tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3703049574993181756.post2363471454045399022..comments2024-01-05T05:22:03.192-08:00Comments on Coffee and pie: In Berlin by the wallEmilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06967855350498876132noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3703049574993181756.post-74990531098402429332010-11-26T14:33:17.293-08:002010-11-26T14:33:17.293-08:00@Gracienne - Tu as bien raison! Le probleme, c'...@Gracienne - Tu as bien raison! Le probleme, c'est aussi la jeune generation qui n'ont pas de tels souvenirs et pour eux, c'est vraiment cool l'Allemagne de l'Est. Recemment j'ai lu un article affreux qu'Israel aurait pensait a construire un mur a la frontiere avec les libanais. J'espere vraiment que le temps des murs est fini.<br />@P.K - Stasiland is a wonderful book and I'm sure you'll recognise a lot of the Berlin that you knew, even if Mitte is much trendier than when she lived there. I'm hoping to visit the Stasi museum when I get back to Berlin.<br />@Barbara - Thanks dear Barbara! I think your FIL had the right idea. Too many people try to recreate the past, instead of moving on and making the best of the present.<br />@Karena - Thanks for the comment. I've probably missed your giveaway since I've been away but will pay you a visit soon.<br />@Julia - J'aime enormement ton blog mais je n'y laisse jamais de commentaire car je ne trouve jamais les mots. C'est bien dommage. Merci de ta visite!<br />@Deana - Well my students don't read this blog but I hope they enjoy talking about their lives with me. We have to keep such memories alive in order not to make the same mistake. Thanks for the wonderful quote; I totally agree.<br />@Molly - The hippies sign is really funny. In a way, I quite like the idea of nature taking over and changing these awful man made structures into something of the earth.<br />@Denise - Hearing her play always comforts me and I honestly like it better than any cd, as strange as that may sound.<br />@Virginie - Merci d'avoir trouve le temps pour regarder mon blog. Ca fait longtemps que je n'ai pas lu le tien et je vasi essayer de trouver un moment ce WE. Bises!<br />Nicolette - The marching band was rather strange and exceptional but charming. The piano playing is lucky and before this flat, I never had anything like that. I love my new neighbourhood!<br />@Julia - Alors ca, c'est une tres bonne nouvelle :-)<br />@Olga - I haven't lived through anything like what you have though Olga. I read your wonderful post about book and public libraries for example. Books are such a passion of mine that I can't imagine them being restricted and that's not even the worst thing about the system. Thank goodness things have changed!Emilyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06967855350498876132noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3703049574993181756.post-92097647134045110422010-11-24T16:19:10.859-08:002010-11-24T16:19:10.859-08:00Everything that you write about is too close to my...Everything that you write about is too close to my experience. I had two grandparents who survived Stalin GULAG. Because of that I didn't have a chance to travel abroad to capitalist countries before Perestroika. Now it sounds crazy.Olgahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10652566920769043373noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3703049574993181756.post-55270149826981809232010-11-23T10:53:40.937-08:002010-11-23T10:53:40.937-08:00Hej Vanessa! Ton petit mot a suffit à me motiver :...Hej Vanessa! Ton petit mot a suffit à me motiver : j'ai publié un nouveau billet ;-) Bises et à bientôt. Julia*Julia*https://www.blogger.com/profile/09463437782338358279noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3703049574993181756.post-24303493880872272492010-11-23T07:20:23.384-08:002010-11-23T07:20:23.384-08:00While I live in the city, I am not frequently insp...While I live in the city, I am not frequently inspired by marching bands or piano players outside my window. What lovely images and words.Nicolettehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10907338600409213852noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3703049574993181756.post-74032355398146537052010-11-23T01:17:59.969-08:002010-11-23T01:17:59.969-08:00trop longtemps que je n'étais pas passée ici !...trop longtemps que je n'étais pas passée ici !!!<br />de bien belles photos pour un mur de l'horreur ................<br /><br />bises et bon mardi gourmand<br /><br />virginieAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12661898146158145554noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3703049574993181756.post-59317008497203012882010-11-21T22:14:33.697-08:002010-11-21T22:14:33.697-08:00I like thinking of you listening to the neighbors&...I like thinking of you listening to the neighbors' little red haired girl practicing the piano in the room next to yours.Denise | Chez Danissehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06418226690328176970noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3703049574993181756.post-26529148193267991212010-11-21T21:29:18.792-08:002010-11-21T21:29:18.792-08:00oh, gosh! that croissant made me laugh. the hipp...oh, gosh! that croissant made me laugh. the hippies sign, even harder!!