I am not sure what it was, all my Host-Grandpa said it that is was red christmas berry. I am thinking cranberry, but it could of been pomegranate. It was bitter and way to hot, but once you added the rum, it became one of the best none-beer drinks I have had. Best beer tho, goes to Kölsch. It is only brewed in Köln, so you must make a special trip there to get it.
Köln was a cool city. I am not sure if I liked better than Berlin or not. October is the month to see it in because all the trees make the city look a lot better. Köln is known for its churches. They have nearly as many churches as people in the city. The main church that everyone can recognize by the infamous photo of it with the Rhine and train bridge in the foreground. The walk up was a total of 1.066 steps. 533 up and 533 down. I was surprisingly easy. It was a spiral stair case maybe 2 1/2 feet wide, and it carried up and down traffic. Ever try passing some one and the narrow end of a spiral staircase? Its a lot of fun. That wasn't the worse part, to get to the top, you must climb up a cone shaped roof piece. To get up this cone, you must walk up a cheap, metal scaffolding staircase. That was the worse part for me. You were at the top and this staircase isn't attached to the walls and it wobbles to I felt like I was going to fall over. I recommend going in the morning when foot traffic is light. The old city was converted into a pedestrian zone with an endless shopping center. That was cool except for all the people. Köln is Germany's San Francisco, according to Daniel, but I saw more gay people in Berlin. I was also only in the old city, and I was all over Berlin.
I finely played a full game of Monopoly for once. This week Albert and I have been playing every board game in the house. Is it weird that I enjoyed watching Albert go into debt to afford a stay at the Berliner Strasse Hotel. I found that the trick to winning is to buy the foreclosed properties from Albert and flip them. I need to go spend 150 years in Prison with Bernie Madoff. I was on a winning streak until yesterday when he beat me at some medieval build a city game.
I got spend Halloween, what that's tomorrow Hunter, in Germany's biggest club (Index). It was also the biggest Halloween party in Europe, so that is pretty cool to be able to say. This club was huge. I remember that the one part we were in, I think it was called Tender, had at least four levels and nine bars. Index was pretty much all stairs, and home to the worlds largest Ice bar. I didn't see it, because I wasn't dressed appropriately for it. My flannel would not have been warm enough.
I need to learn to drive manuel because right now I am the equivalent to an old man. That doesn't matter because all old men here have Mercedes so I'll be an old man with my Mercedes.
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Fat American is Fat
This week I was the fat American. It all started on Tuesday; there was a line in the deli, so we went to the fast food place. I had currywurst, which is one of my favorite foods. When I got home Petra had made a couple cakes for coffee with her friends. She also had to show off her American, and when you sit even remotely close to a platter with food on it, and Petra is near, you will eat till you have three chins. My dinner that night was cake. I have eaten Mcdonalds once a week since I got here, it is the only place open at 2 in the morning. I always wondered why my food cost less then everyone else. I realized that I never ordered Ketchup or Mayo, which is an extra 40 cents. I tried mayo with fries and it is pretty gross, but ze Germans can't get enough of it. One thing I respect about Petra and Daniel, is that they don't keep "junk food" in the house. My host brothers go crazy when they get there hands on a bag of chips.
Everything has felt like home since the first week here, and that made me wonder, wheres my culture shock! As an American, I can never be blamed for my own problems. I am not sure who to put blame on, my German teacher for teaching so much about the German Culture, or The Germans for not giving me anything to gawk at. I did notice that I don't see my neighbors a lot. Its not like the U.S. where you are really close to your neighbors. Speaking of German teachers teaching things, I was never taught the future tense for verbs. That or I wasn't paying attention. Actually Germans do not use the verb Werden or add -te to the end of words to make them past tense. Petra said it is how they can see who is actually from Germany and who isn't. This week was Fritz's week to learn the future tense in English and I am so glad I was born in an English speaking country.
People who don't speak English tho, are my Physics Teacher, who looks like my dad, and the Polish cleaning lady that comes every Friday. I haven't practiced my Polish with her yet, but I think if I did she wouldn't clean my room. The kids here love the American slang I have been teaching them. American Slang by The Gaslight Anthem is the soundtrack of this week, that or Welcome to St. Tropez by Dj. Antoine. I miss my altrock but I do have Sirius XM to fix that. I am learning to love house music because that always synonymous with a good time. Black Musik is a thing here, I am not sure what it is.
