Spoiler alert!

The Deathly Hallows

Thursday, 7/14

The day dawned under dark and ominous clouds. So far we had avoided the rain predicted to plague Berlin this week except for a few sprinkles here and there, but if this morning's sky is any indication of the day to come, we will get wet. So it seems the perfect day for a movie. Yesterday, while at the Sony center, we had picked up two tickets for today's 1:30 showing of the newly released Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. I don't mean to rub it in, but that means Potter fans that we will see the movie at about 5 am your time on the day before it premiers in the U.S. and even the most hard core fans who see it at midnight will not surpass us in seeing it first. Yes, I am very proud of this silly detail, it is the little things, people. Anyhow we took the U-bahn to Sony Center and arrived in plenty of time to peruse the snack bar. The beverages seemed most appealing, beer and cider in hand we found our reserved seats, dead center. Very pleased with our seats, we enjoyed watching the mix of English previews and German ads. After a few ads the film stopped and the lights came back on. Greg remembers that in earlier days ice cream salesmen used to circulate at this time and give you one last chance to select a treat from your seat. It seems the pause stayed in place to allow folks to get up and return to concessions before the film starts. After a few more previews, the movie began. Now of course I'm not going to reveal a thing, even though you know what is going to happen if you read the book. I will say it was a strong conclusion to the series and we were pleased as we left the theater two hours later. When we emerged, we were surprised to see scattered clouds and the sun peaking through. No rain after all? However we were buffeted about by bursts of wind and as if the dementors were trying to throw us off course, then we ducked into an S-bahn entrance when we meant to find an U-bahn and nearly hopped on a train going in the wrong direction. Quickly recovering from our disorientation, we were on a train back home. We stopped off at the Apotheke to replenish some toiletries, this is the second time we've needed to replenish some of the scant supplies that were allowed to be in our carry on liquids, I'd say we've stretched them pretty far. Hair gel, lotion, and ibuprofen in hand we headed home for some late afternoon leftovers. Despite the threatening clouds and howling wind, we haven't had much rain to speak of. The cool breeze through our open third floor windows had done wonders for drying my laundry, so Greg is attempting a sink full of his essentials, hoping that he'll have equal luck in the drying department. We have one more full day in Berlin tomorrow, before we depart for Denmark on Saturday, so here's hoping the weather will cooperate and the clothes will dry before we need to pack again! Chores behind us (for now) it was time for some fun. Greg has also been in contact, the second half of the Berlin equation and we arranged to have him meet us at our cafe after work. After Greg misidentified every young man who walked around our corner as Jan (time to wear those glasses more regularly?), the real Jan arrived and gave us a warm welcome. Jan drove us to the next neighborhood where we found nice cafes and restaurants. We settled into a patio at an Indian restaurant (still no rain!) and enjoyed catching up. Jan had many interesting tidbits to share with us about Berlin. For instance, did you know it is rumored that their are Japanese gods living in at the top of Sony Center, protecting it? He also pointed out to us the restaurant that Bill Clinton ate at when he was in town. After dinner we walked the charming neighborhood and found another cafe for beers and cappuccino. Jan has a very fun and playful sense of humor and it was enjoyable to see he and Greg together, being silly guys. While Jan tried to convince Greg to move to Berlin and start a band or a magic show with him, you'll be relieved to know we have no plans to move in the immediate future (though it would be fun to see what these to free spirits could dream up if they had more time together). The highlight of the evening for me was when they tried to recall the lyrics to a German folksong (or was it a drinking song...I'm not quite sure) the topic of which is a crazy man who goes on a journey loses his son, gets in a brawl but still he is having an amusing time. As you can tell, we had a very fun visit with Jan and now it is very late, bedtime in Berlin!

