego kept me from dancing for 8 years.


Thankfully, a certain chain of very special events and a little more humilty in the last years has led me to finding another studio in Hannover that has great classes for old dancers (of all levels) just like me. The owner is an older gentelman who has danced all his life. He never left it. In 1981 he said he stopped dancing professionally and opened the studio in Hannover to teach. For one week I had been planning to visit his studio after a recommendation from my pilates instructor (a retired pro-ballerina). When it came to be Monday, the day I was supposed to go, I was exhausted from the kids and had nearly made myself sick with fear and nervousness about being allowed to go into a studio again. Luckily, I have a wonderful husband who had been listening to and watching me all these years and knows my love for dance. Late at night he encouraged me and then dragged me to downtown Hannover. It was so good to be there again. I loved watching the older dancers. I could remember all the moves they did, a good sign...but I still felt sick with fear that I wouldnt be able to do them anymore. When the class was over, Yener Durukan, the owner came to talk with us. He told me I could come back Tuesday to take a class and he would evaluate where I could start. I was so pleased to find I had the opportunity to take a class every night of the week here. And it was inexpensive!


So, I went. I took my first ballet class yesterday and it was really humbling. I was there to be evaluated for what classes I could take. At the end of class, I thought, "well, final eval = at least you know what ballet LOOKS like." Ha! Granted, I havent done ballet since I was 13. I did jazz & poms for 5 more years until I was 18, but then I had my accident. It was really interesting to be the same girl (in mind), doing moves my body remembers, but without the control, the precision, and the softness I used to. So, my strength is not there. My technique is not there. And I was probably pretty horrible. But, I have to admit, I REALLY REALLY HAD A LOT OF FUN. It was amazing to put on a pair of ballet shoes again (those are my new ones in that picture above).


The class was challenging, as Yener said it would be. But he is an extremely patient teacher who loves to stretch you to your limits. It was great to be challenged again. I forgot all of my worries from the day. There is no time to think, only time to dance and feel. Before we started he spent about a half an hour getting to know me, my history with dance, my issue with my knee and the way I've treated it the last 8 years. He was very careful to help remind me to take it slowly and be sensitive to my body. I understand why so many retired dancers and girls like me attend his studio. He is fabulous.


I felt funny when I came home last night and had a very mixed set of emotions. One was sheer excitement/joy, and the other embarrassment. But, really, this man is not critical. He is a wonderful person who knows the love a dancer has for movement. He respects even the most rediculous of us. :) Really, it is a time of reconciliation with myself for the experiences I've chosen to have and the place I am in today. Oh, the roads you travel on in life...how interesting it is!


Today, I can really feel the parts of my body that I had no strength in yesterday. No wonder dancers look so fabulous. These are the best parts!


So, tonight I will take it easier and go to pilates. I will dance again on Thursday. Next week if I am stronger I will dance Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Eventually, he said, I can work up to the more advanced classes again. I am really thrilled. So, wish me luck and quick healing!