There will be hats...

If you turned on any electronics today, you realize that today is William and Kate's wedding.  Watching in German btw is hilarious.  I must say I am impressed with the quantity of fancy schmancy hats! 

A friend from class just moved from London and he said people are renting their flats for a FORTUNE and taking ridiculous vacations elsewhere while all of this is going on. 

We also discussed getting a few people together and playing a game where everyone has to drink every time the newscasters say the word "proper", refer to Kate's GIGANTIC ring or speculate if Kate will live up to Diana.  No good can come of this... so I opted out of this one. 

No Delivery

Berlin is a city of 3M+ people.  I had assumed it had pizza, chinese, etc delivery places.  I'm not too far away from there and Google says there are NO pizza delivery places.  I'm okay if the pizza sucks, I'm prepared, but there's not one company who will deliver a crappy pizza in my hood while I work?  Not that I know how to work that damn buzzer yet.  And I'm not 100% sure it actually unlocks the main door.  The building is so circa 1850 that it may just buzz and then you run the 3 flights of stairs.

First order of business in San Diego, find a NY style pizza shop and gorge...

When in Doubt, Go to Sam's Club

I got lost for THREE hours today on my bike.  No one would help me except a tourist and those directions were in Swedish.  I ended up at the Sam's Club of Germany... walking around... eating a fried cheese pretzel... and waiting for Joern to pick me up.

Hackescher Markt Berlin

I skipped school yesterday (yes it feels just as good to do a dozen years later) and cruised around Hackescher Markt in the center of Berlin.  The market has been around since 1750 and even though it's turned super trendy now, there are still regular markets on Thursdays and Saturdays.  There are 2 cool museums which I meant to see (the Neues and the Pergamon), but just ended up walking around, taking pics and eating lunch on the river before the rain came.  Btw, the thunder and lightening storms here are top-notch! 

Weird little cafe with what I think is a piece of The Wall attached to it.  There are a lot of smaller pieces of The Wall you find in random places.  It had a plaque on it but, alas, I cannot read that much German yet.

My New Teacher

He's only 4, but he's shocked I don't know German (or Croatian or any other language he knows).  I showed little Lenz where I lived on a world map and he seemed slightly more understanding because it seemed really, really far away.  However, this kid can count faster in English than I can in German.  Hilarious.  He's resorted to teaching me verbs for now.  And yes, that is a Kiss t-shirt he is wearing...

I give this little charmer 10 yrs max before he's the German Justin Bieber. 

Easter Bike Ride

Joern and I went on an Easter bike ride around the Templiner Lake and here are a few pics.  I borrowed his friends' mountain bike and was quite proud of myself that I finished the entire 18 miles!  Very fun day - bike riding, little ferry ride, picnic at the lake and finally plenty of refreshments at beer garden at the end of the trip.

Old hunting lodge from 1834 which is now an organic brewery

Love that the place serving beer looks like an ambulance...

I think these are the largest Shandies I have ever seen.  I have also never had one with dark beer...

Croatian Budweiser & The Cutest Condiments I've Ever Seen

So as you can guess, there are things that are a little foreign to me.  Here are a few....

First was the Currywurst which sounds like it would be spicy, but wasn't.  I did get cute little pomme frites forks with it.

Germany imports their "Budweiser" from Croatia.  Cracked me up.

Cutest soy sauce condiment EVER!  The sushi and noodle houses are supposed to be amazing here.  I haven't made it through all of the schnitzel spots yet, so I cannot confirm.

Green Beer in April??

We rode our bikes to a neighborhood beer garden and I asked for a beer that I've never had before, so I had a Berliner Weisse Waldmeister.  It's a light wheat beer (A+), it's green (red flag #1), it comes with 2 straws (red flag #2) and its made from this sweet woodruff syrup (final red flag).  Way too sweet - way too green on 363 days of the year for me :)

Swiss Houses in the 'Hood

Another bike ride, another set of pics!  There are these Swiss style houses and a church on the other side of the river that I find ADORABLE!

I'm the Queen Madonna

Last night I was being called the "Queen Madonna".  Huh?  Say it again?  Wait again?