I never talk about my weekends, and you can probably guess why, but this weekend had to be one of the best parties so far in my exchange. It was a Brezel Party in Ahaus, which translate to a Pretzel Party but there were no Pretzels at this party. Someone took a warehouse and turned it into a disco. Thanks to the party, I know have a bruise on my cheek that makes me look like Will Smith after eating shellfish in Hitch. Its funny too, how the kids at my school are two different people. During school they are quiet and hate life but at night they let their freak flag fly. Next week tho, is Halloween in Index so I have big expectations for that one.
Forgot there was a recession in the U.S. still. Germany is like the U.S. 2000. Everyone has a job, they are happy, and they spend! I know that word is crazy spending, that is bad right? People in Europe work to live, and the people in the U.S.A. live to work. There is a new addition to the family this week. Petra wanted an Ipad, so Daniel bought a cheap tablet knock off, but Petra wasn't going to have any of that and she went out and bought herself a new Ipad. She wouldn't believe me when I said they didn't come in pink. She also wouldn't wait for the Ipad 3 in Janurary.
And finally, I must be doing something right because my 1:00 curfew has been lifted and It doesn't matter when I come home, I just can't ride home by myself. Fair deal, they really had to break my arm for that one. I also got an house key so I can't be that crazy. Really, I locked myself out of the house a few times.
Everything has felt like home since the first week here, and that made me wonder, wheres my culture shock! As an American, I can never be blamed for my own problems. I am not sure who to put blame on, my German teacher for teaching so much about the German Culture, or The Germans for not giving me anything to gawk at. I did notice that I don't see my neighbors a lot. Its not like the U.S. where you are really close to your neighbors. Speaking of German teachers teaching things, I was never taught the future tense for verbs. That or I wasn't paying attention. Actually Germans do not use the verb Werden or add -te to the end of words to make them past tense. Petra said it is how they can see who is actually from Germany and who isn't. This week was Fritz's week to learn the future tense in English and I am so glad I was born in an English speaking country.
People who don't speak English tho, are my Physics Teacher, who looks like my dad, and the Polish cleaning lady that comes every Friday. I haven't practiced my Polish with her yet, but I think if I did she wouldn't clean my room. The kids here love the American slang I have been teaching them. American Slang by The Gaslight Anthem is the soundtrack of this week, that or Welcome to St. Tropez by Dj. Antoine. I miss my altrock but I do have Sirius XM to fix that. I am learning to love house music because that always synonymous with a good time. Black Musik is a thing here, I am not sure what it is.
I never talk about my weekends, and you can probably guess why, but this weekend had to be one of the best parties so far in my exchange. It was a Brezel Party in Ahaus, which translate to a Pretzel Party but there were no Pretzels at this party. Someone took a warehouse and turned it into a disco. Thanks to the party, I know have a bruise on my cheek that makes me look like Will Smith after eating shellfish in Hitch. Its funny too, how the kids at my school are two different people. During school they are quiet and hate life but at night they let their freak flag fly. Next week tho, is Halloween in Index so I have big expectations for that one.
Forgot there was a recession in the U.S. still. Germany is like the U.S. 2000. Everyone has a job, they are happy, and they spend! I know that word is crazy spending, that is bad right? People in Europe work to live, and the people in the U.S.A. live to work. There is a new addition to the family this week. Petra wanted an Ipad, so Daniel bought a cheap tablet knock off, but Petra wasn't going to have any of that and she went out and bought herself a new Ipad. She wouldn't believe me when I said they didn't come in pink. She also wouldn't wait for the Ipad 3 in Janurary.
And finally, I must be doing something right because my 1:00 curfew has been lifted and It doesn't matter when I come home, I just can't ride home by myself. Fair deal, they really had to break my arm for that one. I also got an house key so I can't be that crazy. Really, I locked myself out of the house a few times.
Sunday, October 16, 2011
I Need a Fucking Venti!
I am officially over my Coffee withdrawals because I started drinking it again, But ALL Coffee in Europe is served in tiny Cups! When I want Coffee I want in something anywhere from 18-32 oz. Anyone want to ship me one of the Bubba Kegs™so I take it into one of the Bakeries and show them what Coffee should come in. On a side note, The Coffee here is good, but I still love my D&D better.
