Berlin

I didn't realise how badly I'd been ignoring this blog, until I just came on and saw my last post was nearly a month ago. Sorry blog.

Between working hectic shifts at the pub (most of which steal my evenings - prime blogging time!), trying to keep up with my sewing and finding a time for my boyfriend and social life, I guess I've let it slip. I want to now correct this wrong.

I recently went on a city trip break to Berlin with the other half, and I bet I know what you're thinking, what does this have to do with costume? Quite frankly, and literally, nothing. However costume is inspired by culture, art, life. It is creating a character, and therefore understanding different cultures and circumstances that shape their personalities and influenced their clothing. There's one thing that Berlin certainly has in buckets, and that's culture.

Polar Bear Sculpture: Berlin Zoo

Having never been to anywhere in Germany before, because my Jewish mother finds the prospect quite daunting, I found it a refreshing and amazing experience. I loved it. It is unlike any other capital city I've ever visited. It's beautiful and has this modern touch with all these touches of underlying old. Very intriguing. Obviously it is a very new city, with the damage hailed to it in WW2 and after the collapse of the Berlin Wall only just over 20 years ago. This is a city that has suffered much damage and torment, and through that has become an incredibly lively and cultural place to be.

Brandenberg Gate

There is a wonderfully artist retro vibe through Berlin, and they do call it the craft Capital, with many artisans flocking to it as their home after the reforms. You see this creative culture everywhere. In the graffiti murals and paintings, so unlike the British scrawl you see in London, to the beautiful architecture, to the sculptures and fountains that are buried away within the acres of parkland stretched across the city. In fact one of the most refreshing things about Berlin is the woodland, the greenery. Over 1/3 of the city is taken up by parkland and it really makes a difference. You can walk straight off a busy main road in the very heart of Berlin by the Reichstag, and walk for miles through the wooded Tiergarten. Heaven for the imagination, so easy to remove yourself from the hustle and bustle.

The viewing Dome atop the Reichstag.

Berlin is an unforgettable city and one I'm very glad I took the time to visit. The culture and the characters to be found there are so interesting. They've given me a new range of people and new understanding of characters. And undoubtably, with visits to the Jewish Museum, and the Topography of Terror museum my knowledge of Berlins history, Germany's history, and my own history is so much more acute. This one trip could influence my outlook and understanding in whole new ways.