This is the first year, that we are hosting an embroidery retreat in Berlin, Germany. It has been a dream of mine to welcome our guests in the town I grew up in and my family still lives there. I grew up in East Germany under the Soviet Regime. As children, we played at the wall separating East and West and we always wondered what was behind that big wall. My grandfather was in the East German Police force and my mother was rioting against the Regime when she was a student. It was a very different upbringing to most people and when the wall come down in 1989, I did not really understand when my family cried their hearts out. They cried for freedom!!
I remember the first time we drove to West Germany and all I can remember what that everything was so colourful, I smelled leather for the firsts time and ate a banana with its skin as I did not know that I had to peel a banana before eating. My parents were never able to travel while living in the regime and I could see how happy they were when the wall came down and Germany was united again.
Berlin and Potsdam are rich on art and culture and I cannot wait to share this with our guests who will join us in August. We are starting off with Anna Scott who is a fantastic embroiderer followed by Lorna Bateman who teaches 3D & Ribbon embroidery.
On our excursion days, we will visit the Berlin Wall, Brandenburg Gate and the Reichstag as well as the beautiful Palace of Sanssouci. We hold our embroidery retreats in Potsdam outside of Berlin and we are within walking distance of the Palace and a few German local haberdashery shops. As it will be August, we are looking forward to the warm weather and walking in the beautiful parks and gardens. I am looking forward to eat German cake in one of the creative cafes. My grandparents who are both 84 and 85 are still living in Berlin and they go almost everyday to their favourite cafe for Schwarzwaelder Kirsch Torte or ice cream.
I would be delighted to welcome you in Berlin!
Thank you very much, Nadine