Abbey Clancy & Peter Crouch Married Pics

As one of the highest profile footballer WAG couples in Britain, they could have commanded a seven-figure sum for an exclusive magazine deal. But Peter Crouch and Abbey Clancy made ​​a fresh statement yesterday by happily posing for several photographers, when they married in Leicestershire. Looking stunning in a white strapless dress Giles Deacon, the Liverpudlian model, 25, beamed as she stared at her new husband, 30, on the grounds of the four-star Stapleford Park.

The bride, who gave birth to the couple's first child just three months ago, showed off her size 6 figure in a white lace corset dress with a tiered silk skirt is expected to cost £ 10,000, which she and drop earrings and loose tousled hair. She managed away from the traditional romantic bridal make-up, instead choosing dramatic smoky eyes and vampy red nail polish.

The couple married this afternoon at the Church of St. Mary Magdalene, the 500-acre grounds of the luxury Country House Hotel and sporting estate, which includes a golf course and a spa.

Tempelhof Preserved

Berlin has been in the throes of a heated debate and local referenda about the fate of Tempelhof, the world’s first truly modern airport and the only part of Hitler / Speer’s masterplan for “Germania” to be completed. The imposing main structure of Tempelhof Airport finally ceased operations at the end of 2008 as part of the process that will eventually see Schönefeld take over as Berlin’s sole commercial airport. Once the focus of the famous airlift to save Berlin from the clutches of communism after World War II, Tempelhof airport has been transformed from "the mother of all airports" into a public park. Indeed as many ex- Communists from the East now form the majority on the city council defenders of Tempelhof have suggested they wanted it closed down as the potent symbol of the Luftbrücke, the airlift which broke the Soviet blockade of Berlin.



,



Eighteen months after ceasing aviation operations, fabled Tempelhof airport in the heart of Berlin re-opened on Saturday as the German capital's largest public park. Formerly one of the 20 largest buildings in the world, the hangars now hosts occasional fairs and festivals, such as the DMY International Design Festival, Bread & Butter, whilst the rest of the airport grounds are being transformed—courtesy of a whopping 60 million euro government scheme—into Tempelhof Park.





Plan of Tempelhof



The historic airstrip, once described by star architect Norman Foster as "the mother of all airports," underwent a clean-up to transform the 380-hectare (950-acre) aviation hub into an expansive urban oasis. Although roughly the size of Central Park in New York, Tempelhof Park does not boast the hills, dales, ponds or leafy copses of its American counterpart. Instead, it presents open vistas of treeless, but breathtaking expanses, otherwise unheard of in an urban environment. The old airport terminal is still intact, but the typical aeronautic paraphernalia - the landing lights, signals and other gear - have been removed.





Proposed redevelopment



Although the airport had been operation in some for over 80 years, it is the absolutely huge scale and striking form of the terminal building, conceived by German architect Ernst Sagebiel between 1934-1936 (based on Albert Speer’s masterplan), that resonates with visitors seeing it for the first time. The audacity of the 50+ metre cantilevered roof arc over the terminal and the clarity of the functional diagram are still, despite of any Nazi undertones, to be applauded architecturally. Tempelhof is the forerunner and exemplar of today’s super-sized terminal buildings designed by Foster, Piano and Rogers’s et al. Hugh Pearman points out:







“(Tempelhof) was designed to last until the year 2000. Somewhat surprisingly, it has. It is the only major airport in the world to have remained virtually unchanged over more than 60 years. What can it teach us? “







The airport was iconic for a number of reasons – not the least of which was it’s intended position as an international gateway in Speer’s masterplan of Welthauptstadt Germainia – it was also one of the world’s largest buildings (for a while), in 1927 it became the first airport with an underground railway station, and was the hub during the Berlin Airlift.



After years of debate Berliners voted in a referendum held in Berlin, on April 27, 2008 to finally close down this historic airfield. However, Tempelhof will remain the effective monument to the Berlin Airlift of 1948-1949.







