Weihnachtsmarkt in Berlin

Christmas is coming, on St. Nicholas day I heard "Last Christmas" by Wham on the radio - it's a definite sign! In order to catch a bit of a Christmas spirit, we decided to go to Berlin. We've never seen the city in winter and everyone said it was remarkable in snow and lights. Luckily, Goethe Institut (where we both learn German) organised a trip to Weihnachtsmärkte in the capital city of Germany so we gladly put ourselves on a participants' list.

We arrived on the Hauptbahnhof - a newly built railway station that cost around 1 billion EUR. All right, it's quite a cost, but the result is stunning. It's really a very modern and pretty place (yes, a pretty railway station - how odd is that?). What I liked particularly was the huge Christmas tree placed in front of the glazed front.

The organisers prepared an itinerary for us:
- Hauptbahnhof,
- Reichstag,
- Brandenburger Tor,
- Sony Centre, Potsdamer Platz Weihnachtsmarkt,
- WeihnachtsZauber Gendarmenmarkt

We did the whole route twice - at the day time and in the evening. With no doubt, the evening route was a more attractive one.

At the Reichstag (parliament building of Germany) we did a group photo and moved quite quickly to the Brandenburger Tor where we found a lot of wonders (like an ice sculpture, Mario Bros or a waving bear).

On our way to the first Christmas Market we passed by the remnants of the Berlin Wall, Lego street exhibition and Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe.

When we reached the first market it was relatively uncrowded. It was still bright and the weather was very cold. I liked the fact that I could stroll around the place quite freely. The stalls were superb! It was exactly what I thought of Weihnachtsmarkt. The aroma of Glühwein (mulled wine), apples in chocolate, hearts from gingerbread, hand-made marvels and freezing cold - it was all there!

At last a photo together...

After some time we went to see the other market - the one that is thought to be the most glamorous in whole Germany - WeihnachtsZauber Gendarmenmarkt. Zauber in German means 'charm' and I find the name pretty descriptive. However, what I didn't like about this place was the crowd. It killed the atmosphere a bit, but I reckon that in the working week it must be a really amazing place.

Since it was really crowded, we decided to come back to the Potsdamer Platz Markt where we wanted to buy a souvenir (a wooden Christmas windmill spinning from the candles heat) and see everything again in the dark. It was worth it.

We finished the day (really tired and cold) by seeing again the monuments from the morning - but this time at night. The city looks so much different in the dark.

Happy birthday Ania

Yep, another year past!

My cats - Introduction

Many people know me as a person who likes animals. I'm pretty sure some call me "a crazy cat lady". Although I never heard it myself, I think it would suit me and Radek very often says: "if it wasn't for me you would end up like a crazy cat lady". Well, fortunately I don't need to figure out how my life would look without my lovely husband, so we will never know.

Anyhow... At the moment I have four cats. Four is my upper limit (at least for the appartment I'm living in), so don't worry, the flock will not grow any more.

My first cat is Mamba. We took her at the very beginning of our relationship, so she has witnessed let's say 99% of  "la vie ensemble de Radek et Ania" (sounds like a title of some Comedy Central series). She was a kitten living wild in the gardens and was brought to us by my mom's colleague. Now she is almost 8 years old and we call her "a stationary cat" since she is very majestic and acts like she doesn't care about the earthly affairs of this existence (you should read it as "she doesn't give a fig about anything").

The next cat we got was Łatka (in translation: "Patch"). We got her 2 years after Mamba. She was found on the Internet (allegro) and taken in exchange for a bottle of home-made wine. Łatka is undoubtedly Radek's cat. She approaches him every time he has a free hand and demands to be caressed, stroked, petted, scratched etc. She purrs in content every time she is near to my husband. The only time she spends with me is at night (she lies down on my side of the bed - no wonder, Radek is too "active" before falling asleep, he always kicks, turns and God knows what else not leaving any peace for cats at his side).

The third cat we have has three names in use. The main one is Tripod but we also call him Monsieur or Dziabąg (because he bites). He was taken a year ago, when we moved to the bigger appartment. He is handicapped, since he has only three legs (it explains the choice of his first name). At the moment I would call him my favourite one. It's difficult to explain why - he has no special feature, maybe it's his tranquillity that I like?