In good news, I am finally an honorary Marpert! Except for the fact, I can not say their Name right. America is the only Country I now of that uses the hard "R" sound. The "R" here sounds like "air" and I can not get use to say "air". My friend Marleen and I spent at least five Minutes trying to get me to say her Name right. I just call her Marley. It is funny I spent so many Years perfecting the "R" that now I will come back saying "air" and sound like I am from the east Coast again.
I had to bake a Cake this week because I was late to Physic. In my Defense, I was talking to the spanish Teacher... in German. I tried to make Apple Bars from a Website that a certain Child Catering Service uses. It did not turn out so good; I mean everything tasted good but the Bars were only about a 1/4 Inch tall. Petra and Daniel like to cook, and they are really good at it. However, They don't have a pan close to a 9" by 13" so I use this thing I found in the oven and that is close to 12" by 18".
Food safety has never made its way to Germany. Petra and Daniel leave Pans and Pots of Food out on the Counter or in the Oven for a Day or two. I am surprised I haven't gotten sick. Petra and I were talking about Nutrition and Diets this week. She was shocked when I told that the American Diet is 2,000 to 2,300 Calories each day (hopefully), but most People can not do that and its really like 3,000. Petra has a 1,500 calorie Diet. She said that most People in Europe eat between 1,500 and 2,000 Calories each Day. America needs a Fat Tax like Denmark but stricter. For Example, if someone 250 or bigger tries to buy Something put an extra 4 cent tax on Them. We could make a so much Money that way, and to get rid of it simply loose Weight. Its a win, win Situation.
HP owes me Money for all the Time I have helped Someone with an HP Computer. A couple Weeks ago, I helped Petra delete her Facebook and ever since I have been helping her with Computer problems. It isn't as easy as back in the States because Everything is in German. I still haven't gotten use to the Idea of wearing a Jacket. I am so use of going from Car to Building and not needing a Winter Jacket that I am freezing all the Time. I made the smart Idea yesterday of only wearing a sweatshirt yesterday, when we went for a Midnight Mcdonalds run. It was only 35 degrees.
My German Tutor is a bigger Tree Killer than Frau. I get at least 20+ Sheets of Paper every Saturday. The class is a funny bunch of People. We all speak different native Languages. Russian and Turkish are the Majority. I am surpised that there are two German-Africans in the Class (I am not sure where they are from.) The Italian Guy is named Tony and I laughed. I made my first German mistake this week too. One of the ladies asked for a cup from the Bakery for Coffee they were brewing in the Classroom, but I didn't understand. I got a Cup with Coffee in it. When I got back she showed me the coffee machine on the floor.
I helped Albert get an 1 on his English Test. His English is pretty good, although we need to work on the "TH". I see Planes way up in the Sky but I have never actually heard one, and that is weird but nice. There are a lot of military Jets that fly over my house tho. It always makes me think World War III has started because you know its going to happen soon enough. This Week has been awesome because the Other Kids have had Exams so I have had those Periods off. Monday I went to School from 11-3:15, Wednesday 1:45-3:15 (I was still late for school). Friday I only had Sport (11:25-1).
That's all for this week I think. Is the every Sunday Blog good or bad, What do you think?
In good news, I am finally an honorary Marpert! Except for the fact, I can not say their Name right. America is the only Country I now of that uses the hard "R" sound. The "R" here sounds like "air" and I can not get use to say "air". My friend Marleen and I spent at least five Minutes trying to get me to say her Name right. I just call her Marley. It is funny I spent so many Years perfecting the "R" that now I will come back saying "air" and sound like I am from the east Coast again.
I had to bake a Cake this week because I was late to Physic. In my Defense, I was talking to the spanish Teacher... in German. I tried to make Apple Bars from a Website that a certain Child Catering Service uses. It did not turn out so good; I mean everything tasted good but the Bars were only about a 1/4 Inch tall. Petra and Daniel like to cook, and they are really good at it. However, They don't have a pan close to a 9" by 13" so I use this thing I found in the oven and that is close to 12" by 18".
Food safety has never made its way to Germany. Petra and Daniel leave Pans and Pots of Food out on the Counter or in the Oven for a Day or two. I am surprised I haven't gotten sick. Petra and I were talking about Nutrition and Diets this week. She was shocked when I told that the American Diet is 2,000 to 2,300 Calories each day (hopefully), but most People can not do that and its really like 3,000. Petra has a 1,500 calorie Diet. She said that most People in Europe eat between 1,500 and 2,000 Calories each Day. America needs a Fat Tax like Denmark but stricter. For Example, if someone 250 or bigger tries to buy Something put an extra 4 cent tax on Them. We could make a so much Money that way, and to get rid of it simply loose Weight. Its a win, win Situation.
