Back to the land of beers and angry people

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I'm sorry. I know it's been a while. Internet has been a bit tricky this trip. I think this might be the last time I travel in europe without some kind of computer. My iphone is great for doing little things, but booking hostels, flights etc is a bit harder on it. And often it doesn't work well with wireless. Plus typing anything longer than a few sentences is a pain. I would like one of those tiny netbooks. So if you're feeling generous, I will accept this donation. In return I'll write to you. Or at the very least give you a distinguished head nod in public. Smiling is extra.

My last night in Paris actually is a great example of why I love to travel. Sitting under the Eiffel tower with a bunch of other travelers from around the world, talking and getting to know them is one of my absolute favourite things. When you're lucky you don't meet a bunch of 18 year olds who are excited to get drunk on their parents' dime, but instead meet fellow travelers who are smart, friendly and just as interested in hearing about you and where you come from as you are hearing about them. It's a chance to talk about the world, politics and life. To gain to context and often to be grateful for what you have and grateful about where you come from. That's one of the benefits of traveling alone, you can't become so involved in your social circle that you don't take the time to talk to fellow travelers. That is the downfall of staying in apartments though, it's definitely harder to meet people. Although certainly not impossible...

When I landed in Berlin, I was greeted by Jessi's ugly mug. Even after a year she still looks the same. I wasn't sure what I was hoping for..... perhaps that she would be wearing a mask. She wasn't. After a short journey on more astoundingly convenient european public transport, we arrived at Jessi's place. It's a very cute apartment. In a sense a larger version than the one I stayed at in paris, with the bed in the same room as the living room, but above it accessible by a ladder. Probably the most hilarious feature of her place is the fact that the shower is in the middle of her kitchen. So many times I would yell "Jessi, i'm taking off all my clothes in your kitchen now." And I would. Mostly just to shower.

She also lives above a pre-school which is bad for days when you're hung over, and good for days... well there must be days it's good for. One morning I woke up to them singing a German version of Au Claire De La Lune. I wonder if they set fire to things at the end of the german one?

Her place is in a very trendy and "cool" neighborhood of Berlin. Lots of cute restaurants and coffee shops. There are a lot of Turkish people who have moved to Berlin, and all over Germany. So like many other neighborhoods there are a lot of Turkish restaurants and "doner shops" (which is donair for edmontonians). One night Jessi took me to her favourite place to get falafels and it was one of the best I've ever had. It had picked beats and cabbage. I think it was probably one of the food highlights of this trip. One day we also hit up the Turkish market. It was full of cheap fruits and veggies, clothes, jewelry and lots of food. I ate something that was similar to a spanikopita, and could have eatten about 20 more of them.

Where Paris is flashy, royal and often snobby - Berlin is relaxed, creative and edgy. Everything is covered in street art. Their terrible history hangs heavy and is everywhere. Monuments, museums and even little stumbling blocks on the ground to honor dead Jewish people to literally make you stumble. You can't forget because the city won't let you. There's the feeling of constant protest, yet order to their creative choas. People are always breaking some kind of rule, but there seem to be soemone to enforce it on every corner. Berlin is the kind of cool city I think parts of New York wish they could be. My 15 year old self would have been head over heals for it. Although it doesn't hold the same place in my heart as Paris, I do love it and, for me, it holds probably the most interesting history of any city i've ever been to (although usually it's terribly sad - but that's okay because there is alcohol every where!)

Because i've been to Berlin before, Jessi and I took it pretty easy for the most part. The first day we just caught up and eventually got around to cooking supper. We actually made a traditional German dish that is sort of like an onion pie. We made pastry! There's photos. Okay it sort of came from a box, but we did make it. We even made a vegetarian version using smoked tofu, and if we hadn't told Oliver, Jessi's boyfriend, he probably wouldn't have noticed.

It's true. Jessi has a boyfriend. He is very confused by our constant making fun of each other, frankly i'm not sure why he's not more confused by her face. By the end of the night I had him insulting her a little bit. Small victories....

Later that night we grabbed some walking beers (because it is completely legal to walk outside and drink) and Jessi took me around some cool parts of the city.

We spent a couple of days just walking around and seeing some sights. Including my favorite monument for the Murdered Jews. It's the one I'm sure I mentioned before with the big blocks that take up a city block. It takes up a city block and really is quiet amazing.

Many of our days had several beer breaks - but unlike my last trip to Germany everything was pretty under control. Surprise. I know.

After three years I also got to see Kate again. Kate is from Germany but studied at the U of A for a while. Although I didn't get to know her very well then, I did when I was here last. She was having a birthday party for her boyfriend and their apartment, and invited the two of us. It was great to pratice my amazing German with some of Kate's friends... Or, lucky me, everyone speaks English so I had some pretty great conversations. Including one with a girl from Spain who also spoke no German. Side note: she was so beautiful I never want to go there because if they all look like that i will have to wear a bag over my head. And my body.

On the weekend, Jessi had plans to go with Oli to the town he is from for a festival. So I was lucky enough to get her apartment to myself for a night. On Jessi's recommendation I went to the DDR Museum. It was a very interesting interactive museum. You could even pretend to drive a car. I stood in line to do it, because I thought it would have been hilarious - it was a standard too - but the line was long so eventually I gave up. It was fascinating though because all you've ever heard about leaving in East Germany at that time is BAD. You were starving, you were oppressed, they would randomly take you away and torture you... etc. Before I continue, it's not that this museum was pro-communism or what happened - but it simply laid out the facts and showed things how they were. And in reality it wasn't half as bad as I thought. Everyone had jobs, and food.. and although they didn't have everything we do, they weren't living terrible lives. Often the government would go too far as a reaction to the West trying to stop them. It was really eye opening. Jessi also said that Oli's grandparents said it really wasn't that bad... It is fascinating to me, and I would love to have been able to talk to more people about it.

Next up... theatre and rats!

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