But where are the Americans?

On Sunday, I wandered around Berlin on foot. Of course, I didn't take my map with me, and ended up buying one when I was turned around in my search for the Brandenburger Tor. But it was a great way to explore my new city, and an even better opportunity for people watching, as it was the World Cup Final day, and people were milling about in throngs near Potsdamer Platz, the giant tourist mecca just up my street. All over the place I saw people draped in their country's colors and flags: Germans, French and Italians, of course, English, Irish, Brazilians, Argentinians, Mexicans, and many others. Notably absent (at least to me)? Americans. While we tend to stick out in many situations, I did not see one American flag during my 6 hour stroll about the German capital. Maybe the Americans were hidden in neutral tones, like I was, or maybe they had affiliated with other soccer playing countries. It was just interesting to note, that a country so famous for its patriotism was not in the least bit represented at what is arguably one of the world's biggest sporting events. Of course, I could have taken this chance to represent the U.S. of A., but instead I chose to wear khaki. I'm neutral...like Switzerland. Come to think of it, I didn't see any Swiss representation either. Huh. On with the tour!


TOP: My building in the far right background, the bombed remains of Anhalter Bahnhof Station, and a large soccer field.
BOTTOM: I have no idea. This building is in across the street from where I live, and I walked up the stairs to see what it was but couldn't figure it out. Looks sort of like the Denver Airport to me.

TOP: I love these cars. So cute. Of course, with the way I shop, this would not be a functional car for me. Imagine taking this to IKEA. I'd still need the rolly bag to drag behind me.
BOTTOM: Boys climbing the fence from the soccer field in near my building. The one in the blue is an Italy supporter. There were many blue shirts on World Cup Final Day, and I kept hearing the Italians singing a song about the "maglietta blu" which means "blue t-shirt." Okay.

TOP: My street sign.
BOTTOM: Die Arkaden, which is the giant shopping mall near my home. Yippee!

TOP: My new favorite store. Schuhhof. I think it means Shoe Station. Yippee!
BOTTOM: The inside of Die Arkaden. Usually this mall, or any stores for that matter, is not open on Sundays. But even the Germans realized a good moneymaking opportunity with all the World Cup Fans in town, and opened the doors for business.

TOP: The inside of the Sony Center. Later that night, people paid a chunk of change to watch the final in here.
BOTTOM: The entrance to Fan Fest Berlin. I just wanted to walk through Tiergarten and stumbled upon this. They had the Polizei patting everyone down and going through bags. I went through this process a few times as I entered and exited the large public park.

TOP: One of the long double walkways through Tiergarten. It all meets at the center near the Golden Angel statue, or "Goldelse."
BOTTOM: A lovely area to sit and picnic or get some sun.

TOP and BOTTOM: The Italians in celebration the afternoon of the Final.

TOP: Many countries represented: UK, France, and Germany. BOTTOM: Fan Fest Berlin!

TOP: There were lots of stands and activities going on at Fan Fest Berlin. This giant game of Jenga went on for a long time, and I got bored so I didn't get to see it fall down. I bet it was very exciting.
BOTTOM: This Italian guy made me laugh.

TOP: The entrance to the center of Tiergarten, where the Golden Angel is. The speakers pumping music throughout the fair were huge. It was primarily 80 and 90s pop and rock music from America. I heard some Tiffany and "Come on Eileen" which sort of made it feel like a Spring Break bar or something.
BOTTOM: The River Spree.

TOP and BOTTOM: The Reichstag (built in 1871), which is the seat of German Parliament which is called the Bundestag. The dome on top is newer (1995) as the old dome was removed after WWII.

TOP and BOTTOM: More Reichstag.

TOP: The back of the Brandenburg Gate (Brandenburger Tor) which is the symbol of Berlin. This gate stood between the East and the West during the years that the city was divided.
BOTTOM: I went to look at this place. It was just a Thai Restaurant that had tofu. No Chicago Diner.

TOP: A big lovely soccerball that you could climb into if you wanted to wait in line forever.
BOTTOM: Hello Polizei! Hello!

