Gärten der Welt (Gardens of the World) is a park in Marzahn, a neighborhood in the former East Berlin.
It originally opened in 1987 as a kind of showcase for gardeners – and as a present to the city of (East) Berlin. In 1991 it was converted to a park with a focus on lawns and relaxation. In 2000 the Chinese Garden was created, followed by various other themed gardens – to become the current mixture of showcase, “Epcot Center of gardening” and relaxing park, with lots of photogenic backdrops and the lovely sound of waterfalls and birds.
This week, for the first time, I used footage entirely shot during a different week (actually week 54) when my mother, who is an amazing gardener, visited and we made this trip out to the “Gärten der Welt”. This week, in turn, I visited her and my father in the countryside. Sadly this week we also attended the funeral of my mother’s sister Ingrid, who used to have a lush garden as well – but who happened to be a world traveler, who has inspired my desire to explore the world.
Now it seemed quite fitting to put together a video of “The Gardens of the World” this week and dedicate it to all the Pohlmann sisters – including Hanne, who moved to a foreign country a long time ago (where it always seemed to smell of fresh grass) and whom unfortunately I didn’t get to know very well, but who must have been an amazing woman as well.
The song is called “Second Cousins” and was written and performed by Jason Matherne of Goonygoogoo Productions.