In June 1948 the Soviet Union made an attempt to take control of the whole of Berlin by cutting off surface rail and street access to and from the western part of the city. If successful this action would have resulted in effectively starving out over 2 million Berliners of food supplies. The US Truman administration’s reaction to the Blockade was to provide a daily airlift by the Allies to ensure that food and supplies continued to reach Berliners living in the western Sector. More than 5,000 tons of supplies were delivered daily. The “Airbridge” lasted until September 1949 when the Soviet government finally lifted the blockade. Popular stories about “raisin-bombers” and the ‘Chocolate Pilot’ are still told to children today.







For many Berliners, especially the older generation, Tempelhof remains a symbol of freedom and belongs to Berlin as much as the Brandenburg Gate. Even Germany’s conservative Chancellor, Angela Merkel, pointed out that “to many people and me personally this airport with the Airlift Memorial is a symbol of the city’s history”.



The airport was built by the National Socialists between 1936 and 1941 by Ernst Sagebiel, in typical Nazi monumental style, complete with carved eagles at the entrance and a roof constructed to hold an audience of 100,000 people watching military parades and air shows. Sagebiel was listed twice in the Guinness Book of Records for his architectural feats which included the Former Air Ministry as the largest office building in Europe. Tempelhof was designed to become the largest air travel terminal of its day, replacing the building that had stood on this site since 1923.







But the bulldozers aren't finished with Tempelhof just yet. Starting in 2013, the new park will undergo a four-year, 60-million-euro ($48 million) facelift to become the home of the 2017 International Garden Exhibition. By then, it should look a lot more like its storied New York counterpart. Let’s hope that the project respects the unique contribution of this site to transport, to history and being built by fascists through the Berlin Airlift to the freedom enjoyed in Europe today.



For updated info on the campaign to preserve Tempelhof and obtain UNESCO heritage status for the site see;



http://live.benbeath.com/flughafen-templehof



For the story of the closure of Tempelhof see;



http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2008/10/berlin-tempelhof-airport.html







For more on Architecture and Design see ArchiBlogs in the Blog sidebar.

Tempelhof Preserved

Berlin has been in the throes of a heated debate and local referenda about the fate of Tempelhof, the world’s first truly modern airport and the only part of Hitler / Speer’s masterplan for “Germania” to be completed. The imposing main structure of Tempelhof Airport finally ceased operations at the end of 2008 as part of the process that will eventually see Schönefeld take over as Berlin’s sole commercial airport. Once the focus of the famous airlift to save Berlin from the clutches of communism after World War II, Tempelhof airport has been transformed from "the mother of all airports" into a public park. Indeed as many ex- Communists from the East now form the majority on the city council defenders of Tempelhof have suggested they wanted it closed down as the potent symbol of the Luftbrücke, the airlift which broke the Soviet blockade of Berlin.



,



Eighteen months after ceasing aviation operations, fabled Tempelhof airport in the heart of Berlin re-opened on Saturday as the German capital's largest public park. Formerly one of the 20 largest buildings in the world, the hangars now hosts occasional fairs and festivals, such as the DMY International Design Festival, Bread & Butter, whilst the rest of the airport grounds are being transformed—courtesy of a whopping 60 million euro government scheme—into Tempelhof Park.





Plan of Tempelhof



The historic airstrip, once described by star architect Norman Foster as "the mother of all airports," underwent a clean-up to transform the 380-hectare (950-acre) aviation hub into an expansive urban oasis. Although roughly the size of Central Park in New York, Tempelhof Park does not boast the hills, dales, ponds or leafy copses of its American counterpart. Instead, it presents open vistas of treeless, but breathtaking expanses, otherwise unheard of in an urban environment. The old airport terminal is still intact, but the typical aeronautic paraphernalia - the landing lights, signals and other gear - have been removed.





