Thinker - Reflecting on my travels - PART 1

Tiergarden, in Berlin.

My mini Europe trip to Berlin and Paris, has both been a learning, healing and magic experience for me. In my last post I was in Berlin and my stay there was coming to an end. How I spent my last days in Berlin where different from day to day - I spent one day reading about the victims of the Berlin wall, another in the Pergamon Museum looking at archaeological treasures and the last in Tiergarden walking around in beautiful green surroundings thinking about my life, friends and death. Why death you might ask? A family member died for about a year ago and one of my closest friend's father just passed away. These two people have something in common besides that fact that they are no longer here, they died way too early and young, both taken by a desease we've all in some way been touched by - Cancer. It was the death of these two was on my mind that day , but also the death of a new friendship. How it feels to no longer to be friends and the confusen that follows. It's not the first time I lose a friend(when I say lose, I don't mean to death), but it doesn't mean I can't feel it, like I felt it years ago when it happened the first time, except dealing with it now is easier then it was back then. Berlin and Paris was both healing places for me, because it gave me the time to think thoughts,

I would not have had the time to think and a quiet peaceful place to do so.

I made this post into two parts, one for this and the other for Paris - so come back to read more!



Tiergarden.

(sorry for the wierd way the pictures are placed, but Blogger just won't collaborate with me when it comes to pictures!)


Some of the old Berlin Wall.

Pergamon Museum

Roman architecture (Pergamon Museum)



Berlin: DAY4

Is almost nonexistent. I got up very late and found my way to Alexanderplatz, by train, which it in self is a wonder, because just like my German language skills(it comforts me that they at least at Starbucks can understand my order), my skills at using their trains are just as bad.

It was the start of my day, but Alexanderplatz the day was more than started, the stalls was up, running and selling. The street performers had long before my arrival started their acts, one particular act caught my eye and sense of humor. There was this character that kept saying “merry Christmas” and getting injured, I kind of felt sorry for her while I laughed my ass of. There was this other person dressed in a sailor costume, who had to catch two balls at the same time and every time he didn’t, he threw off his clothes at someone from the audience, being completely oblivious that he hit someone. First it was the hat that revealed very long hair – he didn’t mind that, but every time he didn’t caught those balls, he got this sad miserable face - and then he took of more clothes. He ended up in his underwear, just as miserable when he didn’t this time around caught the balls. He then looked thoughtfully up into the sky, to distract us from him gathering up the balls, so he didn’t have to throw off his underwear.

Interesting story, I know.

Later in the evening I went to a vegan gourmet restaurant, to enjoy the more fancy food being a vegetarian can offer. 

Berlin: DAY3

(Reichstag)

Discovering berlin by bike is an exhilarating experience that you simply must try! It turned me into a lover of speed and my parents into my own personal circus clowns! It was after I had seen Reichstag and had eaten lunch that I bumped into a place renting bikes. Besides renting out regular bikes, you could also rent a tram. The tandem bicycle was what that turned my parents into circus clowns, the first 15 minutes driving it, was one of the most hilarious moments of my life. The thing about riding a bike in Berlin is that the cycle lane is right out in the middle in between the cars and busses and it’s so exhilarating, the speed, fun and the risk. The two hours on bike went by as if it was just 30 minutes. Later I became the circus clown, when I headed out in my roller-skates, the roads in Prenzlauerberg is really not meant for roller-skating, but a least I put some smiles on the Germans passing by me.

Berlin: DAY2

Day 2 I came to understand how I truly suck at German. I mean, I don't even know how to say yes and no!

But I have been lucky, because if in the right neighborhood the Germans speak and understand English quite well, unless you are wandering around in the Asian/Turkish neighborhood, when I asked a girl about my age if she spoke English she answered "small" and indeed "small" it was.

Something I happily discovered was that Berlin has Starbucks. All over the place. I know nothing better than a caramel macchiato, which I so rarely has the chance to enjoy because Denmark only has two Starbucks, which both are located in Kastrup airport, so whenever travelling I always take the opportunity to go.

Another great thing I discovered today is a vegetarian fast food diner, Yellow Sunshine. The food was so delicious, that I definitely will return another night if I got the time.  I also went to see Checkpoint Charlie and the museum. The museum was sooo boring! Usually I really like museums, but there where so much to read and it would fit better in a book then on several walls in an old building. I hope that I one of these days in Berlin can find a art museum, because that's more my kind of museum, less text more paintings.

Berlin; DAY1

These two next weeks I'm out traveling, first in Berlin with my parents and after I'm going to wander the streets of my favorite city, Paris alone. I will try to write some posts while I'm there, even though I'm usually against using Internet while on vacation but I often feel inspired(like I did on Roskilde Festival) when I experience things and write about them, while I'm in the moment and the memories of the feelings is still fresh.

As we first arrive to Berlin, by car it's raining heavily. The city doesn't look much, but my expectations ain't high, so there is  room for improvement. Me and my family had gotten up early so we could go to a market, only held on Sundays and in the puring rain we walked.

The lady hands me a tray of some exotic looking food with salad. I hope she understood what i said, but by the looking of the food it's very likely she didn't. I'm standing in front of a Turkish food stand in the mauvetpark marked in Berlin. It's still raining, but that doesn't stop the shoppers or the other tourist from enjoying the interesting market, that both sells old beautiful lamps, freshly pressed orange juice, the beloved wurst and fabric.

I have been told that Berlin, is the place to when you are a vegetarian and tomorrow I will find out if that is true.