spoilt for choice

It was only when I looked into a fridge in a small corner shop in Barcelona, on the hunt for a cold bottle of beer, that I realised how accustomed I have become to living in Germany. Somewhere in the corner of the fridge I found just four beers.

I was genuinely shocked.

Then shocked, that I was shocked. perhaps shocked is an overstatement, but at that moment, I was aware at just how German I had become.

Germany is a country where beer is still advertised based on how good it tastes. No jokes, no gimmicks, just a 30 second advert showing you how great it is. And it works. Clearly there is no shortage of Beer being drunk in Germany, and no shortage of selection either. The assortment of beers is truely breathtaking. With only the USA boasting more breweries, a trip to the local off-licence can often involve making one of the toughest decisions that you are likely to make all day. Especially if you go there before lunchtime.

Yet what was once a novelty has now become my standard. The standard by which I judge all other beer drinking corners of the world, including Barcelona.

Prost!

Arbeit macht frei

"Arbeit macht frei" is carved on the steel gates at the enterance to Sachsenhausen concentration camp. It could be translated as "work will set you free".



Sachsenhausen today is a memorial to those who were kept captive there; before, during, and after the Second World War. Only a few of the original barracks remain, but they show the conditions that the 400 men who lived in each of the buildings at any one time had to bear. There is a dorm crammed with basic wooden beds stacked 3 high. Toilets where prisoners would trample each other to get to during one of 2 daily toilet breaks.

Another building nearby was used as a prison, with individual cells used for solitary confinement, torture and interogation.

At the back of the camp is a memorial to those who were kept by the Soviet Union after the war.

Walking back down to the parade ground there is a path digging into the ground, leading to a wall that is conceled from ground level. Mass executions were caried out here. At one time 10,000 men were shot in a single session.

Further round the corner sealed of from the rest of the camp behind a wall is the location of the former incinerators.



Not far from the front entrance are 2 long buildings which were the old infirmary buildings. White tiled rooms where the huge number of sick and diseased inmates would be sent to receive the most basic medical attention. Medical experiments were also carried out in these rooms. The basement stored the bodies, packed 1 metre high until they could be taken to be incinerated.



Returning towards the camp gates follows the same path that SS officers once walked to inspect the prisoners each morning for roll call.

On a summers day it is at times difficult to imagine what once went on at Sachsenhausen. However, in the numerous displays the facts are conveyed through stories of individuals who lived or worked there. There is always a name and a face, or letters, official documents or personal items that are on display, highlighting a particular part of camp life.

I was also struck by the freedom I had to move around the camp as it is today, to open doors and come and go as I pleased and finally to walk through the gate and leave the camp.

The Soundtrack to the Summer

The perfect summer drink and really easy to make.
The ingredients aren't hard to get hold of either.




Mojito


1 Part White Rum
3 Parts Club Soda
12 Mint Leaves
1/2 Lime
1/2 Part Sugar

Place 12 mint leaves, 1/2 part sugar and 1/2 lime in a glass. Crush lightly with a pestle. Add the rum, top off with club soda, stir well and garnish with sprigs of mint and/or a lime wheel.

Enjoy.

what's the point?

So not really sure why I'm starting a blog, but Facebooks getting on my nerves and I'm looking for a forum where I can rant, post stuff for a more selected audience. Quite like the idea of letting other people post on here, so there may be a select few who get to add their opinions, depends how much of a control freak I want to be.

So as summer rolls in nicely, I'm lying in bed with the curtains closed listening to D&BTV, blogging and waiting for this cold to move on to the next victim.

So still no cure for the common cold?

Maybe because it's not serious enough the researchers look for bigger, deadlier fish to fry (AIDS, cancer, swine flu and the like). I used to take massive doses of Vitamin C when the first signs of a cold kicked in but not really sure that it helped.

One thing that does work though is a soup made from:


1 Potato
1 onion
small handful of grated ginger
teaspoon mustard
couple of cloves of garlic
salt and black pepper
litre boiling water

cook the above on a low heat for about 45 mins then drain it and just drink the liquid broth. guaranteed to help. Although I didn't do that this time either - go figure.