Friday, 7/15

Another lovely overcast morning, perfect for sleeping in! (Most likely our last day to do that for a while, as we'll be on the road again tomorrow.) After another breakfast from our own kitchen,we took a shopping trip around our neighborhood half looking for some new clothes and looking for a new hat for Greg, but to no avail. (Prices are very high for garments, at least in the trendy shops in our urban neighborhood). It was very cold out today, so we grabbed curry wurst and a veggie burger and headed back to our apartment for lunch and a chance to warm up. Soon we were back out in blustery Berlin, but more bundled up this time. Our final day in Berlin, Greg wanted to show me everything he could remember that he had seen on his last trip here that he hadn't shown me already. This made for a busy afternoon! We took a combination of S-bahn and U-bahn to get to Charlottenburg. Greg showed me the neighborhood he'd lived in with Jan and Winnie when he was here ten years ago. We got a glimpse of Funkturm, a huge metal radio tower, sort of a landmark for the region. Then we took a walking detour to see the palace, which instead of the spires we had seen in castles, was a sprawling building that reminded me more of a university or museum more than a place, but I guess that is more typical of the palaces in this region. We stopped into a rather dingy pub for a small beer, some aspects of it, smoky and strange, reminded us of the Black Watch at home. Back to the subway to travel in the direction of the zoo and emerge near Gedaechsniskirche, which was a church tower destroyed during the bombing and left as-is for a memorial. However even desimated war memorials need up keep, so the whole thing was under reconstruction for the deconstructed. While the tower was being heavily renovated and was covered from public view, we did see a very cool band from Dresden playing on the street. A trio of guys from Dresden, head banging to the music produced by their violin, cello, and drum kit. Right across the street was an H&M having a sale. Many items for 3-5 euro, now this was in our price range. We each got a new t-shirt to liven up our limited wardrobes and Greg found a new hat! Satisfied with our shopping we headed back to our neighborhood and grabbed a pizza on the way back to our apartment. I've got one final bath to look forward to, then we'll be packing to leave the country in the morning. It will be hard to leave Berlin and even harder to leave this lovely apartment, but we are hopeful Europe has more delightful surprises in store for us.

Walking the walk & Talking the talk

Walking the Walk

Tuesday, 7/12

With no need to make it to the breakfast buffet before it closes or catch a train, we slept in! Blissful and much needed sleep, we did wake up a few times in the night as some sort of party had erupted from the bar on the corner across the street, but such are the joys of big city living!

We enjoyed our yogurt and corn flakes at our leisure and headed out to explore our sector of Berlin on foot. Walking toward the Fernsehturm (TV tower), a large ball on a spire in the sky, was an easy place to start. From here we easily found beautiful Marien church and the Berlin Cathedral. We also found the neighborhood of Alexander Platz, whose unique architecture made a nice backdrop for a cup of coffee and Greg's favorite pflammenkuchen (plum cake, a local specialty). We wandered through museum island, admiring the facades of the buildings rather than the artwork inside. Late afternoon landed us back at our apartment, I didn't realize how much we had walked but I was beat. We took a rest and then I delighted in making us a simple dinner. The dried truffle pasta we had been packing with us since we left Tuscany made for a nice meal with some tomato sauce procured at the corner store and the bread we had bought from the bakery on the way home from our sight seeing. We did decide to leave the nest once more for an evening walk to an ice cream shop only five or six blocks away, as they boasted the best ice cream in all of Berlin. While it was good, I'm going to keep looking! (For me nothing has compared to the gelato we had in Rome, but I'm keeping an open mind and an open mouth to see what the rest of Europe has to offer in terms of frozen treats.) Completely walked out, we dropped into bed and were not awoken by any party goers. Peace in the big city!