<br /><br />truly remarkable, to see brambles engulfing the last vestiges, no?mollyhttp://www.remedialeating.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3703049574993181756.post-67740322382125748742010-11-21T06:51:56.291-08:002010-11-21T06:51:56.291-08:00Vanessa, I know there are many people in the US......Vanessa, I know there are many people in the US... college students, who know nothing of the Berlin wall or its fall. As history is taught less and less, the collective memory shortens more and more. As Satayana said, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." And so we will and so we do. Your images are so evocative of your city... I hope your students appreciate your vision.Deana Sidneyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14908407077861396161noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3703049574993181756.post-60737041794486223282010-11-19T14:48:39.667-08:002010-11-19T14:48:39.667-08:00merci pour cette agreable "promenade"merci pour cette agreable "promenade"juliahttp://laposegourmande.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3703049574993181756.post-48633429638645944272010-11-19T11:04:31.630-08:002010-11-19T11:04:31.630-08:00Amazing images, thank you so much for sharing with...Amazing images, thank you so much for sharing with us!<br /><br />Come enter my giveaway from Empress of the Eye! You will love the interview!<br /><br />xoxo<br />Karena<br /><br />Art by KarenaKarenahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05206642885608991170noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3703049574993181756.post-1240252534524468622010-11-19T06:05:40.304-08:002010-11-19T06:05:40.304-08:00I enjoyed the comments this post, Vanessa. And I w...I enjoyed the comments this post, Vanessa. And I was interested in the attitudes of looking back on bad times with nostalgia. I'm like you, we learn from history, but look forward and hope things get better.<br />When I would reminisce with my FIL he wasn't interested. He'd say: "That's history!!"<br />I so enjoy Berlin through your eyes and mind.Barbarahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10038190964528332030noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3703049574993181756.post-41154545654238926232010-11-19T05:41:04.172-08:002010-11-19T05:41:04.172-08:00Thank you for this post. One of the last things I...Thank you for this post. One of the last things I did before leaving Berlin was to visit the Wall Memorial at Bernauer Strasse. It was moving and haunting. I will try to get a copy of Stasiland. Your photos of Berlin make me want to return. There is so much to see.P.Khttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02141000578178946104noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3703049574993181756.post-32632329142968395532010-11-19T05:39:00.565-08:002010-11-19T05:39:00.565-08:00Tu sais Vanessa, je me souviens tres bien du temps...Tu sais Vanessa, je me souviens tres bien du temps ou le mur etait la, il n'y a pas si longtemps, ou des familles etaient separees depuis des dizaines d'annees, ou les gens, finalement, etaient prisonnier derrriere des barbeles. Je crois que les gens ont la memoire courte.Graciannehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18331358613172982977noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3703049574993181756.post-73729382687718364352010-11-19T04:16:19.921-08:002010-11-19T04:16:19.921-08:00@Lecia - Why thanks! Have a great weekend.
@Amber ...@Lecia - Why thanks! Have a great weekend.<br />@Amber - I'd be so honoured to walk through the city with you.<br />With Ostalgie, I agree that we all have a tendency to see it through those rose tinted glasses you mention. It's true that crime was lower because everyone was observed, food prices was cheaper (but then again, what could you buy) and there were excellent writers and plays in the East. After the Wall fell, it was hard to them to find a new direction. But we should be careful about overemphasising these aspects, that's all.Emilyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06967855350498876132noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3703049574993181756.post-5414878217017183502010-11-18T23:46:57.879-08:002010-11-18T23:46:57.879-08:00When I next travel to Berlin, could you be my walk...When I next travel to Berlin, could you be my walking guide? I love seeing the city through your eyes and I wish I had had this insight when I traveled there 2 years ago. <br /><br />I think that, in regards to "Ostalgie", many people view the past with tinted glasses. When something has come to pass away, we tend to ameliorate it. And sometimes there is comfort or a feeling of safety in a restrictive lifestyle. I don't know terribly much about these things, however. Just something I have noticed from others' experiemces.amberhttp://wabiwabi.