Hungöveretten

Hi guys, it's time for my favorite kind of post: hungover. Currently self-medicating said hangover with a giant cup of coffee and chocolate cake because I like to reward bad decisions with delicious cake. There's something a little beautiful about hangovers. I'm so enveloped in feeling sorry for myself that I forget I'm a tourist in a strange Deutsche-land. I'm just a human lookin' for that cake. Cake cake cake cake. I was quoting poet-laureate Rihanna at the end there.

I'm still in Berlin! I've seen a lot of museums. So. Many. Museums. I'm tapping out. I've gotten so spoiled and sometimes I buy a ticket and speed walk through the joint. It's happened a couple times. I'm not terribly proud of this fact. But it is what it is.

Museum Island

I went to a 19th centuryish art museum, a 20th centuryish art museum, a DDR museum (East Berlin), an "alternative Berlin" tour, Bauhaus archive, and the abandoned airport Tempelhof.

Bauhaus was cool. I finally learned its pronounced "bow-house" so I can stop embarrassing myself. Unrelated: Lime in the Coconut just started playing in this cafe. I bought a poster! I buy nothing ever, so that it significant.

Bauhaus Chairs

I miss art school!

The DDR museum was really well done. It was largely about daily life in East Berlin. Here's a photo, idk man..

Who is this Party informant snooping around my East berlin flat?!

Tiny naked people! East Berlin didn't have enough swimsuits so everybody went naked. And then 25 years later someone felt compelled to make a diorama about it. 

Tempelhof was so cold. I imagine it would be wonderful in the summer. They had BBQ spots. In the winter though, woof. The wind just impaling you from those flat empty runways. Like trekking Siberia. I took a photo of myself so I could remember what I looked like before my nose fell off from hypothermia. Isn't it nice to know I'm still so dramatic even when it's just me?

Tempelhof aka Siberia 

in remembrance of my nose

I also have successfully undertaken the bahns, as I affectionately refer to them. U-Bahn and S-Bahn. Berlin public transit. Apparently ticket inspectors check sometimes, but I have yet to see one of these fellows. I keep buying tickets though because I'm terrified of getting yelled at in German.

I've also been pretending to be German as much as possible. To accomplish this, I just say "Hallo" and then nod when people talk at me. I also maintain a bored face and hide my panicked confusion. It's been working out for me. It got me a fork at Starbucks, interestingly.

Other things with me. I've been watching a lot of vice videos. I think I will send them a letter re: giving me a job. These guys went to North Korea! Makes me feel like a lame little baby for not jumping head first into some weird underground Berlin club with like those pierced people hanging from a ceiling and an animal sacrifice. That's probably happening somewhere in Berlin, right? Who knows. But I like wifi and chocolate cake and art museums.

Now I will take a train to Frankfurtty and get a hotel by the airport and hang around. So close to being home! Are you coming to my birthday? Come to my birthday!

TV Tower

Berlinagain

Hey-o! I'm back in Berlin. I think I may have left Munich a bit prematurely because after I got to Berlin, I realized I actually know THREE people in Munich! Whoops, I screwed up! I'm happy to be back in Berlin though.I totally did have another super weird night train dream again. I dreamt that I was watching a Beyoncé WWE pay-per-view fight. And I kept asking who she was fighting and everyone would just say "haha um Not Beyoncé."

Yesterday I was planning to go the Bauhaus Archives and that was a 32-Double D BUST. Short version so as not to dwell: spent an hour getting there, museum closed on Tuesdays. Bad job, Liz.

Last night was great though! I went to a "Living History" talk that my hostel out on with a man from West Berlin that occasionally did work in East Berlin. When I was last in Berlin, I met with a man from East Berlin. It was really interesting to hear stories and perspectives from both sides of the wall. It really blows my mind how recent that history is. When I was a wee babe, the wall was still up! I was pooping my pants in Texas and Berlin was divided! Bananas.

Did you know there were two subway lines that ran from West Berlin, underneath East Berlin, and back to West? The train would just slow down in the East stations, but never stop. The East Stations were guarded with machine guns. Once a train lost power IN East Berlin, and they refused to let anyone off or even have contact with the West Berlin passengers. I can't imagine, but I'm really fascinated by the whole thing.

