Art, Berlin, Fairy Tales, Photos

Gallery: Der Märchenbrunnen im Volkspark Friedrichshain

The Fairy Tale Fountain was designed by architect Ludwig Hoffman from 1901-1913. Badly damaged in WWII, the fountain has been restored to its former glory. It includes statues of Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, Hansel and Gretel, The Seven Ravens, Little Red Riding Hood, Puss in Boots, Sister and Brother, and Cinderella. There are also statues of Ryubetsal and Mother Hulda nearby.

Art, Berlin, History, Photos

Gallery: Alter Garnisonsfriedhof, Berlin (Old Garrison Cemetery)

My flatmate, Elliott, and I went to have Vietnamese food, which sounds strange for Berlin, but because we are in the former East Berlin there are dozens of Vietnamese restaurants that have been here since the 60s. On the way back, we found this small cemetery around the corner from our apartment on Kleine Rosenthaler Straße. It was our first cemetery here, and was a good introduction to the beauty and natural serenity of the German model for a final resting place. Cemeteries are everywhere and are treated like parks and greenspace by they community. People picnic in them, have lunch, meet with friends, take walks, even go there on dates. The cemeteries are always filled with people tending the graves and planting flowers.

Bremen, Fairy Tales, Personal Journal, Photos

Gallery: Bremen

My search for the Bremen Town Musicians statue was thwarted because a refugee rally was taking place in the town square. I returned the next day and was able to locate my statue. I did get the chance to explore St. Petri cathedral and much of the architecture of the square. Bremen is known as a blue collar town, and in the modern day has some fairly obvious issues with drugs, alcohol, and homelessness. Someone tried to pick my pocket in the train station, and I encountered several people who were clearly either mentally ill or intoxicated who were aggressively panhandeling. I also encountered an elderly man loudly and endlessly singing a song about cuckoos on a park bench.

It is interesting to note that all 5 of Germany’s veterinary schools have a statue of the Bremen Town Musicians in front of them.

Fairy Tales

Tale: Brüderchen und Schwesterchen

Der Märchenbrunnen im Volkspark Friedrichshain, Berlin. Photo by Scarlett Messenger
Der Märchenbrunnen im Volkspark Friedrichshain, Berlin. Photo by Scarlett Messenger

Little brother took his little sister by the hand and said, since
our mother died we have had no happiness. Our step-mother
beats us every day, and if we come near her she kicks us away
with her foot. Our meals are the hard crusts of bread that are left
over. And the little dog under the table is better off, for she
often throws it a choice morsel. God pity us, if our mother only
knew. Come, we will go forth together into the wide world.
Continue reading Tale: Brüderchen und Schwesterchen →