After repeating a million more times, I figured out "Oh you mean a PRIMA DONNA"

Hilarious. I almost peed my pants. 

And I'm sure not a one of you are surprised by this either :)

Closer look at Potsdam via Bike

This weekend was BIZEEE.  We hit up a european "frat party" Friday night.  I know no one is going to believe me, but I, yes I, was out until 3:30 a.m.  If I knew it was past 12 and my pumpkin had turned back into mice, I would have certainly gone home.  But this former Russian casino club was so interesting and, of course, the people watching here is top notch PARTICULARLY during late night hours, that I didn't even notice.

We also went to the women's championship soccer game (Babelsberg vs. some other German team in red) and it ended 1-0.  Wow.  For last year's women's soccer world champions, it was a little slow for me.  I guess I'm used to watching the usual world champions of football... the Steelers of course.  Worst part is that I ate a whole schnitzel AND a foot long bratwurst which is more German meat than any one person needs in a week.

Thankfully on Sunday, we got fresh air, rode our bikes around Potsdam and went to the Tulip Festival which I would put somewhere between a Renaissance Fair and a drunken Holland flower market.  Either way, I snapped a few pics on the ride.  Enjoy!

Sorry - its Flatow Tower again from a different angle.  Can't get enough.

Private house in the park.  Those huge cracks are from the bombings years ago, but public and private funds are slowly restoring the "mini castles" now.

Hans Otto Theater in Potsdam from the other side of the river (where we live)

This is one side of the triangle of bars and cafes in the center of Potsdam

Spa Day...Oh My Goodness

Yesterday was Spa Day, which usually just means I take an inordinate amount of time fussing around in the tub with a glass of wine and The Weepies in the background.  However, this Euro-Spa Day was not all it was cracked up to be.  First, there is the "skinny" bathroom.  Second, our water heater being approximately the size of an office fridge.  Thirdly, the shower measures exactly 2' 9" long x 2' 4" wide (i HAD to measure before committing to move in).  I was fully aware of all 3 details and thought things like shaving my legs would require keen yoga skills and maybe some water rationing.  Ummm, shaving my legs was less yoga and more OBGYN.  After my allotted 15 mins of hot water, I surfaced from the bathroom and was asked "Did you hurt yourself in there?  It didn't sound good." 

Maybe I'll just schedule shaving around trips in hotels...with tubs.

Work and Play...

View from the boat/restaurant of my favorite castle in the 'hood - Flatow Tower.  Supposedly the mistress' castle of Emperor Wilhelm after he built a half dozen larger castles in the rest of the park.  Very petite, no moat, sure would be hard to heat, but I love it from every angle!

A shot of town from the boat/restuarant, John Barnett.

After running errands and being at the workshop all day, Joern and I had a drink here and enjoyed the scenery from the other side of the river.  If I must say, I deserved a refreshment and some chill scenes after sanding aluminum edges on a gigantic belt sander.  Me in plastic ear muffs and clear glasses ain't a pretty picture. 

I tried (very unsuccessfully) to jailbreak my iPhone, but I promise to work on that tomorrow so I have more pics to accompany my latest ventures.  But not of me in "shop class". 

Who needs iTunes when...

you have accordian players on 9 out of 10 trains?  Seriously, I thought this instrument had died, except of course in Pennsylvania polka bands.  There are BIG here and ALL day.  8 am train.  Accordian soloist.  Afternoon return.  Accordian and harmonica duet.  Even if I had my music on, there is no way to blast out an instrument of this magnitude.

p.s. Turkish market was amazing.  And I'm still enjoying the "Baklawag" with a glass of Reisling as I type...

Good News - Bad News

I always want to know the bad first....  :)

I now understand the harsh reality of wearing heels on cobblestone. I could have donated half of my luggage weight if I only knew that heels, even 1" ones, are ankle breakers on these sidewalks!  Anyone want to trade me many 3" heels for ballet flats??  This also means I will require one expensive trip to the tailor for shorten hems.  Maybe I'll get those "Style Snaps" I saw on late night TV....