Proposed redevelopment



Although the airport had been operation in some for over 80 years, it is the absolutely huge scale and striking form of the terminal building, conceived by German architect Ernst Sagebiel between 1934-1936 (based on Albert Speer’s masterplan), that resonates with visitors seeing it for the first time. The audacity of the 50+ metre cantilevered roof arc over the terminal and the clarity of the functional diagram are still, despite of any Nazi undertones, to be applauded architecturally. Tempelhof is the forerunner and exemplar of today’s super-sized terminal buildings designed by Foster, Piano and Rogers’s et al. Hugh Pearman points out:







“(Tempelhof) was designed to last until the year 2000. Somewhat surprisingly, it has. It is the only major airport in the world to have remained virtually unchanged over more than 60 years. What can it teach us? “







The airport was iconic for a number of reasons – not the least of which was it’s intended position as an international gateway in Speer’s masterplan of Welthauptstadt Germainia – it was also one of the world’s largest buildings (for a while), in 1927 it became the first airport with an underground railway station, and was the hub during the Berlin Airlift.



After years of debate Berliners voted in a referendum held in Berlin, on April 27, 2008 to finally close down this historic airfield. However, Tempelhof will remain the effective monument to the Berlin Airlift of 1948-1949.







In June 1948 the Soviet Union made an attempt to take control of the whole of Berlin by cutting off surface rail and street access to and from the western part of the city. If successful this action would have resulted in effectively starving out over 2 million Berliners of food supplies. The US Truman administration’s reaction to the Blockade was to provide a daily airlift by the Allies to ensure that food and supplies continued to reach Berliners living in the western Sector. More than 5,000 tons of supplies were delivered daily. The “Airbridge” lasted until September 1949 when the Soviet government finally lifted the blockade. Popular stories about “raisin-bombers” and the ‘Chocolate Pilot’ are still told to children today.







For many Berliners, especially the older generation, Tempelhof remains a symbol of freedom and belongs to Berlin as much as the Brandenburg Gate. Even Germany’s conservative Chancellor, Angela Merkel, pointed out that “to many people and me personally this airport with the Airlift Memorial is a symbol of the city’s history”.



The airport was built by the National Socialists between 1936 and 1941 by Ernst Sagebiel, in typical Nazi monumental style, complete with carved eagles at the entrance and a roof constructed to hold an audience of 100,000 people watching military parades and air shows. Sagebiel was listed twice in the Guinness Book of Records for his architectural feats which included the Former Air Ministry as the largest office building in Europe. Tempelhof was designed to become the largest air travel terminal of its day, replacing the building that had stood on this site since 1923.







But the bulldozers aren't finished with Tempelhof just yet. Starting in 2013, the new park will undergo a four-year, 60-million-euro ($48 million) facelift to become the home of the 2017 International Garden Exhibition. By then, it should look a lot more like its storied New York counterpart. Let’s hope that the project respects the unique contribution of this site to transport, to history and being built by fascists through the Berlin Airlift to the freedom enjoyed in Europe today.



For updated info on the campaign to preserve Tempelhof and obtain UNESCO heritage status for the site see;



http://live.benbeath.com/flughafen-templehof



For the story of the closure of Tempelhof see;



http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2008/10/berlin-tempelhof-airport.html







For more on Architecture and Design see ArchiBlogs in the Blog sidebar.

Dead Funny

From the BBC 6th April 2010

Police have arrested two women after they tried to take the body of a dead relative onto a plane at Liverpool John Lennon Airport. Staff at the airport became suspicious when the women tried to check the man in for a flight to Berlin on Saturday. The 91-year-old man from Germany is thought to have died the previous day, and had been put into a wheelchair.

The women pushed the 91-year-old man in a wheelchair and covered his face with sunglasses in a bid to board him on their flight to Berlin, sources said. The pair, a 41-year-old and a 66-year-old, are said to have protested that the lifeless pensioner was merely asleep when probed by officials at Liverpool John Lennon Airport on Saturday.

Staff became suspicious when they tried to check in 91-year-old Curt Willi Jarant, who was wearing sunglasses, for a flight to Berlin on Saturday. The women - his widow and step-daughter - said they thought he was asleep. They were arrested on suspicion of failing to give notification of a death, police said. The pair, who are German nationals but live in Oldham, Greater Manchester, have been released on bail until 1 June. It is understood they took Mr Jarant to the airport in a taxi from Oldham, a spokesman said.

