Berlin Diary (Sept 26 - Oct 3)

October 5, 2017. It's a wet, gray day in Berlin today. Not cold and ugly, but definitely a change from a mild September. Fall has arrived. The cobbled sidewalks are covered in leaves, and the trees are in rapid transition from green to yellow. Berliners, undeterred, don coats and boots and continue with their normal, busy lives.
But, they did take a break to do some high powered partying this past four day holiday weekend. Reunification celebrations combined with Oktoberfest made Berlin quite the place to be. The weather on Friday and Saturday, the final days of September, was spookily mild, almost summery, and we, like everyone else, took full advantage of this.
Of course we had to dine al fresco on Friday evening, and settled for one of a strip of bar restaurants beside the River Spree near Friedrischestrasse Station. The setting was our priority, and with the large number of tables enticingly set up on the cobbled sidewalk with river boats gliding by and attractive buildings in view, we were prepared for mediocre "tourist" fare. So we were pleasantly surprised at the scrumptious vegetarian flammkuchens (German style pizzas), that we were served. These super thin crusted pies were topped with both cooked and raw vegetables, and a strong cheese, and paired perfectly with chilled, hoppy beer. Berlin's food scene is going to spoil us.
On Saturday morning we wandered around the farmer's market near us in Charlottenburg, taking in the local vibe, and stocking up on pfefferlinges and steinpilzes. At the Turkish food stand we snacked on a spinach gozleme and eggplant involtinis stuffed with a walnut paste. Late afternoon we joined thousands of Berliners for an open air concert at Bebelplabtz.

The Staatskapelle Berlin, under the baton of Daniel Barenboim, performed Beethoven's 9th Symphony as part of their "Opera for All" program and also to inaugurate the Staatsoper building which had been shut for renovations for ten years. In the shadow of the stunning Humboldt University, with the newly renovated majestic Staatsoper Unter den Linden glowing in the late afternoon sun, the Berliner Dom in view, and the air temperature balmy, we enjoyed a magical 90 minutes of beautiful music.
We then strolled over to Alexanderplatz for Oktoberfest and found ourselves immersed in a bustling mini Bavarian village. Vendors selling local crafts under blue and white awninged stalls, a replica of the Munich Maypole, long lines in front of beer stands, crowded "beer gardens", and the air thick with the aromas of traditional cuisine -  pretzels, wurst, sauerkraut, specialty breads, and quark dough balls. We wormed our way to a crowded table, and grabbed a spot to sample a brew and a warm pretzel. Both were superb. So, we now know what Oktoberfest is.

The weather turned cold and drizzly on Sunday. The Deutsche Oper Berlin's production of The Barber of Seville was a definite antidote, keeping us in chuckles and smiles throughout the performance. This comedy was taken to a farcical extreme, raunchy and daring, with some excellent acting along with remarkable singing voices. Originality and inventiveness are definite hallmarks of this opera company. In this production there was a contemporary stage audience, families on a beach, dressed in swimwear, watching the opera taking place on a smaller, portable stage, formed from opening up a lorry. There were many shockingly hilarious scenes, and an altogether immensely enjoyable performance. A side note here, we find it interesting that a lot of young people in Germany go to the opera.

October 3 is Reunification Day, and a national holiday in Germany. On Tuesday afternoon I headed out to the Brandenburg Gate to participate in the street party. On a band stand big name singers provided entertainment.

Food vendors, beer gardens, an assortment of craft stalls, and a spirited crowd made a wander through most entertaining. The chill in the air didn't seem to faze anyone. What a great day to be in Berlin!

And finally, just wanted to mention one more interesting activity we did last week. We joined an English conversation group at Cafe Bleibtreu, a 15 minute walk from us. The group, a mixture of Germans and English, gather weekly for casual conversation. We met some really nice people who shared with us what brought them to this great city. Some had been here through the '80's and '90's, witnessing and being part of the city's history.