berlin's enchanted ballroom...full of whimsy, widows and two wildly determined women

There is a magical place in the heart of Berlin...where widows once danced, and bombs fell, and whimsy ruled. It still does. This is Clärchens Ballhaus.

A few weeks ago, on a work trip to Berlin, I took in an afternoon tour of one of my favourite places. Whenever I have the good fortune to spend a couple of days in this fascinating city, I always try to spend a Sunday afternoon at Clärchens Ballhaus, where for over a century couples of all shapes and sizes have been coming to ballroom dance.

Marion Kiesow giving her presentation in the Spiegelsaal (Hall of Mirrors)

Back in the day, 1913 to be exact, this dance hall opened up in the centre of Berlin. It was pre-war, WWI, and Berlin was well on its way to becoming a global capital of modernization, technology and culture. The streets were full of private cars puttering around. Innovation and excitement were fueling a desire to be taken seriously; a yearning to be the next London or Paris.

And, into this heady atmosphere waltzed the neighbourhood dance hall. On the heels of the Belle Epoque era of "chanson" and the provocative caberets of Paris, Berliners flocked to dance floors around the city to sashay the nights away.

Opened in September 1913, by Fritz and Clara Bühler, Bühlers Tanzhaus quickly became known as "Clärchens", an affectionate turn on the hostess's name. Everyone was welcome to dance here. The general public in the large mainfloor ballroom, to popular tunes of the day (think Irving Berlin and Enrico Caruso), and the upper echelon of society in the upstairs Spiegelsaal (Hall of Mirrors) secretively dancing the newest craze...the Argentine Tango.

The Tango had arrived in Paris in 1905, a seductive mixture of the Habanero and the Waltz, and many other South American influences. It was an extremely sexy way for the avant-garde to express themselves behind closed doors. In November 1913 Kaiser Wilhelm II had restricted his officers from dancing the tango implying that only children of prostitutes would engage in such activity.

After the war came to an end and the city began a tough recovery period, Clärchen realized that there were far too many widows, including herself, now searching for a brief respite from reality. She began to host widows balls, personally inviting women she knew to come and dance with each other, and encouraging the few men who were still in Berlin to join them. The dance floor was full again, lonely people had reasons to smile again... the evenings were a hit.

Heinrich Zille, a very well-known Berliner satirist and illustrator spent much time at Clärchens Ballhaus, after he himself became a widower in 1919. His tongue-in-cheek depictions of the popular culture at the time and his social commentary about the common folk, to which he regarded himself as belonging, made him nationally famous in the 1920's. A few of his prints hang on the walls on the lower level of Clärchens.

The ballhaus developed a reputation for being 'ein derbes Vergnügen' (bawdy amusement), and that "no one goes home alone", with the maitre'd often warning young women, "be careful, not everyone is Prince Charming."

In 1932, Clärchen married for the second time. She had decorated the interior to reflect a sort of Japanese oasis, with Cherry blossom wallpaper covering the lower ballroom walls, while upstairs in the Spiegelsaal much remained untouched.

WWII began and the ballhaus had to close. Many difficult years followed, and much of the city was destroyed. Bombs took out the entire front area of the house, but miraculously left both ballrooms basically intact. To this day the mirrors are the original ones, with only minor cracks visible from the bombings. Most of the damage they've experienced has come from the sun.

The original chandelier which fell during the bombing, now hangs as decoration

Clärchen was innovative, and the people loved her for it. The war officially ended in May 1945 and by July the dance hall's doors were open and the ballroom was full of dancing. Berliners cleared a path through the rubble where the front house had once stood, music was played and people danced.

But, there was also the dark side of Berlin. The East. The Russian side. During the war, the Russians took over Clärchens using it for war planning meetings. After the war, the Stasi spies were in Clärchens watching and recording what Berliners were saying and doing. Only on the dance floor were they really free. Berliners needed the music, and they needed to dance. And Clärchen did everything she could to keep things moving.  

When the Russians finally cleared out of Clärchens, she was left with all of the garbage they left behind. Horses had been living in parts of the house, materials and war remnants, along with rolls and rolls of maps were left upstairs in the Spiegelsaal. Times were extraordinarily tough for Clara, so she improvised and used all of the materials she could. She cut up the maps and had her staff use them as scrap paper to write out drink and food orders.

In 1948, Clärchen found out that her husband had a daughter from a previous relationship. She came to live with them and in 1967, after working alongside her 'new' parents, she officially took over the ballhaus.

