The “Alte Muenze” building exists since the 1700s in Berlin’s historic center and has last seen action when the first Euro coins were minted, up to 2005. Tonight, potted candles lit the way down dank stairs into a cold drafty corridor, past heavy, open armored doors (now gallery space for contemporary art) and into the converted bar-room, thankfully warm. A flute of Veuve Clicquot champagne cheered my mood immediately. Hip and hot Chef Bernhard Munding was presiding tonight.  “Peanut drama in a rice paper roll” was a disappointing wrap – because no sauce – of fresh veggies and only drops of green curry and a shaving of pomelo.  “Tofu scents betrayal behind a Shimeji’s ear” turned out to be a delicious miso-based soup with shimeji mushroom, coconut and Asian chickpea.  For the main course I chose “The ox discovers a potato’s past” : two slices of tender ox shoulder, smoked potato mash (without any smokey-flavor) and sauteed radicchio. My vegetarian friend opted for the “root vegetables meditating in lemon”, which turned out to be just that.  “The tangerine stays in the nutty jungle on a milky boat”, featuring panda nut ice cream (salty/murky taste and, incidentally, not a nut at all but the fruit of the Pandanus tree), tangerine compote and a very smooth panna cotta (better description than the menue’s ‘fried milk skin’), rounded out my menu.

Would I come back?  Not necessarily for the food, maybe for the atmosphere. Fancy names cannot cover up a lack of substance.

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1. Berlin: Fashion Week walks
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Tokyo?  No! Berlin!  It is Fashion Week and there is fashion on and off catwalks all over town.  This is a pop-up art installation in a grafitti-covered storefront on spunky Tor Strasse in the Mitte district by the cult sneaker label “Asics”.  Featured is the Onitsuka Tiger directional collection and, shown here, two models from the Okatabi range in the the Aisen collection.  Note the split toe:  this is a “tabi” traditional shoe, also worn by martial arts practitioners.

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This wonderful display of blooms got its start thanks to a spontaneous act of friendship by the German-Japanese Circle of Friends in Berlin in 1990 and to the generous contributions of thousands of Japanese who contributed after the private Japanese television station Asahi asked for donations for this action.  All in all, enough funds were collected to plant over 10,000 trees in Berlin.  The most impressive result can be seen in Lichterfelde, along the border to the city of Potsdam.

Two men who got to know each other while planting the young trees, each coming from a different side of the Wall, initiated a Hanami or Cherry Blossom Festival along the Lichterfelde strip in 2001.  Since then, this yearly Festival attracts a growing number of visitors. This year, over 3000 came to admire the blossoms, Japanese handicraft, hear the German-Japanese Choir sing and take part in a “cherry pit spitting competition” for a charitable cause: the five top “spitters” qualified themselves to challenge the current German champion who spits cherry pits  the proud distance of 24.33 meters (about 72 ft.).

Off to one side, a forlorn bronze plaque gives thanks to the Japanese citizens and quotes one of the most famous of the 18^th century Haiku poets, Kobayashi Issa:

cherry blossom shade
no one an utter
stranger

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This city was called home by the paramount German poets Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Johann Friedrich von Schiller, composers Franz Liszt and Johann Sebastian Bach, the painter Lucas Cranach the elder, the philosopher Johann Gottfried Herder, just to name the most prominent ones.  Ludwig van Beethoven, Richard Wagner, Hans Christian Andersen, Lyonel Feininger and Walter Gropius are no less prominent contributors to the world cultural heritage who spent part of their lives here.

Weimar, in the province of Thuringia and first mentioned in records in 899,  is a jewel of a small city of approx. 65,000 inhabitants, located in the middle of the country and easily accessible by train or car.  For centuries, it has rightly held the title of a cultural capital and not only since it was European Cultural Capital in 1999.

In the 20^th century, Weimar was the cradle of the Bauhaus movement, whose architectural influence is still with us today. In fact, 2009 marks the 90^th anniversary of this movement. It will be celebrated with many events, the main one being an exhibition from April 1 to July 5, 2009.