HP owes me Money for all the Time I have helped Someone with an HP Computer. A couple Weeks ago, I helped Petra delete her Facebook and ever since I have been helping her with Computer problems. It isn't as easy as back in the States because Everything is in German. I still haven't gotten use to the Idea of wearing a Jacket. I am so use of going from Car to Building and not needing a Winter Jacket that I am freezing all the Time. I made the smart Idea yesterday of only wearing a sweatshirt yesterday, when we went for a Midnight Mcdonalds run. It was only 35 degrees.
My German Tutor is a bigger Tree Killer than Frau. I get at least 20+ Sheets of Paper every Saturday. The class is a funny bunch of People. We all speak different native Languages. Russian and Turkish are the Majority. I am surpised that there are two German-Africans in the Class (I am not sure where they are from.) The Italian Guy is named Tony and I laughed. I made my first German mistake this week too. One of the ladies asked for a cup from the Bakery for Coffee they were brewing in the Classroom, but I didn't understand. I got a Cup with Coffee in it. When I got back she showed me the coffee machine on the floor.
I helped Albert get an 1 on his English Test. His English is pretty good, although we need to work on the "TH". I see Planes way up in the Sky but I have never actually heard one, and that is weird but nice. There are a lot of military Jets that fly over my house tho. It always makes me think World War III has started because you know its going to happen soon enough. This Week has been awesome because the Other Kids have had Exams so I have had those Periods off. Monday I went to School from 11-3:15, Wednesday 1:45-3:15 (I was still late for school). Friday I only had Sport (11:25-1).
That's all for this week I think. Is the every Sunday Blog good or bad, What do you think?
Sunday, October 9, 2011
spain is in my future
I can neither confirm nor deny that statement. My friends this week were talking about a trip to Spain during the Summer break. I don't think I will be able to go tho, because I have to come home sometime. I want to be able to stay till July 31 so I can have 11 months like everyone else. I think if I talked to Daniel and Petra, if the time comes, they would let me stay in the guest bedroom. There are seven bedrooms in this house so there is plenty of space.
The bag of Reeses is gone and I am sad, but German chocolate is better. Petra told me that they are new her new favorite chocolate. I am pretty sure she helped my finished the bag. While I am on the topic of food, seems to be in every blog, I tried German pizza. Tammy's is better of course. Yesterday I brought up Kraft Mac & Cheese; everyone was confused. Petra didn't know Kraft made cheese. I pulled to the Philadelphia Cream Cheese out the fridge to show her. I have not seen it in the grocery store so I think that it is not distributed in Germany.
I am still waiting to gain the foreign exchange 15, like everyone said they did. So far I have lost weight. I am not sure how much because I haven't found a scale, and I don't know the conversion from kilos to pounds. It has been a month and a week since my last haircut and that has to be some kind of record for me. It looks like a mess because I don't know how to style it. I should probably find a fine girl named brandy because i feel by Thanksgiving I will have a Joe Dirt sized mullet.
This week I spent a couple hours in the Borken immigration office to obtain a residents permit. The lady asked me if I wanted to stay for more than a year. I couldn't answer that because I don't know what I want to do. My German is getting better tho, Petra said after Berlin she was surprised how at how well I was speaking. She expects me to be close to fluent by the end of the month.
Everyone thinks that Germans are proud of Hasselhof and that they love him, but you have it all wrong. It is actually Dirk Nowitzki. I get asked at least once a week if I know who Dirk Nowitzki is. I am really glad I got the Sirius XM for my computer before I left because the only thing they listen to here is a mix station, (ranges from Katy Perry to The Cure), I hear the same song, Stay the Night by James Blunt, at least five times a day an it is driving me crazy. I also heard Billy Idol and C+C Music Factory yesterday which kind of made me laugh.
German is also the coldest country on the planet. Last night I spent the night laying of the Hearth of the fireplace watching Golden Eye. It is currently 54℉. I had to learn to use a radiator this week. When I said we that is isn't common to have on in the U.S. I got funny looks, both at school and at home. I tried to describe the furnace and vents but they didn't understand. Its like the idea of a thermostat for an entire house was crazy to them; it's either that or they thought we were extremely wasteful. My host dad couldn't believe that places in Texas didn't recycle. I told them they are the Bavaria of America and they don't represent all of America, it is just where our negative stereotypes come from and he got a kick out of that.