Through the decades of the cold war and the seperation between East and West, not more obvious than the imposing Berlin Wall cutting through Berlin Mitte, Clärchens survived. Berliners kept dancing, couples fell in love and got married, and over the years Clärchens Ballhaus became known as the "Wartesaals des Glücks" (the waiting room of happiness). Couples who met and fell in love at Clärchens are still a thing.

Now, Clärchens has a large beer garden out front, the main ballroom for Sunday "tanz tees" (afternoon dancing), restaurant dining and dancing (of course), and special events, such as Oktoberfesting good times. There is also a closed-in Wintergarten (below) for private functions - a room which I immediately fell in love with.

If you find yourself in Berlin, I would highly recommend you check out Clärchens Ballhaus for an afternoon beer, an evening dance or just a tour through the magical Spiegelsaal. Walking across the creaking hardwood floors where widows, soldiers and Clärchen herself have walked before, seeing your reflection in the hundred-year-old mirror that could tell a host of stories if it could, or just watching couples gliding around the dance floor free in the music, is enchanting. I personally love being in this special place and that's why I always pop in for a visit. Maybe the next time I'll stay awhile... and dance.

If you go:

Website for reservations and Marion Kiesow's tour info:  https://claerchensball.haus/en/

the berlin wall...its peaceful demise, and the people who brought about change

Today, 30 years ago, the world watched as hundreds of thousands of East and West Germans literally pulled the Berlin Wall down. As inspiring and incredible as that day was, and I remember well the excitement and underage drinking that celebration involved in Canada, at the German Canadian Club,    the story about how this came to pass should mean much more to us now then just the events of November 9, 1989.

The power that people have when they work together for good inspires me greatly, and how a group of  average East German citizens, over a decade got this ball rolling, forcing local, then European, and then international leaders to take notice, enacting significant change for the better, is nothing short of incredible.

Often it takes just one person to have the courage to get things started.

Way back in the early 1980's, Christian Führer (which funnily enough translates into English as 'christian leader'), a new pastor of the protestant Nikolai Church in Leipzig, East Germany, began Monday night prayer meetings at the church. Open to everyone, it was a chance for mostly young people to connect, to pray, and to dream for a better future.

East Germans, at that time, had already been living with the communist GDR regime for decades, and the Berlin Wall was already 20 years old. An entire generation of young people hadn't known freedom.

The GDR was a brutal regime. Uprisings in the '60's had been bloodily quashed, rumours constantly swirled of Stasi spies infiltrating workplaces, schools, and even families. People had gotten used to watching what they said and did, and with they talked too, everywhere, everyday, because enough people had already disappeared without a trace or been imprisoned indefinitely.

Everything was censored, everyone was watched, and almost nobody was allowed to travel. East Germany was just 15% the size of Texas. Just think about that for a minute. Your entire life you are not allowed to travel anywhere. You are locked in, with guards ready to shoot if you try to escape. And many tried.

The Monday night prayer meetings became a fixed event in 1982. Over the years, many who attended weren't from the church, but came to discuss the hot topic of the time, the suppressive and restrictive Cold War.

What surprises me is that the meetings were actually allowed to take place at all. Apparently, in the late '70's the state agreed to recognise churches within the communist system, after decades of repression. The GDR thought they would be able to better control the Volk if they co-opted church leaders...essentially making them an extension of the state. Church leaders were basically supposed to keep dissidence down and rein in any rebellion....essentially they were supposed to spy on their congregations.

But, the Nikolai Church became a safe place for thought leaders, for dreamers, for the courageous. 7 years of coming together, of praying together, of planning peaceful dissidence, of working together, led to some of the largest protests ever seen taking place. Completely peaceful. Completely successful.

The focus throughout the years was always peace...and freedom. In 1987, Führer organised a peace march. In 1988 he led prayers for protestors who had been arrested during regular demonstrations. All the while, the state was watching. And in 1989 the heat from the authorities turned onto the Monday night prayer meetings. Roads were blocked to the church. Random people going in or out of the church were randomly arrested. But, the Monday night peace prayers continued. Unwavering, resolute, and always peaceful.

On October 9, 70,000 people took to the streets after the Monday night session to protest the presence of 1000 military, police and Stasi (secret police) officers standing in front of the church.  The authorities were fully armed and ready for confrontation...but they didn't get it. The leaders of the peace prayers repeatedly appealed to the crowd to remain peaceful, to stay calm, and show no aggression.

A week later, on October 16, 120,000 protestors peacefully took to the streets with slogans of 'No Violence' painted on signs and practiced by the masses. Banners with 'For an open country, with Free people' were waved about by the thousands.