And last but certainly not least, it is home to one of the most famous libraries, the Anna-Amalia library, named after the duchess Anna Amalia von Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel, recently restored and now again open to the public, after a horrific fire threatened to destroy it completely in 2004.

For anyone interested in the German classics, this charming town is a must-see. Stay at the Elephant Hotel, now a member of the Sheraton Luxury Hotel Collection right on the central market square, or the elegant Russischer Hof on the Goetheplatz. In addition, there are many smaller historic buildings that have been converted into hotels or guest houses, such as Hotel am Frauenplan.

The Thuringian National State Opera & Theater

There is a wealth of things to do (by the way, be sure to take a look at the excellent website set up by the Klassik Stiftung Weimar for up to date visitor informatiion):  Visit the Goethe and Schiller houses, the Anna Amalia Rococo Library Hall (see note below about reservations), the Belvedere Castle complex, the Herder Church with its magnificent triptych altar by Lucas Cranach the elder, attend an opera performance or concert in the Opera House, and generally explore the nooks and cranies of the cobble-stoned old city and its adjacent parks. You will find numerous antique shops (after all, the city was a magnet for the arts in the 18^th and 19^th century), art galleries and a ginkgo tree museum.

Established thanks to the initiative of Mr. H. G. Becker, the small, private ginkgo museum is centrally

The Ginkgo Museum on the main square

located on the main square. The ginkgo tree was introduced to German gardens during Goethe's time in the mid-18^th century. He was so fascinated with it, that he started a tradition of giving dried ginkgo leaves to his friends, even writing a poem about it to one of his many female "muses". Highly revered in Asia for centuries for its alleged healing properties, it was the first tree to come back to life, less than a mile away from where the atom bomb was dropped in Hiroshima, Japan in 1945. This tree species, known to be at least 200.000 million years old, older than the dinosaurs, rightly has been named "immortal".

Commemorating a dark chapter of World War II history is the Buchenwald Memorial to the concentration camp set up in 1937 and in operation until 1945. It is located only about 10 km north of Weimar. More than 250.000 inmates from about 50 different nationalities were held there. After the end of WWII, the Soviet regime continued to use the facilities as an internment camp. By the time it was finally disbanded in 1950, approximately another 28,000 persons had been held there (of which ,more than 7000 died).

For English speakers, there is a two-hour self-guiding audio-guide available, at €3; call or email anmeldung@buchenwald.de beforehand to reserve these guides as only a limited number are available.

Eating out:

If you are In the mood for a real gourmet meal go to Anna Amalia Gourmet Restaurant In the Hotel Elephant.

Sausage Stand in front of the Town Hall

However, Thuringia is well known for its sausages and other "Wurst" delicacies. Enjoy one of these at the market stand on a bun with spicy mustard. The sausage stands are there every day, but the colorful market with its array of local produce and regional delicacies is held on Wednesdays and Saturday mornings. Another charming lunch spot is the home of the famous 18^th century protestant preacher J. W. Herder, situated behind his church. Simple, forthright and home-made meals in an historic environment. Be sure to visit the adjoining "Herder Garden", where, in season, many of the vegetables used in the kitchen are grown.

Weimar Kaffee Roesterei

If in Germany, remember to do as the locals do and enjoy Kaffee und Kuchen (coffee and cake) at about 4 p.m.   The Kaffeerosterei is run by Sabine Zotzmann, one of the few female coffee roasters in the world, who actually roasts her beans on the premises and thus promises the real bean flavor, as well as some excellent home-made Kuchens (the "Ruebli" or carrot cake on Wednesdays is a dream!).  Another favorite is the old-fashioned Café am Frauentor, also with an excellent and extensive selection of cakes - one of the really sinful ones is the "Thueringische Schmandtorte" (Thuringian Cream cake).

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Hotel Elephant *****

Markt 19
99423 Weimar
Tel:  +49 (0) 3643 8020

Grand Hotel Russischer Hof *****

Goetheplatz 2
99423 Weimar
Tel: +49 (0) 3643 7740

Hotel am Frauenplan ***  directly opposite the Museum in Goethe's home

Brauhausgasse 10
99423 Weimar
Tel: +49 (0) 3643 49440

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