And last but not least - Miaubels. We didn't plan a fourth cat, but 2 weeks after taking Tripod a lovely cat strayed in close to our place. We didn't take him at first, but after two or three rendezvous he won our hearts and we took him home. It was definitely the best cat ever, I doubt we will ever gonna have one like that. Unfortunately, he passed away after a couple of months. For me it was very difficult to go through that time and I was deeply touched by his death. So we took Miaubels to fill in the hole the previous cat left. It worked.
Miaubels is still a young cat and it shows. He is the liveliest we have ever had and sometimes he needs to be watched over like a child because he likes to frolic a lot. It's definitely his charm (although it requires a lot of petience). He likes people and often approaches us, only to be close.

So this it - our cats. Each of them is unique and I got used to all of them. They are like a family to us. I'm pretty sure that once in a while I'll post pictures of them, so stay tuned.

Lysa Hora hiking (1323 m)

On Sunday we set off for a (longly awaited by me) ascend on Lysa Hora (Bold Mountain, 1323 m). We started our hike from Ostravice village and followed up a red trail up to the top. On our way up we could admire the pastel colours of the autumn intertwined with the green of the conifers.

The pace was very quick (we were guided by a marathon runner, so it was a real challenge to keep up with him), and after only 2 hours (8,5 km) we reached the summit. My first impression: "God, it's windy". My second impression: "God, it's beautiful".

 On our way back we took a milder but considerably longer route. At the end we passed by a fabulous, slightly dried up lake and a spectacular dame. At this point I was already "a bit" tired as shown in the picture. All in all we did more than 25 km.

Ostrava Tour - miniUni, Vitkovice, Viewing Tower

Saturday was a pretty busy day for us. We started by strolling around but soon a decision was taken considering the itinerary. And so the first pitstop was at Mini Uni - the museum of the miniatures.
I found the exhibition pretty educative and fun, especially when I could shout with content: "I've seen that in real". (Un)fortunately, most of the places are yet to be discovered by me.

 Can you recognise all of them? I couldn't.

 In case you wonder, the models were built at a 1:25 scale.

Ater miniUni we visited the Vitkovice area. The mood changed noticeably - from light fun to industrial awestruck. Why so? Vitkovice is now a graveyard of what used to be a manufactory power. From coal mining up to steel production - Vitkovice witnessed the whole fabrication chain.

I was thrilled by the magnitude of the place, as well as by the inevitable march of time. See yourself.

No wonder the place is on the list of  European Cultural Heritage.

When we finished a guided tour round the Vitkovice area, we headed to the city squere and the viewing tower (which is situated on top of the city hall). The tower is lightened in a lovely blue colour which made all of us look like Smurfs. I also noticed that my coat would look nicer in violet (somehow the pictures don't show the violet I got after mixing red coat with a blue light).

Ahoj Ostrava!!!

Since Radek is on a business trip to Ostrava, I took the opportunity to visit him during the weekend.
Obviously, because he had been there already for one week, he took some lovely pictures of the city in the dark. I saw them in my hotel room the night I arrived. It was sort of a foretaste for me. I was supposed to see the real images of the city the very next day. So here it comes, a foretaste for you.

Like This

If anyone asks you
how the perfect satisfaction
of all our sexual wanting
will look, lift your face
and say,

Like This.

When someone mentions the gracefullness
of the nightshy, climb up on the roof
and dance, and say,

Like This.

If anyone wants to know what the "spirit" is,
or what "God's fragrance" means,
lean your head towards him or her,
Keep your face there close.

Like This.

When someone quotes the old poetic image
about clouds gradually uncovering the moon,
slowly loosen knot by knot the strings
of your robe.

Like This.

If anyone wonders how Jesus raised the dead,
don't try to explain the miracle.
Kiss me on the lips.

Like This. Like This.

When someone asks what it means
"to die for love", point
here.

If someone asks how tall I am, frown
and measure with your fingers the space
between the creases on your forehead.

This tall.

The soul sometimes leaves the body, then returns.
When someone doesn't believe that,
walk back into my house.

Like This.

When lovers moan,
they're telling our story.

Like This.

I am a sky where spirits live.
Stare into this deepening blue,
while the breeze says a secret.

Like This.

When someone asks what there is to do,
light the candle in his hand.

Like This.

How did Joseph's scent come to Jacob?
Hhhhhh
How did Jacob's sight return?
Hhhhhh
A little wind cleans the eyes.

Like This.

When Shams comes back from Tabriz,
he'll put just his head around the edge
of the door to surprise us

Like This.


/'Like This' from 'The Essential Rumi'/