Blogs from Berlin, Berlin, Germany, Europe - page 151

After the Swiss mishap, we had to take a few more trains than usual in order to get to Berlin, where we are now. We arrived after 15 hours on the train (6pm - 9 am). Yesterday me and Jen walked around Mitte and ended up at Berlins Sony Center, the epicenter of Berlins reconstruction project. There we saw Batman Begins. Ill have to see the first one again, but I think this is by far the best Batman movie. ... read more

I am currently sitting in front of the old Imperial Place of Berlin, bombed and rebuild as the Palast der Republik or of the People or something or the other. Quite an eyesore but unfortunately still there. I am currently actively cheering on the Finnish female beach volleyball team. They are leading the game by 21 points to 16 against the German female team (the finnish girls are prettier). It all seems slightly sureal: there is a relatively large crowd hapily munching away on their bratwursts and drinking their daily allowance of 10 pints of beer (at least it is good beer, unlike in another country which shall remain nameless). There is a disproportionately large amount of pretty girls, leaving little to the imagination, glorious sunshine (I have changed into holiday-stupid tourist gear: shorts, sandals and ... read more

After my day in the sun, taking useless pictures of animals and generally enjoying myself, I was overcome by a strong sense of guilt. It had to be guilt. Either guilt or heatstroke. Surely there was some imbalance in the Jason, as I'd indulged my whimsy but not my intellect. Cavorting about Berlin on a rickety bicycle, drinking cheap beer and laying in the sun was all well and good, but when was I going to grow up, put on long pants, and play adult? Hoping to avert disappointment and expand my mind, I visited the two most immediately appealing of Berlin's MANY (MANYMANYMANY) museums. Berlin is serious about its history and culture and seriously good at marketing it. There is even an island in the city devoted solely to museums. First, the Jüdisches Museum ...heavily ... read more

I got to attend Gottesdienst (worship-service) at the Berliner Dom today. The Dom is immediately adjacent to some upscale hotels and shopping, so I guess they get quite a bit of tourist traffic and although they do offer English translation in the balcony, I skipped that and sat with the Germans. I figured I wouldn't really get any less out of the sermon than I do in English. ;) I guess I shouldn't be surprised that a woman in the pews whipped out a noisy 35mm camera and took flash photos of the choir-and-organ-loft during the opening. Great things about the Abendmahl: whereas St. Mark's Cathedral at home ushers the faithful up to the altar in an excruciatingly orderly manner, at Berliner Dom it was a classic free-for-all as if everyone were trying to crowd on ... read more

That train ride was positively Brutal. The family opposite me in the six-seater cabin refused to put their luggage overhead. So, I query, where should it be placed? Why, directly on the floor! Who needs a place to put your feet on an 8 hour overnight ride!!?? Not the stinky, grumpy American in the hilarious sleeping mask and earplugs. Everytime the floorspace (approximately 2 square feet) shifted in dimensions, there was a mad tapdance as we all jockeyed for a place to put our barking dogs. For eight hours straight, everyone is barely asleep. Jostling occurs. As does tossing, turning, scooching and squeezing. I have a good idea. Take this slice of heaven and knock about 30 degrees off of the cabin temperature. This makes the floor in Dublin International look like a room full of ... read more