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3703049574993181756.post-7570092755511121162010-11-18T10:55:05.543-08:002010-11-18T10:55:05.543-08:00So, so good Vanessa.So, so good Vanessa.Leciawphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10387890066375679646noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3703049574993181756.post-85373849867586518652010-11-17T08:03:03.131-08:002010-11-17T08:03:03.131-08:00@Hila - Thanks! Your post on more serious topics i...@Hila - Thanks! Your post on more serious topics inspired me to write about the memories of the Wall and I'm glad I took the plunge. <br />@Rose - Je pensais à toi à cet endroit que tu as visité en été. Moi aussi, cela m’impressionnait de voir ces panneaux de de penser que Nordbahnhof était une ghost station sans passagers. Tu as bien raison avec la journée de ménage; entendre ces femmes dire que c'était mieux avant!<br />@Pia - Do the pictures look different? I've still got my Canon SLR I bought a few months ago but maybe I just got more comfortable using it. I guess we're the last generation to still have some kind of memories of the old USSR, the Wall and, for me, Mrs Thatcher. Some people don't believe me but I really do remember the night the Wall fell, watching it on TV with my parents. For a maplover like you, looking at all these divisions must be fun.<br />@Sasa - How interesting about your friend. It's good though that he was still young enough when things changed to be able to enjoy a different life. I don't know if I'd have the emotional strength of some of the people who really suffered to be able to build a new life. Can't wait to share my experiences of the trip with you.Emilyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06967855350498876132noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3703049574993181756.post-60919389944665003562010-11-17T05:39:20.844-08:002010-11-17T05:39:20.844-08:00I have a friend who grew up in the East, he told m...I have a friend who grew up in the East, he told me they used to have this one shop where they sold Western clothes and everyone remembers the special smell it had and he's never smelt it since...He lives his life as if there's no tomorrow in a way and my armchair analysis of that is that he had to do so much hard stuff as a young man (dig pipelines in Russia etc) that he feels like he wants to make up for lost time.<br />Great and thought-provoking post, have a great trip lovely!Sasahttp://sasasunakku.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3703049574993181756.post-10410427799534691392010-11-17T03:04:18.013-08:002010-11-17T03:04:18.013-08:00Great pictures ! Am I going crazy or did you get a...Great pictures ! Am I going crazy or did you get a new camera ?<br />What a moving post! My students are only ten years younger than me, and I feel they're from a different generation already. When people ask me why, I always reply it's because the fall of the Berlin Wall is not part of their memories. I was very young at the time, but I already liked maps a lot. I remember my parents explaining to me that the world map we had in the living room was no longer up to date, that USSR didn't exist anymore (I remember the slight panic : where was it gone?).<br />Anyways, walls. It's hard to believe we're still considering them in some parts of the world...the_young_dudehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11930984329663883020noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3703049574993181756.post-18805118170427448122010-11-17T02:20:45.036-08:002010-11-17T02:20:45.036-08:00J'aime beaucoup ce post, les témoignages de be...J'aime beaucoup ce post, les témoignages de berlinois et les photos (ça ne doit pas être facile, le vélo avec toutes ces feuilles mortes). <br />A Nordbahnhof, cet été, il y avait quelques panneaux sur la partition du métro à l'époque du mur qui m'avaient passionnée. J'avais aussi trouvé très émouvants les portraits des victimes du mur dans la grande base de données du mémorial. Il faudrait passer des heures à découvrir toutes ces histoires singulières, ces espoirs déçus. <br />La journée housework me fait sourire, j'ai l'impression que la DDR essayait de faciliter la vie de la femme mais sans pousser l'audace jusqu'à bouleverser les stéréotypes et suggérer qu'on puisse partager les tâches ménagères !rosehttp://rosealu.canalblog.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3703049574993181756.post-27948782866273732212010-11-16T23:18:54.454-08:002010-11-16T23:18:54.454-08:00wow, wow, wow, what a terrific post and such an in...wow, wow, wow, what a terrific post and such an interesting topic. Berlin looks like such an incredible place.Hilahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06635628613744519816noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3703049574993181756.post-80668752825810297192010-11-16T23:07:37.369-08:002010-11-16T23:07:37.369-08:00@Susan - your comment makes me think of that Leona...