The semester has officially ended! Having survived year one of the program, I’m celebrating by completing a grueling 10-day summer course on heritage impact assessments.

Fascinating, I know. Try not to get too enthusiastic, friends.

We’re in the midst of workshops that run 9-to-5 everyday, keeping me a bit busy for now. Meanwhile, enjoy some pics of Berlin and street art.

Of course, no summer is complete without an obligatory weekend BBQ with friends.

Yesterday, our summer group did a site visit to the nearby Branitzer Park. This park has such an odd history, it deserves its own post one day…trust me, this place is STRANGE. The official history starts with “Branitz Park represents the life’s work of the eccentric landscape gardener Hermann Prince von Pückler-Muskau…” and only gets weirder from there.

It does feature some lovely boats, though this one doesn’t look particularly watertight.

A huge pyramid is in the middle of the park, and apparently “eccentric landscape gardener Hermann Prince von Pückler-Muskau” himself is buried under it.

Well…part of him is buried under it.

His heart, to be exact.

It’s that classic tale of wanting-to-be-cremated-but-settling-for-being-burnt-by-acid-and-then-buried-under-a-pyramid. You know, a tale as old as time.

So yeah, there are enough spooky stories here to fill a book or ten. To be continued in another post!

Much love from the haunted hallows of princely parks…

e.