TOP: The front of the Brandenburger Tor.
BOTTOM: The giant soccerball. Ooops. Football.

TOP and BOTTOM: The vegetarian selections at my local supermarkets, Kaiser and Aldi. Mmmm...Vegetarisch Schnitzel.

TOP: The old S-bahn Potsdamer Platz sign which has been preserved in frosted glass at the new modernized station.
BOTTOM: The British Embassy, where they had signs thanking the Germans for putting on a "Fab" World Cup.

That is all for now, my dears. I have two hours until my taxi arrives to whisk me back to the Berlin Tegel Airport so I can head off to Italy, London, and Paris. I don't know if I will be able to update, as I may not always have Internet access. We'll see. I will try, but if not...see you at the start of August!

Ciao and Danke for reading up on my adventures!

Die Zeit fliegt. (Time flies.)

Note: You can click on any of the pictures to make them bigger!

Sit down, grab a cup of Kaffee mit oder ohne Milch (with or without milk, which you can get at the cafe on my street pictured to the right) because this is going to be a long post. Let's start with my packing disaster two days before I headed off to Berlin. I called in to give my bag specifications, just like the nice people at Lufthansa told me to, and found out that the flight was quite full and I would not be able to bring any extra baggage. This was a serious issue, as I was counting on this (and they told me it was okay a full month earlier) and had to do some hasty repacking and shipping. Once I arrived at the airport, I waited in line forever and ever with Mom and Stan (and met a nice girl my age named Paige who is also an American living in Berlin, and whom I am going to meet up with tonight in Prenzlauer Berg at an English Bookshop). Since we were so long in waiting, once we arrived at a ticket agent they were so rushed that they didn't charge me for my grossly overweight luggage and my extra piece. I trucked through the entrance to the gates after a quick (probably best) goodbye to my mother and Stanley, and arrived at my gate just as they were calling Business Class. I found my seat, which was a window on the wing and positioned right behind a screaming toddler. And when I say screaming, I really mean shrieking. This little monster shrieked in his bloodcurdling howl for most of the flight, and even was ballsy enough to run up into First Class...at which point, a very stern Flight Attendant came back and lectured the little boy (and his mother) about how these people had paid a lot of money to get some sleep on the flight, and he could run around Coach as much as he liked, but not near the Rich People. Bugger. We finally landed in Frankfurt, where I went through customs (and they didn't stamp me!) and waited for three hours for my flight to Berlin. The jet that took us on this short hour-long jump was gigantic, and in a short time I was able to see my new home out the window.

I waited and waited for my luggage, certain that they had pulled it because it was so heavy, but eventually in the last load, it came around and I loaded up my cart and looked for Kerstin, who was to be my English-speaking helper for my introduction to Berlin. We drove through Berlin, where I got my first glimpse of the city, and the golden angel statue that stands at the center of their large central park, Tiergarten. We continued on to my new apartment on Stresemannstraße, where I was met by Frank, the apartment manager, and a strong smell of curry. While I like to eat curry, I hate the smell. Really hate the smell...so I got a bit worried...but once inside the apartment, I was no longer worried as the shocking color of the violent yellow walls assaulted my visual sense, and I began to think..."Oh God, what have I done?" But as I investigated the apartment further, and looked around a bit, I did find it satisfying and I love the neighborhood and location next to a grocery (ALDI Markt), drugstore (Schlecker), cute cafes, and the S-Bahn (Anhalter Bahnhof, which literally means Hitchhiker Station...it was bombed during WWII, and you can see the remains are left, next to the entrance to the Underground - and my big highrise is the building in the background, but my flat is on the other side). So I talked Frank into painting it all white, which will be very calming and lovely, if I signed on for a year lease instead of three months. I just want to stay put now...no more packing!

After our visit with Frank, Kerstin and I went to my hotel, which was lovely, and I took a stroll around the area, finding a phone store, where I could call my mom and tell here I survived and was settling in. Oddly, Berlin had already started to feel like home, and I was happy to be in a bustling city. Love the city.