Okay, here are my Berlin goals: Bauhaus Archives, Topography of Terror, Museum Island museums, now-closed Tempelhof Airport. If I do not do these things, you should yell at me.

Straße

Museum of Natural History and a Street Art Tour. I am pooped though, so you just get photos today. Tschüs.

Butterflies

I spy a hermit crab...

Dead stuff in jars

Tachles

Little dudes

BRRLIN

Hi Berlin, thanks for the wein-rot. Sorry I was lazy.

I was a bit of a bitch to Berlin upon first arriving. I can admit that. It was cold and my hostel has such nice wifi... I didn't do much. But I've been re-energized! Ready to take Berlin by storm and see all the lovely things it has to offer. I've extended my stay an extra night as an apology to the city. 

I did however go to a bar called "White Trash Fast Food" and the Hamburger Bahnhof Museum of modern art. Both were way cool and hipster-approved.

Today I did a big walking tour of Mitte, the generally older historical neighborhood of Berlin. Berlin has a dark history. Two world wars, Nazis, and then Soviets. Oof. I really want to watch a James Bond film that takes place in Berlin; there must be like 6, right?

Germany

Germany

I learned today there were 42 known assassination attempts on Hitler. Also the Nazi salute and swastika are illegal here. Apparently a French-Canadian (le sigh) did the Nazi salute in front of the Reichstag and was fined €12,000!! As a result, I have now developed an anxiety disorder where I'm terrified I'll somehow end up accidentally doing a Nazi salute. My arm is tingling. Ahhhh.

I've been properly educated on the history of the division of East and West Germany/Berlin. I think it was always in the part of the history book that we never QUITE reached during the school term. My world history knowledge gets fuzzy after WWIIish. I knew about the wall, people trying to escape to the West, Stalin, the basics, etc. I wasn't aware quite how terrifying it all was though.

Checkpoint Charley

Berlin Wall

Holocaust Memorial

Brandenburg Gate

All in all, a very nice tour today.

I am meeting people, by the way, if you were worried for me. Lots of Australians. It's slightly surreal to meet these people from all over the world and also know how temporary the whole thing is. I will never ever ever see that person again, but lets live in the moment and talk about how shitty the music playing in the bar is and laugh. Strange. I am getting a wee bit tired of the "What brings you here? How long are you here? Where to next?" standard travel convo though. C'est la vie.

Staying: Circus Hostel

Baby's First Pub Crawl!

I went on a pub crawl last night! My first ever! I got into Berlin around 6 and was quickly energized by a magical German second wind. Das Winderein. Who knows. This was an "alternative" pub crawl, which meant the bars were interesting. First was a hippie-type bar with really bad murals of Janis Joplin and Bob Marley. Then a gothic bar. It was like a Hot Topic and all the goths glared at us, which was fitting. Next was an indie bar where they played Phoenix and Vampire Weekend and I got into hipster arguments with Brits. And finally some Berlin club thing but I left shortly after that.

Happy Australia Day! All the Australians I keep meeting are freaking out about Australia Day and so excited. I'm going to an Australian bar tonight I think to watch those Aussies celebrate.

By the way, I've developed a very strange speech as of late. I've been speaking with so many different people and so few Americans, I've picked up some weird inflections and accents? I think it will wear off when I'm home. Hopefully. It's very affected.

Berlin Bound

Auf Weidersehen Amsterdam! Yesterday was eventful because I ate a Cheese Pancake. There are pancakes joints all over Amsterdam and I needed to try one. I was secretly hoping for a giant Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuit frisbee with syrup on top because I am a simple Midwestern girl, but the cheese pancake was much closer to a saucer of cooked cheese. Imagine an extra cheesy pizza minus tomato sauce and bread. If you can get past the amount of cheesiness (no problem), it's good? Kinda? I put some syrup on it out of curiosity and that was no good.All in all, I really liked Amsterdam. I could envision myself living there. It's so small; you can walk pretty much end to end in 30 minutes. And perhaps there are some more Amsterdam stories for another time.

Today I spend 6 hours on a train to Berlin. I imagined Europe a lot smaller than this. Like Amsterdam to Berlin should be 2.5 hours TOPS.