So, Edmund de Waal covers this history at length in White Road, but during the 17th and 18th centuries in Europe, rich people collected Chinese and Japanese porcelain like crazy–like it was toilet paper during the pandemic; like there was a zombie apocalypse on, and the only things that could stop zombies were teacups. SoContinue reading “Ceramics Saturdays: The Porcelain Cabinet at Charlottenburg”
Author Archives: mourningdove
Field Trip Fridays: Charlottenburg
Not the most auspicious day to visit the sprawling Neoclassical Prussian castle and grounds, but it was still interesting, particularly the little exhibition of German Romanticist paintings in the New Pavilion. I’m sure Germans consider Caspar David Friedrich schlocky, but man, could he paint. And since my working definition of art is “Things I can’tContinue reading “Field Trip Fridays: Charlottenburg”
German Word of the Week: Glückspilz
A glückspilz is someone who’s happy-go-lucky: sort of a cross between the American expressions “Pollyanna” and “lucky devil.” It transliterates “happy/lucky mushroom” and is, in fact, the German name of the (poisonous!) flycap or fly agaric that Euro-American kids associate with fairytales and gnomes–the one with the red cap and white spots. As a metaphor,Continue reading “German Word of the Week: Glückspilz”
Winter Soups: Curried Squash with Popcorn and Apple
The weather in Berlin continues to suck, shocking exactly no one. So, when I got back from a long bike ride today (more on that tomorrow), I was thoroughly chilled and craving hot soup. My local grocery store has these pretty Red Hokkaido squashes that look like smallish, bumpy pumpkins (I think they’re in theContinue reading “Winter Soups: Curried Squash with Popcorn and Apple”
Berliner Dom
The largest Protestant church in Germany dominates the Museumsinsel in the center of Berlin. The site of the Hohenzollern dynastic crypt and one church or another since the 1400s, it now boasts a hulking Baroque Revival cathedral built at the turn of last century by Emperor Wilhelm II. It’s not a pretty church. Constructed onContinue reading “Berliner Dom”
Aikido and Rhetoric: Waking Up
The Art of Peace is not easy. It is a fight to the finish, the slaying of evil desires and all falsehood within. On occasion the Voice of Peace resounds like thunder, jolting human beings out of their stupor. Morihei Ueshiba, The Art of Peace It is the thunderbolt that steers the course of allContinue reading “Aikido and Rhetoric: Waking Up”
Friday Favorites: Feedly Clean-up
A random assortment of fun diversions for the weekend here: Visiting Rajasthan has always been high on my list; now this rose garden near Lahore is making it even more of a priority. I never get tired of watching this wildlife-cam footage: coyote and badger playing together. “Viewfinder” is a sweet, short animated film aboutContinue reading “Friday Favorites: Feedly Clean-up”
Pizza!
I can’t remember whose vlog I was watching, maybe Ashley Choi’s, but she got pizza and wine with a friend on a cold winter night, and I thought: That is a great idea. I’ve been cooking well for myself since I arrived in Berlin, but I haven’t gotten much in the way of local takeout,Continue reading “Pizza!”
Field-Trip Fridays: Wollparadies Fadeninsel
My knitting needles finally arrived today (let’s not talk about how much I paid to have that box shipped to me), and so I went to a yarn store today to get ready for my next knitting project. Wollparadies Fadeninsel is on Oranienstraße in the cute, hip neighborhood of Kreuzberg. The staff were *super* friendlyContinue reading “Field-Trip Fridays: Wollparadies Fadeninsel”
Recovery from Narcissistic Abuse
I am a survivor of narcissistic abuse (NA), and so I wanted to put a brief handlist together of the resources I have found most helpful in my ongoing recovery. First, a few caveats based on my experience: There’s a lot of content on the Internet about narcissism, NA, and C-PTSD (complex post-traumatic stress disorder,Continue reading “Recovery from Narcissistic Abuse”
The Rookery 