Berlin Velothon 2015

Posters along the 120km cycle route , as soon as Knud saw this he just had to enter, how lucky we were here in Berlin this very weekend!
Racing towards the finish
Knud enjoying some traditional post race refreshments
And of course there were the sponsors merchandising stalls
Cycle just about finished, looking back down towards Charlottenburg Tor , never seen the road so empty

In the scheme of logistics this would take some beating. Started in 2008 this is now the second largest cycle event in Europe. 15,000 entrants, over 250,000spectators. Two routes,60km & 120km . The entire route is blocked from regular traffic, yes thats right 120km totally blocked! all day ! and some parts like the major boulevard through Berlin has been blocked for days while they set up the start and finish areas.
Knud had a very enjoyable ride, of course could not help himself, managed the 120km in 3hours 25 minutes, including 10 minutes repairing rear wheel!

ImEx at the Nationalgalerie

Waiting outside the Nationalgalerie before opening time. Pays to get there early as the queues are horrendous latter in the day.
I was thrilled to discover this special exhibition showing this summer. Impressionism Expressionism.
From 1896 Berlins Nationalgalerie were the first gallery to begin collecting Impressionist painting, this foresight was carried on by the next director who collected Expressionist artists.
This exhibition traces the similarities and differences between the 2 movements, over 160 works, mainly by French and German artists. What a fantastic exhibition, took so many photos but can't put them all up on blog so here are just a few.
to check out more about the exhibitiongo to www.imexinberlin.de

Woman in Red by Lesser Ury 1911 how gorgeous is this little one, never seen it before but fell in love at once
Double Portrait by Max Pechstein 1910
Dancing English Couple by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner ,what fun
Gabrielle Reading by Renoir 1906
Portrait of Artists Wife by August Macke 1912
The above 2 paintings are a good example of the different ways the same subject matter was treated between the Impressionists and the Expressionists.

A few random things

The Germans sure know what it means to have a proper size piece of cake!
The Paris Roubaix took on a new meaning once the strawberry season started
IKEA, its that attention to detail that have put them in front of the competition
Evening light on the crane opposite our mooring in Spandau

Werder to Spandau

Windmill at Werder
Drifts of pollen on the deck ! spring time , hayfever, fantastic
View of old town of Werder as we made our way down the Havel towards Spandau

Cut the umbilical cord yesterday morning and a beautiful 4 hour cruise into Spandau which is on the outskirts of Berlin. A good spot to get a few jobs done, ie life vests need servicing, gas found , few spare parts etc. Will have 2 nights here before heading into Berlin. The warm weather has vanished and its back to wind and cloud. For those of you who think we escape winter, think again.

Gorgeous cycle

The cycling here in Germany is amazing, the cycle paths good and plentiful. Went on a beautiful ride the other day around some of the nearby lakes, made our way to Fetch, cycling through woodlands, passing interesting buildings, so many photo opportunities!

Werder on the Havel

Every cloud has a silver lining as the saying goes and it has been proved again!. Last week out generator came to a grinding halt, and after some trouble shooting by Knud the problem proved beyond his many talents, so.......,. a few phone calls and the best Panda Generator repair guy was to be found in Werder, on our way to Berlin. Arrived here Wednesday evening and fell in love with the place straight away. Generator fixed quickly Thursday morning and we then decided to spend the next 5 nights here, a busy long weekend coming up so great to be tied up at a good quay. The old town of Werder is on an island and appears to have escaped any bombing damage from last war, the streets are cobble stone, houses well looked after, all very cute!

A few odd sights

What the ?!! Can't begin to imagine where they went shopping for these outfits
There are lots of different ways to cruise the waterways
I'll never be able to throw out an old broom again

New Crew

Benjamin at the wheel on the Havel
Benedike needing a bit of extra elevation to see out the window
First time its been warm enough to sit on deck for a meal, in port at Rathenow

Having a wonderful few days with Mathilde, Kristoffer, Benjamin & Benedike' s visit. Cruising along the Havel River stopping off to see the BUGA along the way. Linquenda causing a bit of interest too. Glad I have made an effort with the pot plants this year.

A cycle along part of Elberadweg

A welcome stopping place at Büttnershof on the Elberadweg,
Knud enjoying a reviving drop
Thrilled to spy these gorgeous ceramics outside a boutique in the middle of nowhere, only problem, they were shut, oh well guess it saved a collection of broken pieces in the bottom of my pannier
Werben, as far as we got before turning into a head wind and pushing for home.

Had a wonderful day doing a largish , 100km cycle from where we were moored on the Havel at Schollene, did a large loop, headed over to Arneburg and joined the Elberadweg and headed in a northerly direction before turning at Werben and heading back down to Havelberg and then home. Passing through beautiful countryside on small country roads or designated cycle paths, such a joy to cycle in Germany. For the uninitiated the Elberadweg is the Elbe River Cycle route that covers 1200km.

Recap of a lovely week

Spring time in Germany and time to get the flower pots ready and generally pretty the place up. Have noticed they do like a decorated hay bale.

BUGA 2015

What an amazing show!! Just not enough adjectives to write how beautiful this is. If you want to find out a bit more about BUGA the flower show held every two years go onto www.buga_2015_have region.de
This years show is being held in 5 towns in the Havel region, we have been cruising northwards down the Havel, theses photos from Rathenov show. Being early in the season the crowds are not here , thank goodness , bit selfish I know but somehow the peace and tranquillity would disappear quick smart when one had to shuffle along to get a glimpse of the flower beds. Spring time so its tulips everywhere, never seen so many in all my life! Display will change with the seasons, all ends in October.