The bag of Reeses is gone and I am sad, but German chocolate is better. Petra told me that they are new her new favorite chocolate. I am pretty sure she helped my finished the bag. While I am on the topic of food, seems to be in every blog, I tried German pizza. Tammy's is better of course. Yesterday I brought up Kraft Mac & Cheese; everyone was confused. Petra didn't know Kraft made cheese. I pulled to the Philadelphia Cream Cheese out the fridge to show her. I have not seen it in the grocery store so I think that it is not distributed in Germany.
I am still waiting to gain the foreign exchange 15, like everyone said they did. So far I have lost weight. I am not sure how much because I haven't found a scale, and I don't know the conversion from kilos to pounds. It has been a month and a week since my last haircut and that has to be some kind of record for me. It looks like a mess because I don't know how to style it. I should probably find a fine girl named brandy because i feel by Thanksgiving I will have a Joe Dirt sized mullet.
This week I spent a couple hours in the Borken immigration office to obtain a residents permit. The lady asked me if I wanted to stay for more than a year. I couldn't answer that because I don't know what I want to do. My German is getting better tho, Petra said after Berlin she was surprised how at how well I was speaking. She expects me to be close to fluent by the end of the month.
Everyone thinks that Germans are proud of Hasselhof and that they love him, but you have it all wrong. It is actually Dirk Nowitzki. I get asked at least once a week if I know who Dirk Nowitzki is. I am really glad I got the Sirius XM for my computer before I left because the only thing they listen to here is a mix station, (ranges from Katy Perry to The Cure), I hear the same song, Stay the Night by James Blunt, at least five times a day an it is driving me crazy. I also heard Billy Idol and C+C Music Factory yesterday which kind of made me laugh.
German is also the coldest country on the planet. Last night I spent the night laying of the Hearth of the fireplace watching Golden Eye. It is currently 54℉. I had to learn to use a radiator this week. When I said we that is isn't common to have on in the U.S. I got funny looks, both at school and at home. I tried to describe the furnace and vents but they didn't understand. Its like the idea of a thermostat for an entire house was crazy to them; it's either that or they thought we were extremely wasteful. My host dad couldn't believe that places in Texas didn't recycle. I told them they are the Bavaria of America and they don't represent all of America, it is just where our negative stereotypes come from and he got a kick out of that.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
There is No Wall In Berlin!
I don't know where to begin, Berlin is easily one of my favorite cities. This trip gave me a chance to finally unpack my carry-on bag which was still 3/4 of the way filled with gifts and crap to give the future host families that I will never have. I arrived in Berlin on Friday night, and the train station was packed, I guess there was a soccer game or something. The train station has trains on the bottom, and top floor. It was crazy because there were so many things going on, and that's when I realized I am home. It felt like Chicago during rush hour. My Host brothers wanted to ride in a taxi, so we ended up taking a taxi to the hotel. Ever tried finding a taxi for 5 in Europe? It was at least a half hour wait because every car in Germany is a hatchback or only fits 5.
Berlin at night is one of the greatest things I have ever seen. It is hard to describe but all the different lights reflecting of the glass of the new buildings, and how everyone is still up doing tourist things. We stayed out till 10:30 every night. Then for dinner that night we got Mexican Food, it was either that or American food. There is nothing I do not want to eat more than anything else is American Food. Who ever comes up with the crap doesn't have a sense of taste. The American Restaurant was called The Sixites. It was themed as a sixties diner, and it looked like Uncle Sam took a patriot dump all over the inside. I was surprised by the number of people that packed the restaurant every day. Cancun was the Mexican restaurant, and It is pretty good for Europe. I got a Burrito so life was good.
The Hotel was really nice. It was a little wierd tho because it was located in a neighborhood (Alt-Marienplatz). It was bigger than a bed n' breakfast but not huge. The first night Albert saw the candy of the snack bar in the room and that was all he cared about the whole time. Ever heard of Knik Knaks? Lucky you! They are deep fried peanuts and have to be the worst thing for you in Germany. I didn't like them.