November 6, 500,000 people filled the streets of Leipzig's centre. Peacefully and powerfully.
They were fighting for:

Free elections and the freedom to vote
Freedom to travel and move where they wanted
Freedom of the press

Does this not sound incredibly familiar right now, in 2019? Thirty years later, in almost every country the fight is still real. East Germany won freedom, and the wall came down, because of common folk going to the streets, not giving up, forcing change...and international leaders stepping up to the plate, listening and enacting change.

Peaceful protest is much more powerful than aggression. Throwing pipe bombs, destroying shopfronts, burning cars (and not that I can't try to imagine the frustration, anger, and hopelessness) distracts and creates attention, but with violence the government has a 'bad guy'. They can focus on the 'rioters', the 'hooligans', and the 'gangs' as criminals, instead of focusing on their message.

With peaceful protest, there is nothing to focus on except what the crowd is saying, chanting, moving. There is no bad guy, except those in power who are not listening, not doing, just ignoring.

As difficult as situations are in so many corners of the world right now (Hong Kong, Lebanon, Chile, Iraq, Spain), with so many violent demonstrations causing loss of life, chaos and insecurity...go in peace, my friends. Stay. Stay strong. Stay peaceful. The world. Will. Listen.

And, on a lighter a note about Leipzig...one of the most elegant Starbucks I have ever seen is located in the former arrivals hall of the central train station. It is a beautiful art deco delight.

See the church and be inspired, have a coffee and be at rest.

the berlin airlift...good vs evil using committment and candy bombers

Years before the Wall divided, and years after Hitler died, there was an event which united...not just the city of Berlin, but many cities, countries and people, with one goal. To fly. To help. To feed. 

Two million women, men and children were stranded., shut off from the rest of the world, for 10 whole months in West Berlin. 1948.

A portion of the still-standing wall at the East Side Gallery

June marked 70 years since the beginning of the Berlin Airlift, when Russian military forces blocked all land and rail transports into West Berlin. A very complicated and highly exhaustive coordinated response swiftly followed, with pilots from the British, French, American, Australian, and South African Air Forces flying up to 1400 flights a day.

Templehof Airport

Food, medical supplies, mail, and most importantly, coal were flown daily in a round-the-clock series of flights from the Rhein-Main and Hamburg/Hannover regions of West Germany, landing every 90 seconds at 3 airports in the western sector of Berlin.

Photo: Boris Roessler/DPA

One incredibly poignant part of this story is the one of Captain Gail Halverson who, as a personal statement against Stalin and the Russian regime, began throwing out parachutes of chocolate bars and candy as he flew over the neighbourhoods of West Berlin. As children and families began to notice this pattern, Captain Halverson would wiggle his plane's wings whenever he returned, as a signal of the sweet treats fallling from the sky. Soon his colleagues joined in and children would swarm in anticipation when seeing 'Uncle Wiggly Wings' flying low overhead. These planes were given the name of 'raisin bombers' (Rosinen Bomber)...honoring a mission which brought hope and light into a cold and dark community.

Photo: Picture-Alliance/DPA

As the airlift began in June 25th 1948, the western Allied forces thought that it would at most last 4-6 weeks. But it soon became clear that Stalin was going to hold out, in the belief that the Berliners would never put up with being cold and hungry, and would agree with forcing the Allieds out of West Berlin. The mayor of West Berlin, Ernst Reuter, gave a passionate plea to more than 350,000 West Berliners gathered in a public standing against Russia, to be resilient and for the world not to forget them. Reuter assured the Allieds that the Berliners would put up with only 1800 calories a day, would walk everywhere (as there was very limited fuel), would put up with candlelight (as electricity had been cut off) as long as the Allieds would not abandon them.

As winter loomed, West Berliners put their heads down and continued to work and live, with limited food and light and heat. They held out, support by the air, and it worked.

Airlift Memorial - Berlin

Over a million tons of coal, 730 000 tons of food, and 100 000 flights had been flown by Christmas, with a record-breaking 13 000 tons being dropped in a single day. Regardless of cost, the Allieds were committed to keeping up this incredible feat, which actually supplied West Berlin better than it had previously done by land and rail. Stalin realized that his plan wasn't working at all, and Russia finally gave in and took down the blockades in May of 1949. Stalin had underestimated the determination of the outside world, combined with the resilience of the Berliners. He couldn't break the spirit of the people, either economically or politically, as long as a host of western countries, German cities (Hamburg, Hannover, Wiesbaden, Frankfurt) and thousands of courageous individuals were supporting them.

Memorials now stand in honour of the dedicated pilots, and to the 43 airmen who lost their lives during the airlift. The flights had been continuous, night and day, through the harsh winter, and during all kinds of difficult and dangerous weather, for ten long months.

