For The Love of Travel

Charlottenburg is the largest and most important palace complex in Berlin of the former Brandenburg electors, Prussian kings and German emperors.

Built by Elector Friedrich III in 1699 as a summer palace for his wife Sophie Charlotte, it’s framed by a baroque-style garden.

It was one of the favourite residences of the Hohenzollern family, who over the course of two centuries had individual rooms designed, redesigned and elegantly furnished, while devoting equal attention to the gardens.

After ascending the throne in 1740, Frederick the Great had Charlottenburg Palace expanded. Among its highlights are the White Hall and the opulent Golden Gallery considered some of the most beautiful Rococo interiors in Europe. 

Berlin, Germany’s capital, dates back to the 13th century. Still lots of old architecture around and heaps of work around the city in restoration effort.  Loved the William Humboldt statue ( lots of character in that face), a Prussian philosopher, linguist, government functionary, diplomat and founder of Berlin’s Humboldt University. Reminders of the city’s turbulent 20th-century history, include its Holocaust memorial and the East Side Berlin Wall’s graffitied remains.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The most famous image is Dmitri Vrubel’s, “My God, Help Me Survive This Deadly Love”, which depicts Brezhnev and Germany’s Honecker in a fraternal embrace, that was captured from a moment in a 1979 photo during the 30th anniversary of the foundation of the German Democratic Republic!  Divided during the Cold War, its 18th-century Brandenburg Gate has become a symbol of reunification.

Then the boat cruise along the Spree river yielded these pics….

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Saw John Paul Gaultier’s revue extravaganza tonight @ Friedrichstrasse Palast.    “I have dreamed of working on a revue, ever since I was a little boy”,  Gaultier is a global superstar of the Parisian haute couture. It was he who designed the 500 daring and extravagant costumes in this revue. Roland Welke’s production was lavish and ‘Arty’ to the extreme….Cirque de Soleil meets Burlesque. In fact a few ex -CdeS performers were in this show!  The show had more than 100 artists, a production budget of more than eleven million euros; Europe’s most elaborate show. Brian Friedman, choreographer; Bazaliy sisters and Dariya Vintilova (all ex Cirque) from the Ukraine, wowed everyone with their trapeze acts. Swiss artist Brigitte Oelke and Jamaican singer Kedeisha McPherson had knock out voices!  Cyr wheel and aerial hoop daredevil Nora Zoller enthralled. It was a great night…5 encores from the audience. 

A light day today, not feeling great with cold. Pared down to 2 events.

I had booked to see “the Dome” at the Reichstag this morning, followed by what I hoped would be a lovely brekky at the Kafer Berlin restaurant on the roof terrace. Teemed down with rain and a howling wind! Great! Brolly inverted at least 4 times with the squall. Got water on the camera lens. Arggh! Gave up trying to take arty photo shots.

The Reichstag (Renaissance/Baroque Revival architecture), opened in 1894, was designed to house the German parliament, and did so until 1933, when it was severely damaged by fire. After WW2, it was left vacant, with both the West and East German governments choosing other venues. Full reconstruction began in 1990 after German reunification, under Norman Foster and again became the meeting place of the German Parliament in 1999.

The glass dome, which has immediately become the landmark of the Reichstag/Bundestag, glitters at night. In its technical function, the dome, which is made possible by a funnel-shaped light deflection element with 360 mirrors, brings additional daylight into the plenary chamber. Conversely, the funnel, which reaches into the plenum, transports the exhaust air of the room up into the open.  

Lovely roof top restaurant in which I had brekky, mushroom omlette with dill sauce.

 Took a taxi tonight to the Berlin Philharmonic complex to hear Filarmonica della Scala from Milan, playing Brahms’ 3 movement, Concerto for Violin, D Major, op.77, first premiered in 1879 in Leipzig.  Leonidas Kavakos is a Greek violinist and conductor. As a violinist, he has won prizes at several international violin competitions, including the Sibelius, Paganini, and Indianapolis competitions. He’s been a guest conductor for both the London and Boston Philharmonic orchestras. And guess what…he was the violin maestro tonight. Amazing to listen to him and the audience went wild after his playing of the first 3 movements. I think it was 6 bows later, he went off for a 15 min break with the conductor (Riccardo Chailly) and orchestra. Truly appreciated being able to watch him.  And unfortunately I had to go at interval, I was struggling to suppress my cough despite drugs – didn’t want to splurt a cough in the midst of a Verdi overture….