Of course, with the jet lag, I woke up at 4am (having been up for 32 hours straight, I guess I wasn't up for sleeping in?) and went to breakfast when it opened at 6:30am. I met Kerstin at 8am, and we headed off to the Polizei, where I registered my address (you get a piece of paper that you need for EVERYTHING, phone, video membership, etc...so it is also in your best interest not to move around, as you have to do this every single time you change addresses) and applied for my German Driver's License (I was lucky, Illinois has reciprocity with Germany...some other states don't, and you may have to take a €2500 driving course). After the Polizei, we went to an electronic store, Media Markt, where I bought my hairdryer, hair straightener, and a microwave. Kerstin couldn't understand why I didn't want to pay the extra €5 so I could get the Microvelle that can rotisserie a chicken. I was thinking I could spend that €5 on Vegetarisch Burgers instead...more on the search for those later. We then headed to Deutsche Bank, where I set up my new German Bank Account, and was then told that I had to have my home bank wire money into it. And that my bank card would not arrive for 5 days. So I am still an American banker, until I can get the wire through and get my mail when I get back from southern Europe with the grandparents and grandchildren touring business. Love paying that €7 to take money out of the Geldautomaten.

I came home Friday night, exhausted, stayed up until 4am unpacking my bags, parcels that had arrived from the States after their long boat trip. However, I realized it was all worth it when I looked out my apartment's windows and saw the city spread out beneath me.

The next morning, I headed out to the Anhalter Bahnhof S-bahn station right out my door to take the train to IKEA (pronounced Eeee-KAY-yah...in German, the I is called E, the E is called A, and the A is called Ahhh...not confusing at all). I bought my Fahrkarte, hopped on the train, and took it two short stops (5 minutes) on the very clean train (the one I will take to work as well) and got off at Südkreuz, which is a short walk from IKEA. I had no idea where it was, but quickly found a bright blue and yellow sign representing the Swedish colors (owners of IKEA, the home furnishings megastore) and walked about 10 minutes until I arrived. The IKEA here is smaller than the one in Chicago, and the parking lot is a fraction of the size. Many people were walking the path, and it seemed that many were also taking advantage of the shuttle service. They love the public transport here (plus, gas is about $7 a gallon!). I walked in and immediately noticed some differences. While at the Chicago Ikea, you can pretty much start wherever you want, this one had a definite plan that you had to follow. You had to go up the escalator where you started to follow large black arrows painted on the floor. Going against the grain was met with sharp looks, as was abandoning your cart for more than 30 seconds. Personal space is non-existent here, as I guess they are used to being in tighter quarters. I became anxious that I was going to forget something, and more than once I am sure I irritated the Germans by stopping my cart and consulting my list. I made it through the maze in about an hour-and-a-half, and then arrived at the long lines of the cash registers. It was then that I began to fear that they didn't take credit cards or debit cards. I vaguely realized that I had read this somewhere, and when I reached the front of the line, I was relieved to see that my cashier spoke English. He explained that they didn't take either of my cards, but that I could slide my cart to the side (not easy with throngs of people not inclined to move) and go to the Geldautomaten in the corner to withdraw cash. No problem. But of course...

...the machine rejected my card, not because of a lack of money, but because it was American. Anti-Bush bankmachine, I think. Anyway, I went to customer service to inquire where another machine might be...and this turned out to be a 20-minute walk away. So...I went back to my cart, sifted through and pulled out €100 necessary items, paid cash and went home. I unloaded my stuff at my apartment, walked up to Potsdamer Platz (about 20 minutes) where I knew the Deutsche Bank liked my American Debit card, took out some more cash, got on the S-bahn again...and went BACK to IKEA to get the rest of my stuff. At this point, I was so exhausted but didn't care. I trucked through the maze, regrabbed the things I had left behind before, and checked out again. This time I bought a rolling cart, as I had realized the day before at ALDI that this is a necessary item in Berlin. They don't seem to like giving away bags, and unless you want to always waste money on bags, it is best to just have one to use. Especially one with wheels! I assembled my new cart, packed it up, as well as my new blue IKEA bag, and trucked off to the S-Bahn Südkreuz. Of course...it started to rain. But I persevered, and made it home just in time to watch the Germany-Portugal game. Germany won, of course, and I was treated to a visual of fireworks across the skyline, as I have a great view of the entire city from my sixteenth floor apartment. The honking when on for hours, and then abruptly at 1am...it stopped. Very precise.

