Zerotwonine

Copyright for all photos - Jonas Werner

Professor and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Muhammad Yunus was in Germany from 04 to 11 of November for a week packed with events.

On the evening of 5 November, Professor Yunus held a public speech at the Schlachthof Wiesbaden, and your friends at 029 were in attendance. Over 1,000 people came from all over Germany to hear him speak; needless to say, the place was packed!

Professor Yunus gave a moving speech about how he first introduced the idea of microcredit, which led to founding the Grameen Bank, which together with him, were the Nobel Peace Prize recipients in 2006 for helping so many poor people lift themselves out of poverty. He then went on to outline the concept of social business, and how that has the potential to end poverty in the world.

At the end of his speech, Professor Yunus was met with a standing ovation, as he called upon Wiesbaden to be the centre of the social business movement - not only in Germany, but also in the world.

The evening began with a musical performance from Finn Martin who created some moving music with a senza, an African string instrument, as well as with his saxophone. Adding to the mood of the music, was the native language that Finn sang it, whatever it was, it sounded incredible.

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Professor Yunus also made his way to Berlin while in Germany to attend the 20th year anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall celebrations at Brandenburg Gate, along with such high-profile public figures such as Angela Merkel, Nicolas Sarkozy, Gordon Brown, Hillary Clinton, Mikhail Gorbachev, among others.

Copyright of Nasir Ali Mamun

A large wall made up of 1,000 dominoes was erected in the days leading up to the event, which reached from Potsdamer Platz to the Brandenburg Gate. The domino pieces represented the Berlin Wall - and the end of the evening was marked by the toppling of the dominoes.

After the various political representatives gave their formal speeches in front of a large crowd gathered under the rain, Prof. Yunus was the last to speak before the last of the dominoes fell, as he addressed the millions of viewers on TV in Germany and around the world, as he encouraged them to “Together, let’s make poverty history.”

Location: The location of the hotel is fabulous. Potsdamer Platz is very central and convenient to explore Berlin, especially if it’s your first time. It’s also an incredible location if you want to attend any movie premiers as it is right across the street from the Sony Center.

Entrance/Reception/Lobby: Automatic doors open up to a small, but stylish lobby. The staff at reception where exceptionally friendly, check in was quick and efficient and we were offered a cold towel upon arrival. We were escorted to our suite which was on the 7^th floor – room #716. The hallways were spacious and bright with minimalistic décor which was refreshing as sometime design-oriented hotels try to create a dim and moody atmosphere in their hallways – which is sexy but unnecessary at 11:00 in the morning.Nice feature: You stick your key card in the slot by the door and the door opens automatically. No need to wait for the green light.

Room: It was an incredibly spacious and quiet corner suite. Again, minimalistic décor, very bright and clean with a small,  but functional kitchen. The hotel offers complimentary shopping service for its guests and we were told that the hotel could fill our refrigerator with whatever we wanted. Nice touch – we would have actually utilised the service if we were staying longer.

Regarding the features in the room – large bed, seating area, desk, 2 balconies – one off the main room with a table and two chairs (with a surprisingly attractive view considering all of the surrounding buildings) and one off the bathroom. The windows/room had EXCELLENT insulation/soundproofing. There was construction going on outside of the room and we did not hear a SOUND until we opened up the balcony door. We had 3 closets with 24 clothes hangers in total! One closet for his clothes, one for hers and one for all the clothes that he buys her. Well that is how it worked in our case anyway – excellent shopping in Berlin.

A large assortment of magazines, predominantly Architectural Design magazine spoke to the hotel’s adherence to all things design related. We really enjoyed the CDs in the room which were played on our Phillips DVD player and the sound was disseminated via our surround sound system. From Y¦G, an independent label,  we were able to listen to either Feeling Funky, Lazy Lounge, or Heart Beat.  What my wife fell in love with, because she is crazy for all things related to social development and human rights – was the small copy of the United Nations Declaration of Humans Rights handbook on the bedside table.

Bathroom: Huge with a large bathtub and two vanity areas! Very important for those travelling with their significant other – there is no need to fight for space while beautifying yourself – there are two large marble countertops opposite each other, each with mirrors, space for toiletries, outlets and amble lighting.

Breakfast: The breakfast was served in their restaurant FACIL, from 7:00 until 12:00. The room was a small green oasis in the middle of a bustling city. Floor to ceiling windows (including the ceiling) filled the room with natural light, surrounded by trees – you felt like you were eating in a Zen-garden with the little rock gardens and large stone fountains. Breakfast buffet was a well-stocked, well-presented continental buffet with fresh breads, rolls, pastries, cheeses, sliced meats, salmon, marinated shrimps, antipasti, assorted condiments and guests could also order freshly prepared dishes from the kitchen (tip – try the bacon – for those who are hard-pressed to find tasty, crunchy bacon in Europe, this is your answer). There was a nice assortment of fresh juices, including the usual suspects – but also some unconventional ones like fresh kiwi juice and of course the mint water and lime water were a big hit in the morning with the guests.

We unfortunately didn’t have enough time to use the ONO spa on the top floor, but we did go check it out and it looked really nice. Next time. Also, their restaurant FACIL was booked out while we were there which is excellent for the hotel and speaks to the quality of the cuisine. It wasn’t a total loss as you are spoilt for restaurant choices in Berlin. We did have a cocktail at their QIU bar – excellent cocktail, chilled ambience, friendly and attentive waiters.

All in all, we were very impressed with our experience at the Mandala Hotel. We have no complaints and if we find ourselves in Berlin again, we will be making a reservation.

Martin Egerth
Deutsche Lufthansa