Berlin

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Berlin, Berlin.

Thursday morning and I have access to a computer without the pressure of time and money! Hooray. So...a quick recap.

When I last left you, I was in Anglet and I think I had just spent the day at the beach...oh yes, now I remember.

the next day, Fiona, like the dreary, cold rainy front that had suddenly stolen the heat from the sun, was feeling a little under the weather, so I took a little day trip to Bayonne on my own. Although the weather was less than perfect, it didn't stop me from having a really good day. I picked a great day to go as well, because there just happened to be a Festival of Dance in Urban Streets. IT was so fantastic and came just at the right time for me: beaches are great, but I was getting bored and craving some art. It was so fun to literally chase dancers through streets as their pieces were not bound to limiting spaces such as a stage. Oh and the 20 piece oh-so-cool brass band with drums and a lone electronic banjo was a fantastic interlude between dances. They played all sorts of cool music and we so good that I wished this was a party and not out on the streets so that I could dance with them. (If this were Barcelona, it would have been next to perfect.) AND I kept running into these three hilarious buskers from Scotland that were staying at our hostel. We ended up riding the bus back and my god, their accents were something else. Most of the time, they had to repeat everything for me, but the kilts and general hilarity of everything was grand.

I think there is something more to busking than I had ever given thought to...I really need to figure out some sort of traveling performance. I digress!

From Anglet the next morning, the two of us plus a rad german couple navigated and negotiated with the sunday bus schedules an hour after we had intended, we made the train - no, wait - we RAN to the train and made it just in time, heading up to Bordeaux to meet Fi's parents (my aunt and uncle). They picked us up, had lunch at a real resturaunt (yes, even the budget travelers get spoiled from time to time) and then drove up to Font Remy - a tiny village about an hour north of Bordeaux in the heart of wine country. It is exactly how I imagined it to look. Really beautiful and fun to be somewhere that we couldn't get to with our normal backpacker means - train, bus or walking. The other couple was an Alice and Ed and Alice and I surely bonded over how rare it is to be in the same room as another alice, let alone share a house. Lots of wine and lots of good food, home cooked and from small resturaunts in small villages. Had the best savory crepes of my life: made with the traditional flour (similar to buckwheat), with local sausage, goat cheese and traditional mustard. A-mazing.

The next day, we drove up to La Rochelle. It used to be the one of the major medieval port towns in France and although we just had lunch there basically, it was lovely as one would expect it to be. Then I caught the train to Paris and from Paris, an overnighter to Berlin, while Fiona stayed with her parents for a few more days .

Ah Berlin, Berlin.

Yesterday morning I meet Matt, my brother in Berlin. (We both left for Europe at the same time, but for lack of communication/internet and an opposite itinerary, we finally met up a day before he left.) After getting a thorough lecture on what information to give someone when they are meeting you blah blah blah, we went to see Checkpoint Charlie (and it's museum) and the Jewish museum. Then it was a bit of quick shopping - it's not 85 degrees up here and won't be for another couple of months...time for warmer clothes - and we met his old friend Kaarin and some of her friends for dinner at a german pub-ish place. After that, we went up whatever that tall television tower is in Berlin. (geesh, that is not so great of me that I can't remember the name of it).

This morning, Matt left for Seattle and I was a little sad to see him go. We haven't traveled together in a long time and yesterday was really fun.

As for Berlin, it is the first place I have come to that I felt everything calm a bit internally and I thought to myself "I could actually see myself moving and living here" and I really mean that. Apparently cost of living is CHEAP compared to any other major European city and there is something really exciting and approachable about Berlin. The Theatre is great and has a history of cool avant gaurde-ness that I loved when studying world theatre. Tonight, that is on the To-Do List. I mean, I've pretty much liked everywhere I've been, but only a hand full of places have really excited me and Berlin is on that list. Barcelona is there as well, but I couldn't actually see myself living there.

Speaking of the To-Do list, I should really get going with my day. Lots to do and see. I've heard the yogurt is fantastic here and Matt and Kaarin gave me some great places to go as well as good maps and guide books.

Lots of love,
al

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