A BUS

Late in the evening. We are standing on a bus stop with a girl friend of mine waiting for a bus. A bus comes by and we start waving hands to show we don’t need this one. It stops anyway, the bus driver opens the front door, smiles at us and says “May be the next time?” I love Berliner bus drivers!!!

Snow in the city of graphities

These pictures were captured some time ago but since it is still winter, I thought they were quite relevant. Allora, snow in Berlin!

Hallo Tante Ju! Deutsches Technikmuseum Berlin

Just like most of the girls I am not really interested in technical equipment until the moment it stops functioning. Since museums are normally places that store exactly this kind of stuff I thought it was a good reason to make an effort and to go to this one. So I went there and you know what? I will go there again and again!

First of all, they’ve managed to collect lots of beautiful things like old cars, trains, yachts, aircrafts… Sure there are plenty of small copies of frigates and some other things that you can hardly store in one building, but there are also some real boats, yachts, lots of planes, locomotives… And it is great to see the flying legend of the German aviation – a real Tante Ju!

Secondly what normally bores me to death in the museums are the “don’ts”. Don’t talk aloud, don’t make pictures, don’t touch anything… the only thing you are allowed to do is to watch. And this is not the case in the 'Deutsches Technikmuseum Berlin'. Yes, you are allowed to express your emotions! Yes you can take pictures with and without flash! Yes you can touch and even interact with lots of things! Like for example, there is a real steamboat that you can get on to walk on the deck imagining yourself the old salt. Or there are drawers you can open to discover old pictures of pilots, their books and medals. Or walk along a wall with many pairs of glasses in it. Watch through them, see stereo pictures of the aristocrats gazing at the flying biplanes and feel like a child looking at the grown-ups through a crack in a fence. There is also a hall with many educational and entertaining games for kids.

Take you time as the museum is huge and has enough things to keep you busy for the whole day.

Luetzow bar

Oh, I really love this place! Did I already mention they also have an additional menu they change every month? My favorite in January is the Flip with Cognac and Crème de Cacao: sweet like chocolate, tender like a kiss, festive like the new year…

La vita in Berlin e bella!!!

Trattoria "La vita è bella" in Belziger Straße 20 is a fantastic place! There is only one indispensable condition: you come in a good mood and ready to chat. To be honest, there is one more condition: do not expect a long menu. The boss and proprietor of the place or one of the waiters will move towards you the blackboard on which you will see the menu of the day: fish, homemade pasta, salads... Everything so fresh you will not believe they do not grow or fish it themselves. Be aware that the later you come the fewer dishes you will see on the menu: as fresh things are not that fresh on the next day, they do not store them. If you would like your fish served with another side dish as offered on the menu just talk to the waiter, he will happily offer you a couple of alternatives.
Good food is not enough now days. Most of us also do need entertainment. Try to chat with the Nunziante de Filippo, the owner of the place. He is there almost 365 days a year and he really seems to enjoy moving the blackboard here and there. If he likes you, he is gonna talk to you for a while turning your meal in Berlin into an evening in Napoli. Just watch him speaking German while his hands simultaneously speak Italian, - admirable performance!
Buon appetite e una serata simpatica!

Happy new year?

I hope to become a better blogger this year, to blog more often, more interesting and to have kinder judgements. Amen...