The city of Berlin would remain divided for another 40 years. There would come more, less successful acts of courage and determination from within Berlin, such as the uprising in June 1953 when East Berliners tried to drive out communism, receiving popular support from across the west.

In the end, the wall would come down. Germany was reunified due to this same determination, courage and perseverance for change, for good, and for freedom. Again, it took many individuals working and communicating together, taking to the streets and to the meeting rooms, to bring about positive change. We need to learn from history so that the steps which lead to division and suppression are not retread.

36 hours in Berlin

If Berlin isn't on your list of cities you need to visit someday, it should be. I've had the opportunity of exploring Berlin a few times, but I'm always excited about going back.

On my most recent visit to Berlin, my girlfriends and I spent three days focusing on vintage shopping, weird and wacky culturizing (new word), and solemn, head-scratching historisizing (new word).

Berlin is the greatest mashup of 1. fascinating history 2. cool funk and 3. awesome culture. 

Basically every corner you turn will provide you with interesting eye-candy. Architecture, grafitti, museum parks, food food food, rooftop sandy-beached bars, dungeony nightclubs...whatever your fancy, Berlin has it. Plus, the people are so nice and surprisingly normal!

One thing's for sure, in Berlin, around every bend there's a story.

Here's what to do if you have 36 hours in Berlin: 

DAY 1: Prenzlauer Berg - Brunch and browse, lunch and look, Kadewe and cocktails.

 

We had the good fortune of finding a perfectly-priced and placed apartment rental (Linnen Berlin) in the Prenzlauerberg neighbourhood. This area has great vintage shops, out-of-the-ordinary, affordable boutiques and tasty brunch and lunch spots - all overflowing with locals.

One such place, An einem Sonntag in August (on a Sunday in August), not only the best name, but also a casual, cool brunch locale, with great food and no hefty pricetag.

After brunching, we spent more than a couple of hours wandering up and down the Kastanienallee - one of the long, main shopping streets in Prenzlauerberg.

Small shops, with gorgeous names like Kauf dich Glücklich (Shop yourself happy) were so much fun to pop into. The neighbourhood, like a middle-aged rocker, has had a hard past which it wears on its sleeve. But the vibe is friendly and young and comfortable to be around.

If you find yourself here on any day after 11am, you have to eat at Babel. This cozy Lebanese restaurant, where most of the diners sit outside on picnic benches, has the best food and service. Sidle up on to a bench, wait for one of the Lebanese guys to come out and say to him, 'what do you recommend?' He will grin and say, 'just you wait - I have the perfect thing'.

And, don't worry, it will be perfect. Platters with a profuse amount of grilled veggies, hummous, and falafel will entertain and stuff you, making Babel the place to share a meal. It's a beautiful experience.

If you like flea-marketing, on Sunday in P-Berg in the Mauerpark, there is a really big market, set up with stalls containing everything under the sun. The vendors here are hardcore, so you will get cool stuff, but maybe not at the lowest-price you would expect when travelling. Try it and see.

After traipsing around awhile, us girls were in desperate need of a cocktail. So, we jumped on the subway at the Häckescher Markt station and headed to Kürfürstendamm - Berlin's famous shopping alley. Close by is the even more famous KaDeWe (Kaufhaus des Westens - Shopping centre of the West) - a Berlin tradition in itself.

Either you want to partake in some higher-end shopping, or not. In either case, don't miss out on the winter garden on the top floor of KaDeWe. We headed straight on up and enjoyed the views of the city, along with the scenery of Le Buffet. We opted for a round of Hugos!

After a light dinner, we headed to the sandy-beached rooftop bar of Deck 5 (www.freiluftrebellen.de). Beach chairs, cabanas, coronas and umbrella drinks - what else could you want when you're knee deep in the city? If you want something more late night and smoky, head to the Kulturbrauerei's warehouse nightclub, Soda Club (www.kulturbrauerei.de). And have fun! Tell them Nina sent you. No don't.

DAY 2: Culture - light. a riverboat cruise, a fairytale theatre, and swing dancing under the stars

Talk about turning lemons into lemonade - where else would you find a totally bizarre theatre group setting up shop on the roof of an old bunker, but in Berlin.

First though, we hopped on to a boot, das boot, and saw the city from a completely different angle.

The Spree River winds among some of Berlin's most impressive buildings; past the Bundestag, the museum island, and Angi's office. And since public drinking is encouraged in Germany, the boat was the perfect time to share a cocktail with the girls. We weren't driving.

