Britta's Letters from her life divided between city-life in German's capital Berlin and life in a Bavarian village

Friday 26 June 2020

Stairway to Heaven? (Does anybody remember laughter?)


photo Britta 


Dear You,

Yesterday I had an appointment with my dentist

I must show you the flight of marble stairs quite typical for the Bayerische Viertel, the Berlin quarter where I live - oh yes: of course there is an elevator when you reach the first floor (er - yes - that's where the railing ends! And should I better use "if"? If you reach the first floor? Don't worry: a doctor is in the house...) 

I might have told you (have I? I learned a very valuable lesson there a few days ago) that my fitness-studio still offers only a third of the work-out places: so my dentist offers me a good training. For free! 
No problem for a fit person as I... 

Unnecessary to mention that the elevator is - locked down

A dentist can not easily treat patients who are wearing a mask over their mouth :-) 
Another valuable lesson here: We have to trust each other. 
(When my sister was five, the dentist in Bremen sent her home - she refused to open her mouth...) 
But I am (almost) grown-up: 
I gave him a big smile. 

And smiled even more when I heard: "Everything is ok"

Almost lost my glass slipper when I hurried back down! 

Yours truly,
Britta 

PS: The house where I live is a bit similar, but luckily there are only three marble stairs till you reach the little elevator. 
Our stair carpet is brown, not red - and can you imagine: a thief silently robbed all the brass poles - up to the 4th floor! Nobody noticed... 











18 comments:

  1. Wij hebben genoten van Hamburg. Dank voorje advies. Wij hadden in Nederland op de Afsluitdijk een lekke band. Het plan was om eerst naar Blankenese te rijden. Helaas ging niet door. We hadden te veel vertraging. Maar Hamburg all the highlights gezien. Nu in Breege in Rügen.

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    1. Goedemorgen Guusje, ik ben blij dat Hamburg was fijn!
      En natuurlijk kunt je niet de hele stad zien - maar nu weet je dat Hamburg de moeite waard is.
      Een lekke band is erg vervelend.

      Ik wens je veel plezier in Rügen, en veel zon!

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    2. If your appartment is a bit similar to your dentist's, than it is certainly not bad. Looks like a very sophisticated area.
      Rügen is so beautiful, reminds me a bit of West Norfolk (some of the scenery), also a bit of New England. Thr weather is beautiful, tomorrow some rain.

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    3. Hallo Guusje, ja, het is een fijn buurt. De dochter van de laatste keizer had 2 straat weer gewoond want ze wilde privaat zijn.
      Ik ben blij dat je zo fijn weer hebt! En dat Rügen je bevalt . Je bent heel veel gereizd , denk ik?

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  2. Oh my! Climbing stairs to visit the dentist would keep me away. It is a lovely stairway though.

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    1. Yes, Emma - I wonder if that dentist has only athletes as clientele :-)

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  3. Wow. Do you know how much those brass carpet retainers cost?!

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    1. I looked it up, Joanne - it is not so much as I suspected - brass slivers cost about 2,45Euro per kilogram. But "worth" is relative - if somebody needs money desperately...

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  4. Climbing stairs to your apartment every day is almost as good as a workout at the gym, but imagine that nobody noticed that the brass holding poles had been stolen - obviously most people travel by lift.
    I have a dental checkup appointment this month and I am wondering whether or not it will still be honoured, but I am hopeful.

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    1. My apartment is on the second floor (very high rooms), so I love to climb almost every time.
      The thing with the theft of the brass holding pole is the consequence of two weird things:
      1. our house has no doorbells - can you imagine this, Rosemary - in the time of deeply perplexed Amazon messengers?? If a visitor comes and has no mobile, I have to look down from the balcony...
      Beside the front door there is only a brass knob (still there :-), you press it - and in you are...
      And if we are out working or whatsoever - everybody can come in...
      Of course: there had been a concierge before...
      We pleaded: our landlady - who gets a lot of money from us - is not willing to let bells outside be installed, too costly...
      And 2) we have no letterboxes! Meaning: the poor postman has every day go up to the 4th floor (elevator only for residents) - honestly...
      At least now they close the front door at 8 o'clock in the evening - or so they say...
      I wish you luck with your dental checkup appointment!

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  5. I laugh every day Britta! Brave girl for going to the dentist.

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    1. I know that you laugh, lots of humour in your blog, too - and I adore people who do it, laugh - and make others laugh too.
      I caught the phrase in the title by watching the video with Jimmy Page on Youtube (I still do not know how to transport a Youtube video into a blog - before there was a number - now I see -- nothing)
      Yes, I think I am quite brave, thank you :-)

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  6. I also laugh everyday Britta ..... it's the best medicine in the world ! Your dentist looks very posh. I worked in the dental trade and worked in a very posh dentist in Londons Mayfair ! Talking of the brass rods on the stairs, we had a very old ironmongers [ in case you don't know, but I'm sure you do, an ironmongers sells nuts, bolts, paint, tools etc. ] I asked them if they had any stair rods and, he went to the back of the shop and found me a whole set of Edwardian ones. Another time, he found me 20 Art Nouveau door fingerplates ! It's a shame the shop isn't there anymore ! My husband has an appointment at our dentist on Friday ... we have been given specific instructions on what we must do !!! XXXX

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  7. I believe, Jackie, that we are on similar wavelength! When I feel a bit gloomy (seldom!) I have a lot of books or movies that make me laugh - and I try to see the funny side of events ( most often there is one).
    Yes, I know what an ironmonger is - and here happens the same: they disappear. If I need one nail, I have to buy a pack of 100 now ... it's a shame. One exists here in Berlin - maybe I walk there and write a post?
    Edwardian stair rods sound very good - the house in Berlin was built 1902 - I have no idea how old those rods were - maybe that was their value, beside the brass material. And the Art Nouveau finger plates: stunning!
    Yes - dentists are on a big risk (and their patients too...) Good luck for you husband: I felt utterly sheltered. XXXX

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    1. Which is - in my eyes - the best way to cope with everything in life, Rachel. On almost every day I see something funny - on very good days I even have enough distance to laugh about myself. Xx

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  9. That is a handsome staircase, and nice to get your exercise in while going to the dentist.

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  10. Hi Terra, found your comment just now! Yes: exercise you can call that! :-)

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