The First day went to Alexander Platz, The TV Tower, and West Berlin. Alexander Platz is really cool for about 20 minutes and then I got sick of all the people in the cluster fuck that was the Oktoberfest, or it could of been the people that kept asking me if I wanted to take a bus tour. By the way, we did end up taking a bus tour that was really cool. Petra made sure to get one that did German and English for me, and I was surprised I understood the German better. The TV Tower was pretty cool. One of my favorite things about is that no matter where you are in Berlin, you can usually see it. We went up to the top to see the city and that was pretty cool. We made sure to get Berlin Doener because Daniel said it's the best in Germany. I can not decide which part of Berlin I like better. They are so different. West Berlin was pretty cool. There was this store like Macy's in Downtown, Chicago. On the top floor was a food mart, that had everything, even people there to cook your food for you. It was also my fist time seeing a dog in a grocery store. We got some bread and then at it on the pedestrian zone while we watched some break dancers. West Berlin is the Michigan Avenue of Berlin, and all I heard the whole day is how awesome Niketown is. So we went shopping. Fritz got some Nike sweatpants that he still hasn't taken off since. Who ever told me the Germans never leave their house in sweat pants is wrong.
On Day 2 we went to the Olympic Stadium, The Sony Center, and The Dome on the Capital. In Berlin the subway is FREE! I could not believe it because we went so many places on it and never paid a dime. It was also really clean, and they allowed dogs on the trains. The CTA needs to start using Berlin as an example. Every Subway station had a Dunkin Donuts and I was surprised I never got coffee once. The Olympic Stadium was really interesting. Daniel and I got the most from the trip. They showed us all of Hitler's clubrooms and places. I got to stand where stood to watch the games, I don't know if I should be proud of that. It was a little weird, but the view was great. Next we went to the Sony Center, one of Murphy/Jahn's greatest creations in my opinion. On the second or third day Petra and Daniel asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I told them an Architect and that I wanted to work for Murphy/Jahn and that they designed the Sony Center and Dome on the capitol. Petra made sure we visited it. The Sony center is like the Hollywood of Berlin. The Capitol was interesting for anyone 16 and up because there was a guided tour through the spiral catwalk of the dome about the city. Albert and Fredreich were done in 20 minutes while the rest of us took an hour.
When we finished the tour Daniel realized that is wallet was missing and he thinks he left it when he was buying the kids food. Albert and Fritz never ate enough breakfast so the whole time we were walking around all we heard about was there hunger and Knik Knaks. After everything was taken care of, (all is good now, the cards were not used and he only had twenty dollars in the wallet.). We got some bread and cheese from the grocery store in the train station and ate it by the River Spree.
That night we went to Kreüzberg (HOI-st-berg). It is probably my favorite neighborhood in Berlin. Kreueberg was like Wicker Park but more diverse. There I found a small section of the wall that still stood, called the East Side Gallery. The buildings were all painted not only with graffiti but also artistically. It was combined with the freaks of Venice Beach, California. we decided to get Pakistani food for dinner. My vote was that or the Sudan food. Petra, Daniel, and I out voted Fritz who wanted Pizza. We got different types of curry and shared it. I got lamb, Albert got duck, and Petra for lentil. Lamb was my favorite, but the duck wasn't bad. Some of my favorite pictures came from Kreueberg.
And then the finally day we went to the Brandenburg Gate. This was the main thing I wanted to see out of the whole trip. The Sony Center was a pleasant surprise. The Gate, unfortunately, was closed do to the German Unity Family Carnival. We also say Check Point Charlie. That was interesting for about 5 minutes. As we were walking through the train station waiting to leave Daniel meet some friends from Altstaette, which is weird because Altstaette is only 2,000 people. Wolfsburg was a stop on the way home. It was not only a Nazi founded city but also the home to the VW factory and headquarters. That was cool to see. At the end of the day I took 614 photos of Berlin and my memory card was only have way filled! I love that city and want to go back so bad.
Was that long enough? I decided to add a photo to prove I am not dead. For the record, I was dressed first that day, Petra is still making fun of us.
Berlin at night is one of the greatest things I have ever seen. It is hard to describe but all the different lights reflecting of the glass of the new buildings, and how everyone is still up doing tourist things. We stayed out till 10:30 every night. Then for dinner that night we got Mexican Food, it was either that or American food. There is nothing I do not want to eat more than anything else is American Food. Who ever comes up with the crap doesn't have a sense of taste. The American Restaurant was called The Sixites. It was themed as a sixties diner, and it looked like Uncle Sam took a patriot dump all over the inside. I was surprised by the number of people that packed the restaurant every day. Cancun was the Mexican restaurant, and It is pretty good for Europe. I got a Burrito so life was good.