Talking the talk

Wednesday, 7/13

Today we were excited to be reconnected with an old friend (and a new one). When Greg last traveled to Germany (ten years ago) he stayed with his friends, Jan and Winnie, for a month in Berlin. Greg had met Jan through an exchange program when he had come to home-stay at the Jackson residence for a summer program in the states, about fifteen years ago. His girlfriend at the time, Winnie, had also come to California often, so we had a chance to meet her and visit back then. Since then they have both gone their separate ways, but somehow ended up back in Berlin again. So it was a joyful reunion when Winnie rode up on her bike to find us in front of our cafe. We were introduced to her current boyfriend, Tammo, a very friendly gentleman. As we proceeded on foot to the closest U-bahn, we began the process of getting caught up on each other's lives, a process that would punctuate our sight seeing time together (there is plenty of catching up to do after ten years!) Winnie and Tammo were taking us on a Spree river cruise where we could see some of the main sights of the city, from the comfort of a slow moving barge and drink beer at the same time. Sunshine penetrated patchy clouds, making for a lovely day for a boat ride. We saw the Reichstag (the parliament building with it's glass cupola), the wall victims memorial consisted of crosses chained to the gate on the river front, and many more architectural and historical sights. Mostly we enjoyed chatting with our friends. Winnie is a very confident English speaker and she did a great job translating things into English for me and translating our conversation into German for Tammo who spoke English a bit more tentatively than Winnie. After the cruise we walked to the Brandenburg Gate and saw Pariser Platz. We also stopped to walk through the memorial to the murdered Jews of Europe. This is basically a sea of concrete slabs, like coffins in shape and size rising up out of the square at different heights creating a labyrinth of sorts. Interestingly the monument is meant to be somber but the layout invites visitors to climb and perch on the markers, guards discourage this, but they are clearly out numbered. We briefly walked through the Sony Center to get to Potsdamer Platz and then back to the U-bahn. When we parted ways with our friends, believe it or not, it was only about 2pm. Greg and I were in need of lunch, so we returned to our favorite Asian place. Today's specials; a mango curry coconut milk soup with rice and a salad with rice noodles and ginger dressing. We headed back to our apartment for a brief nap and decided that since we had a U-bahn pass for the day, we may as well use it. We decided to head in the direction of Check Point Charlie. This is the sight of the boarder checkpoint between the previously American and Soviet sectors. We saw blocks of the old wall laid into the actual street that wind a path through the city, signifying where the wall used to be and we got to read quite a bit about the history of the wall. While in this neighborhood of Berlin we hopped back on the U-bahn to see nearby Gendarmenmarkt whose twin churches frame the concert hall and the German cathedral in a quaint little square. We braved the U-bahn one last time (I have to say Berlin has a very clean underground compared to some other cities we have seen!) returning home to attempt some bath tub laundry. Using bath water mixed with tide packets, we managed to get some clean underwear, socks and few shirts. Drying them would be the challenge. In the mean time, it seemed my spicy curry lunch was presenting me with a bit of a tender tummy and I was craving a bland baked potato to even things out. Greg, my hero, found the only baked potato only shop in Berlin only a block or two away, but they were closing in five minutes. He ran the distance to arrive just in time, coming home with two gourmet baked potatoes for our supper. He is the best husband! We enjoyed our calming meal while the laundry dried in a cool evening breeze tied to a line we strung between a pillar and the wall radiator by an open window.

Berlin baby!