Dead Funny

From the BBC 6th April 2010

Police have arrested two women after they tried to take the body of a dead relative onto a plane at Liverpool John Lennon Airport. Staff at the airport became suspicious when the women tried to check the man in for a flight to Berlin on Saturday. The 91-year-old man from Germany is thought to have died the previous day, and had been put into a wheelchair.

The women pushed the 91-year-old man in a wheelchair and covered his face with sunglasses in a bid to board him on their flight to Berlin, sources said. The pair, a 41-year-old and a 66-year-old, are said to have protested that the lifeless pensioner was merely asleep when probed by officials at Liverpool John Lennon Airport on Saturday.

Staff became suspicious when they tried to check in 91-year-old Curt Willi Jarant, who was wearing sunglasses, for a flight to Berlin on Saturday. The women - his widow and step-daughter - said they thought he was asleep. They were arrested on suspicion of failing to give notification of a death, police said. The pair, who are German nationals but live in Oldham, Greater Manchester, have been released on bail until 1 June. It is understood they took Mr Jarant to the airport in a taxi from Oldham, a spokesman said.

Arbeit Macht Frei

For people the world over, few relics have come to symbolise the Nazi Holocaust more than the infamous wrought-iron sign straddling the entrance to the Auschwitz death camp, bearing the cynical words Arbeit Macht Frei - "Work sets you free". The gate itself was constructed under German orders by Polish political prisoners who had arrived in late 1940 and early 1941.



Its construction was part of a general overhaul of the camp, which included replacing temporary barbed wire with high-voltage fencing and concrete posts. The 5m (16ft) sign was made by prisoners in the metalworking detail under Jan Liwacz, a master blacksmith. It is believed that, in an act of defiance which went unnoticed, the prisoners reversed the B in Arbeit, giving it the appearance of being upside down.





Arbeit Macht Frei



The phrase Arbeit Macht Frei itself was coined by the 19th Century linguist, ethnologist and author Lorenz Diefenbach. The Nazis latched on to it and a sign bearing the inscription appeared at the Dachau concentration camp, set up by Heinrich Himmler in 1933 to use dissidents as slave labour. The phrase later became part of the Nazis' deception for the real use of the concentrations camps. Ultimately for most the freedom referred to could only be achieved in death.



Now, in an act of gross disrespect the sign was stolen, apparently for financial gain last week. The 90lb bronze sign, which topped the main entrance gate at the memorial site, has since been found in northern Poland following a nationwide hunt. It had been broken into three pieces. Five men, aged between 25 and 39, were arrested and taken to the southern city of Kraków, the nearest main city to Auschwitz, for questioning. The sign, which translates to "work sets you free" was stolen before dawn on Friday. The theft prompted international outrage.







Andrzej Rokita, the local police chief in Krakow - where the men were being questioned - said the theft had been financially motivated, and it remained unclear whether it was carried out to order. "From the information we have, none of the five belong to a neo-Nazi group nor hold such ideas," Rokita said of the suspects.



Many people seem not to understand why the theft of this simple sign is an act of desecration. More than one million people, mostly Jews, died at the Auschwitz camp, which Nazi Germany built in occupied Poland during the Second World War. Auschwitz - Birkenau is both the grave and memorial for over a million people who were cruelly murdered by the racist Nazi State. The Nuremburg race laws of 1935 established beyond doubt the racist nature of the Nazi State and its fellow travellers. Before being murdered by industrial means in batches of up to 800 and their looted bodies being incinerated in grotesque crematoria the victims at Auschwitz were robbed of their dignity and identity, their names were not even recorded. The Auschwitz Memorial Museum cries defiance at the racists and says these people must be remembered, had names and their lives were important.



As Winston Churchill said in 1944 when the scale of the genocide at Auschwitz became clear;



"There is no doubt this is the most horrible crime ever committed in the whole history of the world, and it has been done by scientific machinery by nominally civilised men in the name of a great State and one of the leading races of Europe.”



