Become a Berliner

Hello Silsdeners/Brexiters this post is for you. Since my last post I have had a ‘normal’ week but with more sun as the week advanced. Today was the best so far. Only blue sky, sunshine and 25°C. Great! When you travel on public transport you see more coloured clothes and even smiles.

The big events this week were on Tuesday. I met my Oldies for an English session at 12 noon as usual. From there I went one stop on the U-Bahn (Underground) to meet my SPD 60+ Gang to visit the Stasi Denkstätte (Memorial). You can find details about this on the internet. It was my second visit and I can recommend all visitors to Berlin to go there.

The Stasi was the secret police force of the DDR. The HQ was in a large complex in the eastern district of Lichtenberg. I live in the south of this district. The guided tour is very well organised and everything has been restored so that you think you are going back in time as you enter each room.

From there I rushed home, had a bite to eat, washed my face and headed off for Alexander Platz. I got there okay then jumped into an U-Bahn for one stop. As I walked the short distance to my destination I got a tap on my shoulder. It was Andrea! Regular readers of my blog will know she is Jan’s sister. She, and her husband Marco, had organised the evening.

It was at Comedy-Club Kookaburra and the event was called ‘How to become a Berliner in one hour’ and in English. You can see more details above. Very nice show with most of the audience from Denmark followed by a smaller group from Brazil. The comedian involved different members of the audience, which they clearly liked.

At the end of the show, we relaxed over a final drink and was joined by our entertainer. His name is Karsten Kaie. He is not a Berliner. He comes from Baveria but has lived in Berlin for many years. You can see him on the right in the photograph. A really nice evening and another place for you to go to when you are next in Berlin. For me, the high point of the evening was being with Andrea and Marco again. They drove me home and we agreed to meet again in May. I shall share that meeting with you.