Mr Gorbachev! The remainder of your wall is a reminder to us all

Hallo!

Berlin was honestly one of the coolest cities I've seen yet. Right when I got in, it was extremely easy to navigate the train station as well as the trams. I got to my friend Maddie's place which is a really really awesome flat that her fiancé, Jens (pronounced, Yence) rents. It was located right in between an ice cream shop and a restaurant and I almost missed it because it's just a door that leads to a staircase with the flats.

I'd met Jens before when he was in Colorado visiting and he is such a nice guy. Maddie ran out to meet a friend and Jens and I hit a beer garden. We got some good pints to start and then I went in for a bratwurst which was absolutely delicious. We went for another pint or two and I grabbed another bratwurst as well since I hadn't eaten much during the train ride in.

After the beer garden, we went to a smaller bar with a big selection of beers and they actually had a really good one I like, Duchese De Bourgogne, on tap. After another beer or two, Jens took me to a bar where they sell micro brews which is becoming quite popular as of late in Berlin. I saw that Stone brewing is opening up a brewery just outside Berlin next year as well. Should be great for the beer culture to introduce their hoppy stuff.

We ran into a couple of Jens' friends at the joint and I met them. They were cool people and shortly after, Maddie met up with us there to haverify a drink. After a beer or two, we went home and hit the hay.

I awoke to Jens' roommate, Johannes greeting me and he was a super nice guy. Maddie and Jens had breakfast plans, so I got a recommendation on a cafe and headed out. I met an interesting American who owned the cafe and he and I chatted a bit as I sipped my coffee. When it was time to settle up, he gave me a free chilled coffee shot which was really cool of him.

I headed out in search of a baked good to fill my stomach and I found a bakery so I walked in. I started looking at what they have and a lady walked in to peruse as well. I motioned for her to go in front of me and she said something back in German. I just smiled and nodded, then she looked around for another 10 seconds and left. The clerk behind the desk said something in German I can only imagine was about her walking in without leaving with a baked good, so I just smiled and nodded. I then picked out what I wanted and said, "eine bitte" (one please). He grabbed it said how much it was and I gave him the money, then he said something else and I felt the only thing to do was smile and nod; it'll get you places.

That day, Maddie took me out to see the city and it was an incredible place to see. We first went to a memorial that was strongly recommended to me by several people. It's a memorial for all of the people of the Jewish faith who perished during the second world war. It is a site to see and something that you can't really get the whole experience with unless you walk through it. There are large stones placed all over in rows and columns and they get larger or smaller as you walk through and they sometimes tower over you. The light scheme plays into it along with the acoustics and everything. Maddie described it well saying that it's really subject to interpretation which I completely agree with.

Underneath the memorial is a museum where they have a time line throughout the war and what was happening along with snippets from diaries, journals and post cards or letters. It was a heavy experience but the purpose is very clear: we as humans can't let this happen again. One fact that surprised me is that 50% of the perished were from Poland. I had no idea it was that drastic. When we left, we saw the Brandenburg gate and then hopped on the metro.

We decided that we needed to get a drink and we found a place that has a dish Maddie introduced me too which is green papaya salad. It had shaved green papaya, shrimp, lettuce, sprouts and other things with a spicy kick. It was served cold which was great to beat the heat with. We also grabbed some delicious ice cream afterward which also helped. We headed out to check out some sites and I tried a Czech Budweiser which was actually amazingly different and quite a lot better than the Budweiser back home.

We went down to Kreuzberg and checked out some remaining columns of the Berlin Wall called the East Berlin Gallery. Some artists had been commissioned to paint murals on them and some were truly great but unfortunately, all of them had been defaced in one way or another with writing which was a bummer.  There a nice river there as well and Maddie and I sat on some grass near it and just enjoyed the view of a well-known bridge.

We grabbed a kebab dinner and I had some falafel. I forgot to mention that while walking home from the bar on the first night, we stopped for a "Duner kebab" and I got this thing that was essentially a chicken gyro wrapped in a pizza not pita bread. Some of the flavors in that were unlike any I had ever tried in my entire life. It honestly blew my mind and that has got to be some of the best food I've ever had.

After our dinner, we went to a bar which is modeled after an American dive bar. It didn't quite feel like a dive bar, but it had a good vibe and we were digging it. I asked if they ever have musicians play there and they said they sometimes do, but not often. I sensed an opportunity but was feeling coy, so my new friend, Igor that I met through Jens went up and asked if I could play a set. They agreed to it so we went back to get the guitar and then when I got back, they just told me to stand on a table and play so I obliged them.  It was a lot of fun and people who walked by would see me and have such an inquisitive look.

I played for about 30 minutes and then the staff put the music back on and I talked with a few people at the bar who had been singing along and clapping. It truly was a great time and I played my heart out. I'm really digging this whole musician thing.

We headed home before too long and I awoke to a nice breakfast. It was time to say my goodbyes as I was leaving for Prague that afternoon so I headed out but felt happy because Maddie will be back in Denver when I get back, and Jens will be following as well. They are both great people and I was so happy to have them to take me around in Berlin.

I'm currently on a train to Budapest from Prague so I'm getting behind on my blog entries. I must be having fun or something. Hope your 4th was splendid!

Tchuss

Tony G