Monday, 7/11

We are now happily installed in our apartment in Berlin. I must say it is super cool. We are on the 3rd floor overlooking a happening but relaxed neighborhood very near Hackeschermarkt area. You know those movies where you see the independent young twenty-something drinking wine and listening to jazz in her New York studio apartment (you know like the first scene of every romantic comedy you've ever seen?), well the room is kind of like that! I've always wanted to stay in a place like this, but I know I could never LIVE in a big city long term, so this is like a dream come true. I get to play house and try on this hip life style for a week. So how did we get here? This morning after a more relaxed breakfast buffet in Köln, we departed for Düsseldorf, where we saw a tad of the city as we returned the car and walked ten minutes to the train station, stopping along the way to stock up on snacks for the train. The nearly five hour train ride seemed to go by quickly from our first class seats. We read our e-books and snacked happily, pausing occasionally to look out the window and observe the changing countryside of middle Germany. At one point, Greg pointed out, "Were on the prairie!" And truly the sparce and occasional trees that punctuated the yellowing grasses over relatively flat lands did resemble a prairie. We observed quaint towns with ancient looking arches and spires, as well as suburban looking clumps of newer homes. Despite the occasional cries of unhappy toddler in the adjoining car, our trip was fairly relaxing. When we arrived at the Berlin main station, we were impressed by the huge scale and stunning architecture of the place. Glass windows looked out on the parliament building (Reichstag) and an impressive skyline of the city, the station itself was five times the size of biggest mall I've ever visited and had more stores than you can imagine. Getting over our disorientation at being in the big city, we found the S-bahn platform and found our stop on the map. We were only two stops from our station and just a five minute walk from the S-bahn stop to our apartment. After getting the key at the cafe/ bar downstairs, we climbed three flights of an ultramodern stairwell made of concrete and reinforcing cables for a hand rail to open the doors to our spacious room. We have a huge bed, a couch, a flat screen TV, two closets (count 'em 1-2!), a dining nook with four chairs, a kitchenette (hurray, I can cook!), a desk with a fifth seat, a large bathroom with a big and long bath tub, and tons of windows, giving the whole place a light and airy feel. Greg was thrilled and I was pleased that I had booked us such a nice place at such an affordable price. The best part, we get to stay here for five nights! I actually unpacked and put my backpack away instead of using it as my dresser as I have since we left Tuscany. We walked to the end of our street and found a well stocked corner market and filled our fridge with breakfast items and cold beverages. We also bought some groceries so we can cook a few nights this week. But not tonight, because we were hungry immediately. Having an expansive diverse city at your fingertips, we knew we could find something we hadn't had since arriving in Europe, ethnic food of the non-traditional variety for the region. We settled on a Vietnamese restaurant that provided an effusion of veggies and tofu with just the right amount of spice. Oh how I had missed my precious tofu (clean protein) and delicious mushrooms, zucchini, carrots, onions, and more! Plus that wonderful heat that makes your nose run just a little...heaven! After dinner we wandered the neighborhood finding cool local hangouts, cafes, innovative and artistic graffiti on some buildings (always with a message, usually anti-establishment related). Back in our tower of spacious joy, a hot bath was calling my name, all knots from backpack hauling dissolved and I began to feel quite at home in this big city so far from home.

deTOUR

Sunday, 7/10

Whether or not the city of Köln was able to clean up after itself in a timely manner, we'll never know, because today Greg and I decided to take a detour from our plans. The thought actually formed last night. We had already seen what we'd come to see and we had a whole day left here. Greg got out the map, "Did you know we are only about an hour from Belgium?" I did not! We do have two days scheduled in Belgium later in the trip, but in the south. We both wondered what there was to see in the east of Belgium and more over Greg wondered if he could get a good Belgian beer. On one of our travel guide maps, we saw a note about an open air folk museum. I had read about these type of places that maintained some houses in the old style and re-enacted life in earlier times. After a quick trip the breakfast buffet, which was packed with hung-over but still chatty festival goers, we were on the autobahn headed out of the country. Within an hour, we crossed over to the Netherlands for a few minutes, seeing the countryside level out and spotting many slow moving channels of water, even a few modern day windmills. Only ten minutes later we saw the sign indicating we had entered Belgium! Off the freeway, we found ourselves in a beautiful forested area, tall fir trees crowded together with various ferns thriving in their shade. Soon we had arrived at Bokrijk, offenluchtmuseum (which we think means open air museum). There were droves of parents and kids here, we figured this must be a very popular place. Through the entry gates, we spied fields of sheep, thatched roof homes, and even our first authentic old time windmill! There were blacksmith, breadmaking, and various other demonstrations of life in the olden days. Children walked on stilts and made wooden stick horses to ride. Greg chased the sheep herding dog and the horse drawn wagon around the the main courtyard seeking the perfect photo. When we reached the outdoor cafe, it was completely packed. We were in desperate need of refreshment so we watched from the sidelines to wait for a table to open up. At this point we were beckoned by a friendly Belgian woman, who invited us to share a table with her husband and son. We soon learned that Catherine and Rudi were gardeners and seed savers. They have an amazing garden in Belgium (probably we would think of it as more of a farm because of the size of it). These wonderful friendly people said if we were in the area again we should visit them. They also enlightened us as to why the park was so busy today. They had brought their son Ben (and most of the rest of the children his age were also there) because a famous comic was being featured. We then realized many of the children had been dressed as this character...and here we thought Belgian children just favored blue and white shirts! The character "Jommekes" is featured in a comic book series that apparently are extremely popular with Belgian youths. A book signing and various kid friendly activities were happening all around us. After our beer and frites break (and yes they do put mayo on them in Belgium, but our new friends instructed us that if you mix the ketchup and mayo it creates even a better sauce, of course they were right!), we were off to explore more of the grounds. Gardens were everywhere, so I got to get my fix (I have been missing my garden!) We also got to see pigs, goats, sheep, horses and cows. Time for another snack break. (Of course more beer for Greg, and we shared a pancake with brown sugar and ice cream with caramel, sinful, I know!) The Belgian beer is sweet and rich, so far my favorite of the trip! We finally headed back to Germany where we ordered some simple sandwiches from the motel for a late dinner. While we hadn't planned this excursion in advance, we both shared so much fun and entertainment today. This unexpected trip was one of my favorite days in Europe!