@Susan - your comment makes me think of that Leonard Cohen song, the Future "Give me back the Berlin Wall, give me Stalin and St. Paul, I've seen the future brother, it is murder." Interesting that your visits to Berlin took place while it was still divided; it'd be interesting hearing more about that. I agree about the Ostalgia. Even if there were also good things, they were surely outnumbered by the bad and why would you want a dictatorship back?! Capitalism has serious flaws but at least it's better than this. Books like Stasiland are important to remind people of that so the cosy aspects of Trabis, Honecker jokes and graffiti covered slabs of Wall don't overshadow the evil. It's true that it gets worse whenever films are released, although I find the throwback with Goodbye Lenin much worse than the Lives of Others which shows the East in a negative light.<br /><br />With the Stasi files, I find it difficult to comment as I was never spied on. I guess people just want to know after being denied basic information for so long. Ulrich Mühe who played the Stasi agent in the Lives of Others describes the problems of doing this because even when you've read your files, you can't confront these informants publicly and have no legal right to make claims about them so the sense of closure is limited. Thanks for the long comment, it's good to know people have such strong feelings about the topic.<br /><br />Regarding the wedding, I was never married so don't know if it's more fun as a guest but I'm certainly looking forward to it. I haven't forgotten the ice skating and Christiams lights photos from London either! Take care.<br /><br />@Tracy - You know where you can stay if you come over this way...<br /><br />@Rosa - It's a sad fact that people miss a world where they seemed to be better off in some ways than today, even dictatorships. As Susan says, some Russians even want Stalin back. I haven't been to a wedding for a couple of years and can't wait.<br /><br />@Bren - Thanks to you for stopping by and saying hello. And thanks too for the comments; it's great to hear that.<br /><br />@Pacheco Party - Your guest post was awesome and it's lovely to see you here - thanks!<br /><br />@Julia - Je suis si contente de te revoir ici et j'ose même dire que j'espère avoir un nouveau billet de toi bientôt ^^. Mais je sais que tu n'as pas beaucoup de temps. Merci pour ton commentaire, je suis très touchée. J'ai le même sentiment en te lisant. Bises et à bientôt Julia.<br /><br />@Julie - It's a pleasure to have your posts again and thanks for taking the time to read mine. It's true hat Stasiland is an important book even if it's terribly sad and as you say, pretty intense. It won a couple of awards I think and when I visited the Stasi prison a couple of years back with Abbie, the guide recommended that as the book to read so it's good to see it getting some recognition. I like the way it's not just dry facts but also personal stories with hangovers etc.Emilyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06967855350498876132noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3703049574993181756.post-43255395448497551832010-11-16T14:51:39.849-08:002010-11-16T14:51:39.849-08:00One of the great things about staying away from th...One of the great things about staying away from the blogosphere for a while is to find a whole series of new Vanessa-posts to read! <br />I read Stasiland when it was published in France a few years ago and found it quite intense, 100% necessary. I thought the book deserved more recognition than it actually got at the time. Maybe things have changed...juliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09687665641496205234noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3703049574993181756.post-58333001314161769372010-11-16T14:37:27.845-08:002010-11-16T14:37:27.845-08:00Coucou Vanessa ! Mes visites se font rares ces tem...Coucou Vanessa ! Mes visites se font rares ces temps-ci, mais chaque fois que je viens faire un tour par chez toi, tu ne cesses de m'étonner. Bravo pour ce dernier billet ! Bises et bonne échappée en Angleterre :-) Julia*Julia*https://www.blogger.com/profile/09463437782338358279noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3703049574993181756.post-29842258937285424682010-11-16T14:25:50.147-08:002010-11-16T14:25:50.147-08:00I enjoyed the taste of life in Berlin that I'v...I enjoyed the taste of life in Berlin that I've experienced here on your lovely site. I love your blog name, photography and writing. All together a nice visit and thanks for your comments on my guest post for Lazaro:)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07726225325705989393noreply@blogger.com