So unto the good news!  I learned today that "satt" is the word to be full or satisfied in terms of food, but  there isn't a word in the German language to say you are full or done drinking!  There are three words I know so far for hangover.

Going to the Turkish market tomorrow with friends from school.  Supposedly the cheapest vegetables and best baklava in town.  I shall be the judge of that.  Then Joern and I are out on the town to some place called the Russian Casino Room.  Maybe I can wear a pair of heels for a few hours then... or break my other leg.  Stay tuned.

I fought the law... and no one won. 4-12-11

This SBAN subway system is a tince different than NY or London or any other city I've ever been.  You buy the ticket from wherever (shop, machine, etc), validate it at a totally different machine on the platform and then no one ever checks it.  Until today.

I was stopped on the train on my way to class by an undercover SBAN cop.  First, this idea in itself, a plain clothes ticket catcher, is hilarious to me.  Anyway, he asks in German for my ticket, which gladly I understand and show him.  Then he gets red in the face and starts yelling at me.  I try to asking questions which I will know the answers to, but it is pointless because the man doesn't know a lick of my Ger'lish.  Another passenger steps up and serves as a translator and tells me that this guy wants me off the train immediately because my ticket isn't validated.  I said to tell him "I just made this train and, fine, I'm a stupid American, but I am not getting off ".  So we eventually agreed I would get it stamped when I change trains in two stops.  So dude leaves, but the whole train's delayed. Sitting through the next two stops with the morning mob of angry Germans was not something I would like to experience again.

In hindsight, a turnstile would solve this whole problem!

Changes... 4-9-11

I miss ranch dressing already.  They have many, many mustards here - no Light Done Right. 

I did find skim milk after much effort which is amazing since everyone here is raised on 3.5%.  That would not be good for me with as many lattes as I drink. 

And I should DEFINITELY NOT being doing laundry yet.  How much is a millimeter and then how many are 120?  I poured to a count of 5 and hope that works...

Intro to Berlin 4-8-11

Every day I think we go through 4 seasons here.  It will be sunny when I wake up, then windy and sprinkle by lunch, then bitter cold when of course I need to walk a million miles (this is the San Diego term for walking 5 bar blocks) and then it ends up just kinda nice at night.  So weird.  Good thing I literally brought 150 pounds of clothes!  Yea the airport check in process was without a doubt the biggest burden.  I felt like we were on Amazing Race, but just to check in.  Joern ended up taking my two yoga mats as his carry-on the entire way... god bless him.

I started German language classes on Thursday, but I'm 3 days behind because classes started on Monday.  This language is ALREADY hard and now I'm playing catch up too.  When the school said "intensive" classes, I forgot that the Germans really do that well.  No one can speak English in class for 4 hours, 5 days a week and we've gone through more topics in 2 days than I did in a semester of college Italian class.  I did meet another student, Jeanne, from Westchester NY who shares my thoughts on this crazy language, is also here with her BF and who might enjoy wine almost as much as I do.  We have plans next weekend to see who loves pinot more...

Trying for a bright side?

I knew there was a washing machine but no dryer in the flat when I visited in February.  Back to basics, I'm cool with that.  However, I did NOT fully grasp the idea of line drying every piece of clothing.  Joern tries to explain (like to a child or a 30 something party girl) that it could be fun to line dry clothes because it can be like a "panty party" with my other girlfriends in the building.  Umm there are no mimosas or Fredricks of Hollywood gifts, so no, that's not quite the same.  I'm cracking up as I'm procrastinating taking another load of laundry UPstairs to hang on LINES with everyone else in the freezing cold attic.  At least I have heat and hot water - I found out today that my friend from school has to put COAL in a central stove in order to heat their house and to have hot showers. 

On the road... again...and again...

As you all know, I'm traveling for the next 6 or so months and was determined to keep a journal.  I even bought a pretty black and white paisley one, but I've been gone a week and the pages are empty.  So I'm attempting a blog, nothing fancy, just pics and commentary from my days abroad.  Hope you enjoy and get a few laughs along the way....