Kölner Lichter

Saturday, 7/9

If it was breezy in Bacharach, then Köln is the windy city of West Germany. We had left Bacharach after one last plate of waffles and arrived in the city by 11am. As we circled the Dom, we were whipped around by fierce gusts of wind, so we quickly set sight seeing aside and took refuge in a pub to grab some soup and a sandwich. Back in the elements, we realized we had seen most of what we had come to Köln for (mainly the cathedral whose dark facade towers eerily above the main square and surrounding fountains) and we'd be back in the city in the evening for the festival of lights. Driving in the city was none to easy. Though we've been loving the GPS, problem is she doesn't know whether she is driving you into a pedestrian zone or a parking lot full of wedding guests, and when a town is full to the max for a huge festival, the car is better left out of the equation. It seemed the time had come to find our hotel and park the car. We followed the GPS directions thirty minutes outside the city and found our hotel past another expansive central park, past bulk shopping centers and furniture stores, in an industrial park. Though we were so far from the city central, we reminded ourselves these were the only accommodations we could find anywhere near to Koln on the night of the festival in our price range (and we booked this over six months ago). The nice thing about the hotel was that is was very new feeling, impeccably clean, and the design scheme had a modern flair (a true contrast to our last B and B whose flowery crocheted curtains reminded me very precisely of my great great Aunt Florence's mobile home decor). Once settled in with the luggage, Greg and I poured over maps and tourist information trying to sculpt a plan for the evening. We eventually decided to leave the car behind, it would be impossible to maneuver it in the dense crowds and to find parking. We found a subway stop (actually the vehicle never went underground while we were riding it, so it was more of a long bus on tracks) which was about 800 meters to walk to from our hotel. Once on public transit, the car kept filling as we got closer to the city center, we began to understand the term "packed as tight as sardines." When the doors opened in the city center, we burst forth into a bustling throng of locals. Greg and I had been feeling a bit homesick for a little something that reminded us of America. It turns out the Hard Rock Cafe of Cologne, was just the cure. After splitting a veggie burger and some overpriced cocktails with American music videos and memorabilia as our backdrop, we were ready to brave the crowds. We were swept up in a wave of celebrating Germans. We enjoyed looking at the high end merchandise on the main shopping lane. The streets were already littered with beer bottles and swarms of drinking groups dressed in costumes or matching t-shirts singing songs off key and staggering through the streets. It seems they had started the celebration much earlier in the day. We did learn that the celebration began eleven years ago, but never really figured out what this day of drinking and watching fireworks is in celebration of, but who needs an excuse for a good party. Around 10:30 pm, boats drenched in twinkling colored light paraded down the river and fireworks showered from the sky. It was the Fourth of July we had missed, so two cravings for home were fulfilled in one night. On the bus back to the motel, Greg and I engaged in a debate about how long it would take to clean up after all that partying. I suggested it would take days of hard working crews to clean the city and Greg expected all the trash to be picked up by the morning. Regardless of how long it takes to clean up their mess, the people of Köln had a great deal of fun partying in their city streets.