6th Dan, Shihan, Chief Instructor, Peachtree Aikikai Atlanta, USA
Reflections on Aikido Summer Camp in Bernau
by Blue Spruell
There is a world of Aikido out there, but Aikido Summer Camp in Bernau deserves special mention for the training and connections with friends old and new, the idyllic setting – with Munich, Innsbruck, and Salzburg just a short drive away – and what travelog would be complete without great food and drink? Willkommen in Bernau!
Has it already been 5 years since my visit? 2019 marked the last year that I was fortunate to travel internationally with Yamada Sensei who had a tireless Aikido travel schedule. Thank you, Sensei, for your trail-blazing inspiration.
It was my first trip to Bernau, and I met many old friends and new, among them Gabi Bixel Sensei and David Ross Sensei who deserve special praise and thanks for jogging my memories – and ours – of this special place and time.
I am grateful for my many students who share my Aikido wanderlust, Mitsuko and Ana rolling with me to Bernau, and Ovidiu Ratiu Sensei joining from Romania. Yamada Sensei kindly tapped me to teach a class – To my student Ana, and to many others, thank you for your ukemi!
Thanks also to our hosts Jochen Maier Sensei and Aikido Schule Rosenheim, and thanks to all who shared both mat and table with me, it was a pleasure!
So, without further ado, my travelog in photos of Aikido Summer Camp in Bernau . . .
