26 September 2017

Berlin in Autumn (September 10 - 24)

We've been in Berlin just over two weeks now and political campaigning leading up to Sunday's elections, seemed low key compared to the US. As predicted, Angela Merkel will, thankfully, serve as chancellor for a fourth term. But her party's loss of seats to a new extreme right wing party, the AfD (Alternative for Germany), is depressing and disturbing. For the first time since the second world war, the far right will have representation in the Bundestag.

It took us no time to settle into our Charlottenburg/Wilmersdorf neighborhood, away from the bustling Mitte, but a short walk to all the conveniences expected of a major city. Our spacious apartment feels classy with beautiful hardwood floors and ceilings painted with attractive details evoking the Old World. We are a short walk from the Ku'udamm, a famous tree lined avenue dubbed Berlin's Champs Elysée because of its high end fashion stores, restaurants, and hotels.

Most thrilling for us is that the Deutsche Opera House is just a 15 minute walk from us, providing a useful excuse to indulge our passions. Our first opera, two weeks ago, was a truly satisfying Lucia di Lammermoor. A solidly talented cast brought to life this heartbreaking Walter Scott story of a young woman in love with a family enemy and forced by her callous brother into a marriage for political gain. Pretty Yende, a black South African soprano in the lead, sang with breathtaking passion, handling impossibly high notes with stunning ease. Her "mad scene" was epic. Minimalist staging, men in period costumes, sporting sashes and women in 18th century frocks and ringlets adequately depicted the setting.

A week later, this past Saturday, we saw the opera company's very nontraditional Aida. The first thing you notice is that the entire orchestra is up on the stage behind a translucent curtain, conveying that they are the main deal in this opera. Minimal stage dramatization felt weird to me. The only main characters you see are Radames, Amneris, and Aida, but not in the expected Egyptian costumes. The chorus is embedded in the audience on the upper levels, creating a magnificent live surround sound effect. The Pharaoh never appears, but his imposing voice comes from up above. Another nontraditional aspect of the Deutsche Opera's staging is having Radames on stage the entire time even when he is supposed to be away in Ethiopia leading his troops in battle. I found it a little unsettling, but the music and the voices of the lead characters were so powerful, it was impossible not to be enthralled.

In addition to opera, we are loving Berlin's sophisticated vegan and vegetarian culinary scene. On Thursday evenings we head to edgy Kreuzberg for the night market at MarktHalle Neue. Alighting at Görlitzer Station, we dodge the many young drug dealers (heartbreaking to note that these Gambian refugees lead such desperate lives), skip past a strip of vibrant cafes and bars, then we enter food heaven in a crowded indoor market hall. Definitely the place to be on a Thursday evening in Berlin. Our senses now drowned in a cornucopia of high quality international cuisine, everything hand made from fresh pasta, to German spaetzel, Chinese dim sum, Indonesian curries, English pies, sushi, and many more. At an Indian food stand parathas are rolled and cooked while you're waiting to place your order. Thus far we've sampled paneer rolls, Yemeni wraps, Indonesian rendang, and steamed buns. Local microbreweries ensure that good, hoppy ale accompanies the excellent food. leaving us counting the minutes to the next Thursday evening.

On Friday evening, in contrast, we dined more formally, at Cookies Cream, which we discovered on a previous visit a few years ago. This time, this legendary restaurant lacked the magic arising from the combination of its unusual entry, intimate interior, and outstanding vegetarian meals. While the food is still inventive and of high quality, we found it absurdly overpriced.

On Saturday afternoon we met up with Santa Barbara friends for a walk in the beautiful grounds around Charlottenburg Schloss. The combination of woods, formal landscaping, and a path alongside the Spree River made it a joyful experience despite grey skies and some drizzle.

The best part about being in Berlin is getting to spend time with cherished family. Sunday in Michendorf with Julia and Fabian was very special. We strolled though the quiet streets of this little town for lunch at the local Indian restaurant. Later, Julia and I took a long walk through the woods to the amazingly huge lake. There's so much natural beauty, especially forests, surrounding Michendorf. Mushroom picking appeared to be a popular activity on our walk. It's autumn now, the days are cooler, with a little rain everyday. It's definitely mushroom season.
At our Saturday morning farmer's market in the Charlottenburg neighborhood of Berlin we've been learning how to select "steinpilze" - the German word for fungi porcini.


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