Having just returned from a wonderful week in the UK, catching up with all my favourite residents of Kent and London, the break continued with the May Day Bank Holiday weekend here in Germany. Unlike back at home, it is always 1st May that's the day off, regardless of which day of the week it falls on. Luckily, this year it was on a Friday and so cue a long weekend of revelling.
This holiday is a big deal here, with many traditions manifesting themselves in big street parties and celebrations. On Friday, these kicked off (almost literally) in Kreuzberg, an area south of central Berlin. The event has traditionally been marked by protests, unrest and demonstrations from unruly left-wingers and indeed the police presence there was extraordinary. Vans lined the streets in every direction; officers decked out in riot gear stood attentive in large groups. It felt like most of the whole country's force had gathered on these streets, primed and ready for action. Conflictingly, this felt almost like an invite for rioting, as if inciting any would-be troublemakers to 'come and have a go if you think you're hard enough'.
Despite this, the day, soaked in Spring sunshine, was a carnival. A huge area of town had its streets closed to vehicles and was lined with stands selling barbecued meats and beer. The Turkish influence on the city came into its own: alongside the traditional bratwurst were stands selling temptingly delicious koftas, flatbreads, cous cous salads and yoghurts. At regular intervals, small makeshift stages pumped out live music, or DJs blasted dance tunes to squares jammed with revellers. Thousands and thousands of people milled around, including families with young children clutching helium balloons and sporting large ear defenders. Politics took a back seat to pure fun, with the only signs of it all afternoon the occasional anti-Nazi sticker or balloon.
We met up with a group of friends and wandered around, stopping to fuel ourselves with meat and bread and alcohol. We paused a while in a park strewn with people, then moseyed onwards until we found ourselves in a leafy square where people were dancing to techno music and a beer tent had been erected. People were gaining vertical advantage through any means possible: from climbing trees to standing on bus shelters. Smoke from cooking meat drifted across the scene. On occasion, someone would release a party popper full of sequins and confetti, which showered those below like glittering snow. The sunshine seeped through the trees and it felt like summer had landed. (I didn't take my camera, but if you're interested in seeing a sample of snapshots:
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=may+day+festival+kreuzberg+2015&biw=1366&bih=628&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=kUBHVZryKMndavSogfAJ&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ#imgrc=_ ... just bear in mind I didn't see any rioting, clashes or any kind of unrest whatsoever - in the time I was there the police were mainly standing about giving directions)
On Saturday afternoon, we headed to a suburb to the west of the city, Werder, where another festival was in full swing. Baumblütenfest (tree blossom festival) had taken over the sleepy town, set in beautiful surroundings by a lake (indeed, part of Werder is actually on an island). Again, everywhere was packed with people enjoying the sunshine and local, homemade fruit wines were on offer in plentiful supply.
Once again, of course, amongst the stalls were plenty of traders selling roasting meats (several advertising a half metre long sausage - impressive). There were also stalls selling cakes, gifts, jewellery, clothes etc. I sampled plum, rosehip and rhubarb and strawberry wines which were deliciously refreshing. A funfair was also available, including a huge ferris wheel and the opportunity to bungee jump from a crane (don't think you could pay me enough, especially after 3 glasses of
obstwein).
True to its name, the most defining feature of Werder that weekend was undoubtedly the gorgeous blossom hanging from trees lining every street and dotting every bit of green space. These trees and their fruit are obviously hugely important to the town, so it seems only right they should have their own festival.
On our way back towards the station, we were sidetracked into an orchard, on a slope rolling down towards the river. There, hay bales had been set up as seats and people lolled about in the sunshine overlooking the water. It was peaceful and beautiful and seemed a shame to tear ourselves away.
One more event we hadn't expected but came to feature prominently in our weekend was the Berlin Gallery weekend. On returning to our street from Kreuzberg on Friday evening, we found everywhere unusually busy, with large groups of people hanging around outside the buildings opposite ours and further up the street. It soon transpired that the art galleries of the city were having a big open doors event, with many new exhibitions launching on 1st May. Whilst I had always been aware of the galleries on our street and in the vicinity, I hadn't appreciated just how many there are: in buildings that normally look impenetrable, or down alleyways I hadn't realised opened into courtyards hosting such venues. As is the norm as these openings, many of the galleries were offering wine to entice people in and inevitably these were the venues with the biggest crowds outside (the cynical part of me couldn't help but question these people's motives!) Anyway, we had a very interesting hour or so strolling along our street and popping into numerous galleries and getting to explore our neighbourhood in a way we hadn't previously been able to. We discovered quaint secluded cobbled courtyards and surprising buildings hidden within, hosting large exhibition spaces for a range of artistic styles. Much of it was contemporary, some admittedly beyond me but some very clever and certainly beautiful. There were also more traditional paintings hanging in some galleries which were seriously impressive. It was nice to see Berlin, famous for its artistic population, show off the fruits of its labour.
A map of all the galleries across the city was available, and so on Sunday we headed over to West Berlin, in an area of town new to us but renowned for its high end shops and restaurants: very much the Champs Elysee of Berlin. Another wealth of galleries were available in the side streets here, including one which had an installation of work involving light, and a picture one was encouraged to take a photo of using flash to reveal properly.
So, in all, a varied weekend, featuring the mixed bag of Berlin culture in a nutshell. From 50cm long bratwurst, to contemporary art; from raves in a park to lounging on a hay bale... happy May Day!