The Hotel was really nice. It was a little wierd tho because it was located in a neighborhood (Alt-Marienplatz). It was bigger than a bed n' breakfast but not huge. The first night Albert saw the candy of the snack bar in the room and that was all he cared about the whole time. Ever heard of Knik Knaks? Lucky you! They are deep fried peanuts and have to be the worst thing for you in Germany. I didn't like them.
The First day went to Alexander Platz, The TV Tower, and West Berlin. Alexander Platz is really cool for about 20 minutes and then I got sick of all the people in the cluster fuck that was the Oktoberfest, or it could of been the people that kept asking me if I wanted to take a bus tour. By the way, we did end up taking a bus tour that was really cool. Petra made sure to get one that did German and English for me, and I was surprised I understood the German better. The TV Tower was pretty cool. One of my favorite things about is that no matter where you are in Berlin, you can usually see it. We went up to the top to see the city and that was pretty cool. We made sure to get Berlin Doener because Daniel said it's the best in Germany. I can not decide which part of Berlin I like better. They are so different. West Berlin was pretty cool. There was this store like Macy's in Downtown, Chicago. On the top floor was a food mart, that had everything, even people there to cook your food for you. It was also my fist time seeing a dog in a grocery store. We got some bread and then at it on the pedestrian zone while we watched some break dancers. West Berlin is the Michigan Avenue of Berlin, and all I heard the whole day is how awesome Niketown is. So we went shopping. Fritz got some Nike sweatpants that he still hasn't taken off since. Who ever told me the Germans never leave their house in sweat pants is wrong.
On Day 2 we went to the Olympic Stadium, The Sony Center, and The Dome on the Capital. In Berlin the subway is FREE! I could not believe it because we went so many places on it and never paid a dime. It was also really clean, and they allowed dogs on the trains. The CTA needs to start using Berlin as an example. Every Subway station had a Dunkin Donuts and I was surprised I never got coffee once. The Olympic Stadium was really interesting. Daniel and I got the most from the trip. They showed us all of Hitler's clubrooms and places. I got to stand where stood to watch the games, I don't know if I should be proud of that. It was a little weird, but the view was great. Next we went to the Sony Center, one of Murphy/Jahn's greatest creations in my opinion. On the second or third day Petra and Daniel asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I told them an Architect and that I wanted to work for Murphy/Jahn and that they designed the Sony Center and Dome on the capitol. Petra made sure we visited it. The Sony center is like the Hollywood of Berlin. The Capitol was interesting for anyone 16 and up because there was a guided tour through the spiral catwalk of the dome about the city. Albert and Fredreich were done in 20 minutes while the rest of us took an hour.
When we finished the tour Daniel realized that is wallet was missing and he thinks he left it when he was buying the kids food. Albert and Fritz never ate enough breakfast so the whole time we were walking around all we heard about was there hunger and Knik Knaks. After everything was taken care of, (all is good now, the cards were not used and he only had twenty dollars in the wallet.). We got some bread and cheese from the grocery store in the train station and ate it by the River Spree.
That night we went to Kreüzberg (HOI-st-berg). It is probably my favorite neighborhood in Berlin. Kreueberg was like Wicker Park but more diverse. There I found a small section of the wall that still stood, called the East Side Gallery. The buildings were all painted not only with graffiti but also artistically. It was combined with the freaks of Venice Beach, California. we decided to get Pakistani food for dinner. My vote was that or the Sudan food. Petra, Daniel, and I out voted Fritz who wanted Pizza. We got different types of curry and shared it. I got lamb, Albert got duck, and Petra for lentil. Lamb was my favorite, but the duck wasn't bad. Some of my favorite pictures came from Kreueberg.
And then the finally day we went to the Brandenburg Gate. This was the main thing I wanted to see out of the whole trip. The Sony Center was a pleasant surprise. The Gate, unfortunately, was closed do to the German Unity Family Carnival. We also say Check Point Charlie. That was interesting for about 5 minutes. As we were walking through the train station waiting to leave Daniel meet some friends from Altstaette, which is weird because Altstaette is only 2,000 people. Wolfsburg was a stop on the way home. It was not only a Nazi founded city but also the home to the VW factory and headquarters. That was cool to see. At the end of the day I took 614 photos of Berlin and my memory card was only have way filled! I love that city and want to go back so bad.
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