That is why our testament to their memory is important and every act of desecration and denial is a twisted attempt to justify the murder of the innocent; Jew, Pole, Russian, Czech, Homosexual, Gypsy, Hungarian, Socialist, Jehovah’s Witness and many more. Men, old people, women and children.





Birkenau Barracks



We must not allow their memory to be insulted. Remember the Shoah and respect the memory of the victims.



For a fuller account of Auschwitz-Birkenau see;



http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2009/04/auschwitz-birkenau.html



Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum



http://en.auschwitz.org.pl/m/



For some idea of what has been lost see;



Jewish Kraków



http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2009/04/jewish-krakow.html



Jewish Prague



http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2009/11/jewish-prague.html



Jewish Kos



http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2009/06/jewish-kos.html





Gate of Death, Birkenau

Arbeit Macht Frei

For people the world over, few relics have come to symbolise the Nazi Holocaust more than the infamous wrought-iron sign straddling the entrance to the Auschwitz death camp, bearing the cynical words Arbeit Macht Frei - "Work sets you free". The gate itself was constructed under German orders by Polish political prisoners who had arrived in late 1940 and early 1941.



Its construction was part of a general overhaul of the camp, which included replacing temporary barbed wire with high-voltage fencing and concrete posts. The 5m (16ft) sign was made by prisoners in the metalworking detail under Jan Liwacz, a master blacksmith. It is believed that, in an act of defiance which went unnoticed, the prisoners reversed the B in Arbeit, giving it the appearance of being upside down.





Arbeit Macht Frei



The phrase Arbeit Macht Frei itself was coined by the 19th Century linguist, ethnologist and author Lorenz Diefenbach. The Nazis latched on to it and a sign bearing the inscription appeared at the Dachau concentration camp, set up by Heinrich Himmler in 1933 to use dissidents as slave labour. The phrase later became part of the Nazis' deception for the real use of the concentrations camps. Ultimately for most the freedom referred to could only be achieved in death.



Now, in an act of gross disrespect the sign was stolen, apparently for financial gain last week. The 90lb bronze sign, which topped the main entrance gate at the memorial site, has since been found in northern Poland following a nationwide hunt. It had been broken into three pieces. Five men, aged between 25 and 39, were arrested and taken to the southern city of Kraków, the nearest main city to Auschwitz, for questioning. The sign, which translates to "work sets you free" was stolen before dawn on Friday. The theft prompted international outrage.







Andrzej Rokita, the local police chief in Krakow - where the men were being questioned - said the theft had been financially motivated, and it remained unclear whether it was carried out to order. "From the information we have, none of the five belong to a neo-Nazi group nor hold such ideas," Rokita said of the suspects.



Many people seem not to understand why the theft of this simple sign is an act of desecration. More than one million people, mostly Jews, died at the Auschwitz camp, which Nazi Germany built in occupied Poland during the Second World War. Auschwitz - Birkenau is both the grave and memorial for over a million people who were cruelly murdered by the racist Nazi State. The Nuremburg race laws of 1935 established beyond doubt the racist nature of the Nazi State and its fellow travellers. Before being murdered by industrial means in batches of up to 800 and their looted bodies being incinerated in grotesque crematoria the victims at Auschwitz were robbed of their dignity and identity, their names were not even recorded. The Auschwitz Memorial Museum cries defiance at the racists and says these people must be remembered, had names and their lives were important.



As Winston Churchill said in 1944 when the scale of the genocide at Auschwitz became clear;



"There is no doubt this is the most horrible crime ever committed in the whole history of the world, and it has been done by scientific machinery by nominally civilised men in the name of a great State and one of the leading races of Europe.”



That is why our testament to their memory is important and every act of desecration and denial is a twisted attempt to justify the murder of the innocent; Jew, Pole, Russian, Czech, Homosexual, Gypsy, Hungarian, Socialist, Jehovah’s Witness and many more. Men, old people, women and children.





Birkenau Barracks



We must not allow their memory to be insulted. Remember the Shoah and respect the memory of the victims.