Now, friends, it is time to try to do my laundry again...I will post about my day yesterday, when I played tourist. I hope some machines are free now...I tried earlier, and was reprimanded from the doorman at the speaker (sort of like Charlie, from Charlie's Angels) "keine machine frei" which means no machines free. Argh.

Hope Frank gets me that wasching machine before I return from Italy. That would just be Wunderbar!

Sieben (7) miles later...

Okay, I am bailing again...but this time for good reason. I walked 7 miles today all around Berlin, and saw some amazing things...especially as it was World Cup mania! I want to do justice to the past four days, and I am not just a quick writer/picture slapper sort of blogger. It is an art really. Okay, not really, but I do have a lot to say and show and will work on it tomorrow (during my first attempt at laundry). More soon!

The Germans are Freakin'

I have had a very eventful past three days, and I would love to write about them. But not as much as I would love to go to bed. I promise to write and post pictures tomorrow, after I get a Tasse of Kaffee. I will give you a few clues to what transpired over my first few days among the Deutsch: I can't stand the color yellow or the smell of curry; Is there something wrong with just giving the bags away?; Nutella is not peanut butter; beware of the bike lane; going to IKEA sucks the life out of me when it is in English; the deodorant thing appears to be true; and apparently the Germans like to honk when they're happy. I guess beating the Portuguese for third place in the World Cup makes them happy.

Because they're honking. A lot.

I´m here and the German Kezboard is funnz.

See how the z and y are switched? Things are in the wrong place, and I do not have my internet set up yet. Thank goodness for Internet cafes. I will write more about my adventures (including my stretchy skirt that went a bit awry as I was trying to manage all my bags) but for now I am hungry and tired and in desperate need of a shower.

PS-Berlin is everything I thought it would be and more. It already feels like my home. Sort of.

Auf Wiedersehen!

I am off to the airport and off to Berlin! I will be landing in Berlin at 1:40pm local time, which is 7:40am Indiana time and 6:40am Chicago time. When you are rising tomorrow morning, I will be attempting to lug my 8000 pounds of luggage to my new home!

Thank you to all of you who have supported and listened to me as I obsessed over this decision. Now that it is finally here, I can definitively say that I do not have any cold feet or indecision. I am nervous as hell, yes. But not about moving to Germany.

Airline vegan meals are not so tasty.

The Goodbye Girl

That is what I feel like lately. This past Saturday, we threw a 25th Anniversary party for my aunt and uncle (with whom I am very close, considering they were my next-door neighbors for the bulk of my childhood). This party was disguised as a farewell for me, and we managed to keep the wool pulled over their eyes until the very moment they walked up and saw their wedding photo blown up to enormous proportions (almost as big as Uncle David's 1970s glasses!). It was a very special day for all, including my own Mom and Stan who met at that wedding 25 years ago. This was of course, thanks to Grandma who met Stanley first, and then insisted that my mom seek out that "nice man in the blue pants."

The party was packed with so many of my relatives, including my grandpa (who gave me a lovely book about people traveling around Europe in the 1970s, "The Drifters" by James Michener) and several of my great aunts and uncles. Plus, my wonderful cousins! It was a great opportunity to see everyone before I leave, and talk about the exciting days that lie ahead.

Currently, I am spending my last few days here at the lake, with all of my family packed into the house. All of the nieces and nephews are here (I am currently bunking with three of them in the back bedroom) as well as my stepsiblings, and our cute pup Meggie. Tonight, I have enlisted their help with measuring and weighing my luggage, as the kind folk at Lufthansa have asked me to call them with my exact weights and measures before I check-in on Wednesday. If I exceed their weight requirements, they may make me leave a pair of shoes behind. And I definitely need all 12 pairs. Definitely. All 12.

Okay...14.