September 21, 2008
We’ve been in Berlin now for 24 hours. We are in Prenzlauerberg, a bohemian, former East Berlin area that defines the word hip. We walked for hours today trying to get a feel for our “berg”. Tomorrow we will rent bikes and get a better idea of how Berlin is situated. We really felt the seasonal shift today - it was actually chilly. So, scarf around neck and wool sweater on, we made our way two doors down from our apartment to a pasta restaurant called Tiegwaren. (Didn’t sound Italian to me, either, but the food was outstanding.) The menu was in German, the waiter spoke no English so we pointed to words we thought sounded somewhat familiar and voila! Wait, I mean verhing! Delish! We then went directly next door to a very eclectic, sort of second-hand-store chic, bar named Rote Lotte and chatted with Sven, the bartender. I say he’s gay but definitely into me. Tom said he was most certainly gay and most certainly into him. Whatever. He was a delight and even taught us some German.
Our Apartment
September 22, 2008
Random words to describe my perceptions of Berlin; graffiti, massive, heavy, muscular, brawny, friendly, resurgent, cosmopolitan, hip, avant-garde, but mostly heroic.
Prenzlauer Berg Street
September 23, 2008
It was a misty, rainy day…
Graffiti in the Former East
September 24 2008
Now, if yesterday was the wurst we have to put up with, I think we’ll be okay. It was cloudy and misty all day. We still went about our business, but it was less fun than if it had been like, say, today. Today was glorious. We ran in the morning, took the subway (U-Bahn) to the city center (Mitte) and hopped on a City Tour double-decker bus so we could see all the major sites of Berlin with the sun in our faces. Success! We got off the tour bus at the Ka De Wa (Kaufhaus des Westens) and went directly to the sixth floor of the elegant eight floor department store. The sixth floor is the gourmet floor where you’ll find at least 1,800 cheeses, 1,400 breads, 2,000 meats and a whole lot more…it was insane! So much food in one very posh place - a great display of wealth. I got three types of herring and an assortment of bratwursts before Tom had to reign me in. We made our way back to our Prenzlauerberg apartment and I started cooking the brats straightaway.
Sights