For a fuller account of Auschwitz-Birkenau see;



http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2009/04/auschwitz-birkenau.html



Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum



http://en.auschwitz.org.pl/m/



For some idea of what has been lost see;



Jewish Kraków



http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2009/04/jewish-krakow.html



Jewish Prague



http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2009/11/jewish-prague.html



Jewish Kos



http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2009/06/jewish-kos.html





Gate of Death, Birkenau

Lübeck and its Xmas Market

If retailer’s window displays in London are to be believed at this time of the year our thoughts turn to CHRISTMAS! The popularity of German Xmas Markets has increased over the years with visitors travelling for the great atmospherics at these events with German Food, Drink and crafts to the fore. While the more popular venues are well known (Frankfurt, Cologne, Munich,) my own favourite is the one which is patronised by Germans themselves and is set in the former capital of the Hanseatic League, Lübeck Queen of the Hansa.











Lübeck is also easy to get to by Budget Airline with deals possible at £10 return. To get there take the airline run by an Irish Accountant www.ryanair.com and land at Lübeck Blankensee Airport www.flughafen-luebeck.de which is 8km from the town. Helpfully Ryanair call this airport “Hamburg” as it is only 80 km from Hamburg! When I first came here (On a day trip!) in 2000 the schedule was Ryanair in the morning, Ryanair in the evening. Today Ryanair operate from Blankensee to 6 locations and the Hungarian airline Wizz www.wizzair.com operates to a further 5. One of the reasons the airport is still here is that the former airbase was bought and is still personally owned by the Tui family who live nearby and who own Thomson Tours and the leading travel operators in most European countries.







A stroll around the Christmas fair area, which was first mentioned in 1648, is an absolute Must-Do for all Lübeck visitors. The market and its some 400 merchants offer toys and Christmas decoration, gingerbread, hot spiced wine and plenty of other things. Unlike the tourist markets elsewhere this is a genuine market patronised by German visitors from Northern Germany and is highly recommended.



See the site on:



http://www.luebeck-tourism.de



Or my post on:



http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2007/08/lbeck-queen-of-hansa.html



The largest Christmas market in Lübeck can be found in the pedestrian zone of "Breite Straße" and behind the Town Hall on the market square "Kohlmarkt".







For children Lübeck offers the famous "Fairytale Wood" where they can see sleeping Hänsel & Gretel and many other fairytale heroes. The market is located in the churchyard of St. Mary's Church.



Another Christmas market featuring a unique medieval ambience is located inside the Hospital of the Holy Spirit. It is one of the most famous Christmas craft fairs in Germany and attracts exhibitors from all the Baltic States.









Craft Fair in the Heligen Geist Hospital



You can also visit the beautiful Christmas Craft Fair inside St. Peter's Church.

On the cold days there you can't beat a hot Eien Punsch - a sort of hot egg nogg which warms the pith of your stomach and miraculously heats up cold feet! Here is the recipe I was able to get.





Hot Egg Nog



Ingredients for a Hot Egg Nogg



• Brandy
• Dark Rum
• Sugar Syrup
• Egg
• Milk

Quantities for one drink:
• 1/2 oz Brandy
• 1/2 oz Dark Rum
• 1/2 oz Sugar Syrup
• 1 Egg
• 3 oz Boiling Milk



Blending Instructions:



• Blend all ingredients (except milk) until smooth and pour into a heat-proof goblet



• Add boiling milk, sprinkle with nutmeg and serve.



Hau' weg das Zeug!







As far as the architecture goes, the town is known for its steeples and spires, high-gabled houses, strong towers and massive gates. Lübeck has a medieval atmosphere and many sites of cultural and historical interest: the Holsten Gate, St. Mary's Church, the town hall and historic administration building (Kanzleigebäude), alleyways and courtyards, the four-mast barque "Passat" that has become the symbol of Travemünde, the Hospital of the Holy Ghost and St. Peter's Church, whose tower offers awe-inspiring views over the town. The town is also billed as the world capital of marzipan, having been the spot where this delightful confection was first devised (there is a legend attached, of course). Samples of marzipan are freely available in Lübeck.





Niederegger Marzipan Museum



Herzlich willkommen auf dem Lübecker Weihnachtsmarkt!