Christmas Café 2016 We celebrated this year's Christmas again on December 10, 2016, at the "Integral – Begegnungszentrum" on the Weberwiese. The hall was filled to capacity due to the number of attendees, which speaks volumes about the popularity of our end-of-year celebration. And once again, we were not disappointed. Our "café" opened with coffee, cake, fruit, and pastries, courtesy of the saxophone quartet "Gone with the Wind," consisting of Jacques Rufet (tenor saxophone), Christine Busch (baritone saxophone), Antje Jeckstädt (alto saxophone), and Martin Schuster (soprano and alto saxophone). They played a potpourri of Latin American music, Balkan folk dances, medieval music, and swing. The highlight of the afternoon was the magician and wizard Benjamin Berger – "Ben Blu" – and his assistant. He truly enchanted us with his presentation and magic. The atmosphere was magnificent, and the "café" concluded with the singing of the aphasic choir under the direction of Wolfgang Böhmer. A heartfelt thank you to all participants, especially to André Laqua, the organizer and the good soul of the whole event, for the successful afternoon. Christa Carl
Project report on the trip of the members of the Aphasia State Association Berlin (ALB) to Salem in Mecklenburg Switzerland from September 23rd to 26th, 2016. Our excursion began at 9:00 a.m. on September 23rd. The meeting point was in front of the travel agency for barrier-free travel of the Fürst-Donnersmarck Foundation on Blissestraße at the corner of Wilhelmsaue in Berlin. As every year, our tour operator was the travel agency, Ms. Christine Busch, and we traveled with the bus company for barrier-free travel "Uhlenköper-Reisen" from Uelzen and the driver and historian Mr. Andreas de la Chevallerie. Mr. Chevallerie had many interesting stories to share along the way. The bus was available to us throughout the entire trip. On board were 24 people with aphasia and their families, four of whom were wheelchair users. Wonderful late summer weather prevailed throughout our entire trip in the region we visited. On the day of arrival, our first destination was the city of Neubrandenburg. We learned a great deal of interesting facts during a two-hour city tour. Neubrandenburg was founded in 1248. Shortly before the end of World War II, the city fell victim to destruction and arson, which destroyed more than 80% of the historic old town. Nevertheless, some buildings have survived to this day, or have been partially rebuilt. Neubrandenburg is called the city of four gates: Treptow Gate, Stargard Gate, New Gate, and Friedland Gate. We visited the medieval fortifications with the city wall, the four gates, and the defense tower. A destroyed and rebuilt church is now used as a concert hall. Renowned orchestras and soloists from many countries perform here. The city lies on Lake Tollense, a popular vacation spot. After a lunch snack, we continued on to Salem, located on Lake Kummerow, the destination of our trip. We were excellently accommodated at Ferienland Salem, the barrier-free Kolping family vacation resort. On the first evening, some of us went swimming in the lake. After dinner, we enjoyed a relaxed get-together in the bar. On the second day, we drove to Güstrow, the town of Barlach. Ernst Barlach was an important German sculptor, particularly known for his wooden and bronze sculptures. He lived from 1870 to 1938. Significant parts of his legacy are now preserved by the Ernst Barlach Foundation in Güstrow. One part is in his studio on the Inselsee, one in the St. Gertrude Chapel, and one in Güstrow Cathedral. The cathedral is an absolute highlight of the town. After a wonderful organ performance, our tour guide explained many interesting details to us, including the second casting of Ernst Barlach's bronze sculpture "The Floating Man." After a lunch snack at the market, we visited the Nativity Museum in the Church of the Holy Spirit. It displays a collection of Christmas cribs with almost 600 exhibits from 70 countries around the world. The exhibition is enchanting. Due to space constraints, only a portion of the collection can be displayed at any one time. A return visit is therefore worthwhile. Afterwards, we drove back to Salem, where we all enjoyed a cozy get-together after dinner. The destination of our third day of travel was the town of Waren on the Müritz. The Müritz is the largest inland lake in Germany. In Waren, part of our tour group visited the Müritzeum nature experience center. Waren lies at the gateway to the Müritz National Park. Visitors to the Müritzeum can experience this piece of nature, the forest with its wildlife, and the underwater wildlife of Lake Müritz up close. The other tour participants took a stroll through the town during this time. In the afternoon, we all met up for a boat trip on Lake Müritz. We passed, among other places, the town of Klink with Klink Castle, which is now used as a hotel, and then to Röbel, where our trip unfortunately ended after 1.5 hours. Returning to Salem, some of us used the last evening to swim in the lake, followed by a bowling evening and other social gatherings. On the fourth day, we boarded our bus with our luggage and had to say goodbye to this beautiful place. The journey took us to Feldberg, a town in the Feldberg Lake District. In 1996, the Feldberg Lake District was granted nature reserve status. Here in Feldberg, we visited the clinic at Haussee. The clinic was restored to its current form in 1998. After a lunch snack, wellness therapist Dorina Hess led us through the garden with a Kneipp facility and through some of the clinic's rooms. We then visited the clinic's neurological department. Speech therapist Knirk led us into a lecture room where we listened to her presentation on group therapy for aphasia. In a slide presentation, she described methods for counteracting withdrawal strategies in people with aphasia. Group therapy is a proven method for this. Many suggestions can be found in the illustrated book "Cognitive Training - Professional" from Memo Publishing. This is very helpful for therapists and especially for self-help groups. Ms. Knirk illustrated this vividly. Afterwards, Ms. Knirk answered our questions. A visit to the spa gardens, also located on the Haussee, concluded our stay in Feldberg. Afterward, we returned to Berlin. As every year, our thanks go to all the helpers and wheelchair pushers in our tour group. Margaret Voigt, September 30, 2016