Berlin

Kathleen and I making lists and professing our love

You would think that we would have learned to get very specific directions to our hostel in Berlin after the disaster that was finding the Hamburg hostel, but no. Kathleen and I wrote down directions from the train station thinking that it would be easy to find. We win the stupid award for that one! The bus dropped us off and we were clueless. Nothing looked like what I assumed Berlin would look like and we couldn’t see a train station anywhere.  Our busdriver noticed that we looked a little dumbfounded so he did his best to point us in the right direction, but I’ve noticed that Kathleen and I can be a bit like tweedle dee and tweedle dum when it comes to trying to get anywhere (wait til you hear what happened in London!).  It took about 15 minutes to find the metro station and then we couldn’t figure out the ticket machine for the life of us.  Some very nice Berlin boys took pity and gave us step by step directions on how to use it and what zone we wanted to buy for.  At the same time they clued us in on the festival that was happening the next day and said “Everyone will be talking about it” So we HAD to go.  We got off the train really excited about our new cute German friends and even more excited about going to the festival the next day.  Once off the train we were still lost so we bit the bullet and got a cab. Thank goodness too because the person who we asked directions from told us we needed to get back on the metro for 25 minutes and the hostel was a 2 minute cab ride away.  

Berlin wall
"MADNESS"

The following day we wandered out of our hostel early to see about some breakfast and the festival.  I picked up a pastry that left a little to be desired and we hopped on the train.  True to form we got lost , but once we turned ourselves in the right direction we made it just in time to see the caipirinha (the inspiration for the caipiporto drink I had in Porto) stands cutting their limes, and the bratwurst grills getting fired up. As we walked farther and farther in the smell of food got the best of us.  We were in for a HUGE day of food.  The festival was basically a celebration of cultures, which means that there was all kinds of food.  They closed off a huge chunk of two roads for the food stands to be set up and the parade to walk through. We walked and drank our way down enjoying all of the little moments as we did.  By the end of the parade I think I had eaten corn on the cob, a falafel, quiche, pizza, and the german equivalent to funnel cake, I felt unbelievably sick.  So then we set off in search of the perfect park to take a nap and digest all of the disgusting food in our bodies.  Two hours later we found it, a patch of grass by a canal next to the Berlin zoo.  We both laid our heads on our purses and were out.  Later Kathleen told me she had never seen me so tired and crabby, for those of you who know how terrible that can be I'm amazed she stuck around! I awoke to a tour group on a giant boat taking pictures of us as we were passed out on the grass, I died of laughter and without thinking screamed "Kathleen, get a load of this!" The people were pointing and laughing, it was hysterical.  

Checkpoint Charlie

We left our grassy nook to meet our couchsurfing hosts, an adorable couple who lived in what we learned was a great up and coming neighborhood in Berlin.  She made us dinner that night, we drank wine, and enjoyed getting to know one another before heading for bed.  

The next morning wae had the greatest breakfast of thickly sliced whole grain bread with a variety of jam choices as well as honey and butter, with coffee from a french press served in a bowl with warm frothed milk out on the balcony.  That is a happy place.  Then we got ready and headed out to explore Berlin.  We did various touristy things including shopping and exploring different neighborhoods. Kathleen got her passport stamped at the Brandenburg gate.  We explored East Berlin and then found a mexican restaurant, you read me right a mexican restaurant! Where we got a cheap tequila based drink (Oh how I'd missed it) and some actually delicious Mexican food. From there we went back and went to bed.  

Holocaust Memorial in East Berlin

The next day, delicious breakfast again, followed by a neighborhood tour and we met up with one of Kathleens friends who is living there teaching for the summer. She showed us another Mexican themed meal, this time, I'm about to shock you, was Southwestern food, we're talking Moes, Willy's, Chipotle style burritos. Double Mmmm! That was our night to make dinner for our hosts so Kathleens friend showed us to a market where we got the goods for our meal (which did not turn out as planned).  We took that all with us to a park where we had another restful time and we were off to make dinner.  

Around the museum area before lunch

The next day we explored around the museum part of the city, got a fancy lunch, even fancier dessert, and then to the Jewish museum, I highly recommend that one, it was a lot of fun.  Then we met Kathleens friend again for a Turkish meal and after met our couchsurfing hosts a an outdoor movie theatre where we watched "Potiche" a French movie with Katherine Deneuve and Gerard Depardieu, with German subtitles, it was cool to be in another country still using my French.  

The following morning after breakfast we hopped on the train and headed for the airport to get back to France....well we actually flew to Geneva, where we spent some time checking out the jet d'eau and what not before boarding a train to St. Etienne.  

Our couchsurfing hosts at the movies

 *I have forgotten a depressing amount of what we did. Which means that my writing is probably about as confusing as I am confused.