The Berliner Dom is one such awe-inspiring structure that you float past. What made me chuckle is its address, Am Lustgarten. Sometimes translating makes the world a funnier place. Come on, let's worship at the lust garden....why the heck not?

One of my favourite things about seeing a city from its water, is that you get to go under the bridges. And some bridges have quite a tumultuous history. For whatever reason, this bridge bears a striking, yet very unfair, resemblance to Ms. Merkel. Perhaps her reign was pre-ordained. Of course, she'd be the last person to say that.

After cruising, we sat ourselves down at the beach bar, which conveniently is located right at Monbijou Theatre...fairytales and all.

In the summer evenings, when the sun goes down, the brave and whimsical break into swing or tango dancing - under a disco ball and hundreds of twinkle lights, no less.

But, during the day, you'll see and hear, the actors from the current shows, shouting out thoroughly dramatic scenes from the bridges and shoreline.

They put on a great show trying to capture and hold the attention of river passengers and tourists...enticing them to buy a ticket.

We opted for something a little bit more cultural...is there such a thing? We walked over to the museum island and toured the gardens before going inside.

You can take your pick of museum depending on your interests. We decided on the Pergamon, which is the most visited art museum in Germany, and one of the largest. It houses life-size reconstructions of ancient Turkish and other middle eastern cities, along with art and relics from days of yore (apothecary table anyone?).

The museums are clustered in an expansive park of grand staircases, pillars and statues. If you aren't in the mood for ancient history, modern art or impressionism, just lay down in the grass and enjoy the architectural view.

And then, because sitting on a beach is always one of our favourite things, we went back and sat by the river, people-watching and chillin'. A beautiful Berlin day.

 

Day 3: History - the powerful, the thought-provoking, and the unfathomable.

In my opinion, leaving Berlin's complicated history out of your short tour, is doing the city and its citizens (both living and gone) an injustice. Berlin is as cool and colourful as it is, in large part of its difficult and somber past.

Having recently had the unexpected thrill of shaking hands with Angela Merkel (I'm not shy about declaring my respect and awe for this incredible leader), I really wanted to visit her office. It's quite the cool building.

One of the things that makes Germany such an interesting place, is how down-to-earth and un-dramatic German people are. This might sound boring, and maybe it is, but having lived my entire life with a pompous, patriotic and proud neighbour like the USofA (to be clear, I do love visiting the US and know many wonderful American people), I relish the fact that the German Chancellor (just named most powerful woman in the world) is treated like a fairly normal important person.

The Chancellery is open to tour, at no cost - all you need to do is register beforehand. (Kanzleramt - besucherdienst@bk.bund.de). The tour includes stops at the various important meeting rooms, the press gallery and banquet hall. I was most impressed by the incredible artwork throughout.

Limestone and bronze statues, modern wallscapes, photographs, oil portraits of the former chancellors...all thought-provoking and story-telling, from around the world.

Another free tour opportunity, which is interesting and offers great views of the city, is the glass cupola of the Reichstag (www.bundestag.de) - right across the Platz (square) from the Chancellery. Again, all you need to do is pre-register or you might not be let in. Well worth the time...if you have it.

On our way from the Platz der Republic, we sauntered towards the Potsdamer Platz. Throughout the city, the inconceivable trail of the Berlin Wall is marked by a double row of cobblestones. I stood on the raised line in the road and tried to imagine what a wall in this place would've been like. It is so unbelievable to me that anyone could think such a structure is healthy in any way, for any one.

The Holocaust Memorial, which you walk along on your way to Potsdamer Platz, is a solemn, cold place. A large, hard park almost 5 acres in size, with neat rows of various-sized cement blocks. It brought to my mind endless anonymous caskets and walking amongst them felt as intrusive as walking amidst gravestones of people you've never met. In this case, 3 million people I had never met.

Before WWII, Berlin was the centre of liberal Judaism and had a thriving community of over 160,000 people. The New Synagogue, built in 1866 to seat 3200 people, is Germany's largest Jewish place of worship and Berlin's most significant Jewish landmark. Not just compelling because of its history, the architecture and design is visually stunning.

Berlin is a truly compelling, interesting and memorable city. I will be back...again!

Some extra Berlin info:

Group Subway Ticket (up to 5 people), unlimited for the day - 17,80€

Food:
Clärchens Ballhouse - Berlin Mitte - www.ballhouse.de
White Trash - Treptow - www.whitetrashfood.com

Things to see:
Babelsberg Film Studio - www.studiobabelsberg.com
Lake Wannsee - www.visitberlin.de

Places to stay:
Suites & Rooms - www.linnenberlin.com
Air BnB - www.airbnb.com