Thabang Motsei

Trails Of Berlin 20 Years On

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 06:04:15 GMT

When my need for a quick city break kicked in, my friend Katherin invited me to visit her in Berlin, Germany

I had never been to Germany and what I knew about the country and the people revolved around its divided history, which in some ways resembles my own country, South Africa.

My tour de Berlin was a time for friends to rekindle lost moments, in a city trying to define itself, over historical monuments, great food and German hospitality!

Kat grew up in East Germany and is much happier living in the west of the city. She grew up during the years of the Berlin Wall that separated East Germany from West Germany for 282 years, and was there with many others when it was brought down on 9 November 1989.

I let Kat transport me into her recollections of old Berlin and the Wall, her memories as well as her desires back in those days. I was fascinated, drawn in by her stories of human beings asking to be treated with dignity and freedom. Kat was one of the thousands who broke down the Berlin Wall, in search of that freedom which the East Germany government had denied them. When I asked her what was the first thing she did when the wall came down, she said quite cheerfully: “I had yoghurt with fresh tropical fruit. That was the first thing I wanted, yoghurt and fresh fruits, because it was such a luxury in East Germany.”

We rode our bikes deeper into the city, stopping whenever Kat had a story to share about a particular historic place and her memory of it. The Gendarmenmarkt holds a special place in Kat’s heart, as it’s where thoughts became dreams and where later, dreams became reality. “This is one of my favourite places in all of Berlin,” Kat told me. “When I was a teenager, I would come here, go up to the Deutscher Dom (German cathedral) and look out to West Berlin. It was so close, yet so far away. I hoped, I dreamed and longed for the day when I would be a part of that world. I knew that once I crossed over the wall, my life would begin.” And begin, it did. When the wall came down, Kat finished her schooling and later sat down for her foreign office exams, and she became the youngest and one of the first diplomats from East Germany.

I looked around, taking in the panoramic view of the plaza and agreed with Kat that perhaps this may be one of the most beautiful squares in Europe. Here the Deutscher Dom, the Französischer Dom (French cathedral) and the Konzerthaus (concert hall) create a beautiful architectural ensemble. It’s almost like music is being amplified through architecture. In other words, if you just keep quiet… you could hear serenity and beauty!

By the end of the trip I felt whole again, I remembered what friendship is about and why travelling infuses so much into our lives. I had traveled differently in Berlin, not rushing to go to all the museums and galleries. I took in the multi-racial celebrations at the Carnival of Culture and the smiles from strangers. Berlin, as a city, reiterates that differences need understanding and that there’s room for everyone to live in harmony, not always perfectly, but always evolving and adjusting. Thank God the wall fell 20 years ago, or I would never have know the new Berlin.

The French are gastronomic geniuses!

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 19:44:20 GMT

I love entertaining and, even more, I love eating. With our busy lives, we don’t always get time to cook for ourselves – but when fate and time allow it, I invite friends over for a dinner party

My blog for this week is on one of the best dinner parties I’ve been to in a while. Two of my girlfriends and I were invited to a dinner party in the city. Armed with a variety of red wines (Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Shiraz) we headed off to the south of London where we were going to be entertained à la Française (the French way). That can only mean: delectable food, excellent wine, engaging company and, certainly, world music.

My friend Brice, who played host, is from the French countryside, from a town called Villaines-les-Rochers. The population is 922, and they’re known for wicker baskets and the fact that most of the population lives in semi-troglodyte houses (caved dwellings). However – more importantly – he is French and the French are known as gastronomic geniuses. We felt very privileged to be invited over for a mouth-watering French dinner.

Menu

Aperitif
An assortment of stuffed green olives, cashew nuts and side nibbles accompanied by a very strange liqueur called Ricard, which is France’s favourite drink and was founded in Marseille by Paul Ricard. Not to be taken lightly, you have to mix it with water and can only take in about a quarter of a small glass (otherwise you might pass out before the party starts). The liqueur – an acquired taste – wasn’t really popular with us ladies, but when in France, do as the French do.

Starter
We then sat down for our first course of the meal, the starter: Salade de Chèvre Chaud. Chèvre Chaud is basically goat’s cheese served hot. Brice served this with a green salad and parma ham with an olive oil and balsamic vinegar vinaigrette. The choice of beverage was a Touraine wine brought all the way from France.

Main
For the main course we had Civet de Canard au vin rouge (duck). He served this with flavoured steamed potatoes. This was accompanied by another one of our infamous reds. The duck was so succulent we left nothing on our plates.

After main (cleansing the palette)
Pain de campagne (country bread) and Le Rustique Camembert cheese.

Dessert
Chocolate cake with ice cream followed by a very chilled bottle of the well known bubbly Moët et Chandon.

I had such a wonderful evening that taking my hat off to the chef seemed a small gesture; hence I wanted to share this with you: we didn’t have to go to France to enjoy what it has to offer. In this multicultural, global world we live in, we know at least one person who can introduce us to something new. What better way to do that than break bread together. I can’t wait for you to share your memorable dinner parties with me. Happy eating!

We Can All Fly!

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 06:49:18 GMT

Recently, I decided that I wanted to fly – so I tried indoor skydiving

I’m a thrill seeker. I’m rarely fazed by most things, particularly those that make me come out of my shell or allow me to experience something different, mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually. I love to see how far I can push myself and my mind.

Recently, I decided that I wanted to fly. (I can hear R Kelly as my soundtrack song…) But no, seriously, I’m talking about the kind of flying that lets you feel like a bird, just floating above and looking down at the world from a different point of view. I wasn’t psyched enough yet to jump out of an aeroplane, but I did find an alternative with the same results. It’s called indoor skydiving.

Imagine a wind tunnel that could be used for testing the aerodynamics of an F1 racing car, turn it upright, step into the airflow and you are skydiving.

The idea of flying indoors was first tried by the American military in 1964. In 1982, a couple of vertical wind tunnels opened in Tennessee and Las Vegas and the first Sky Venture tunnel opened in Orlando, Florida in 1998.

So here I was at Airkix in Milton Keynes, London, the only indoor skydiving facility in Europe, dressed in the most unflattering orange and blue overall that made me look like an astronaut, a helmet, flying goggles and sneakers. I watched the instruction video and then received the safety prep talk. This is peanuts, I thought, this whole indoor flying seems a bit overrated!

As I made my way towards the tunnel, I couldn’t help but feel like Tom Cruise in Top Gun, the scene where he’s all geared up and heading towards the planes… It’s now or never, no turning back! My heart was thumping in my hands.

I decided to be last as to watch everyone else and get a sense of the technique before I ploughed myself in. My turn arrived. I stood up and made my way to the door. I couldn’t keep my eyes off the tunnel. I guess that is the moment in skydiving that you have to decide if you’re going to jump or not. If I let go of the instructor, I will be freefalling at 1200mph in a vertical wind tunnel. That’s when it hit me: I can either stand at the door consumed by fear (or was it adrenalin?), or I could just let go and fly.

Can you see me in the tunnel, the wind blowing like a tornado and me in the middle. Can you hear my heart beating? That is the beat of “I did it”. I’m flying! It is exhilarating! It was a moment that lingered forever, but one that went by so quickly.