berlin, briefly

i got to berlin very exhausted and tried like mad to figure out the elusive train system. i finally just got on some random train and took a city circumference tour! the circumference of berlin isn't really that exciting, but it was cool to watch the people who got on and off the train and it also gave me time to pick out a hostel. at my stop i then had to figure out the underground train. ugh. i finally made it to the hostel, but check-in wasn't for another two hours so i rather unelegantly passed out on a chair in the lobby. around 6pm i decided to start sightseeing. i found (on recommendation from a nice australian guy) a little place that serves you HALF a chicken and a ton of fries for only 3 euros! the rest of the kids i met were then going out to party, so i went off on my own and found...A CHUMBWAMBA CONCERT!!! i only knew their one song (i get knocked down, but i get up again, lalala) but it turns out they are totally punk-rock activist people! they won my heart with the song, "Ronald McDonald: Auf Wiedersehen! Shopping: auf wiedersehen! CocaCola: auf wiedersehen! Government: auf wiedersehen! Goodbye! Goodbye! Goodbye!" they are a large band: a soprano who also plays the keyboard, an alto who also plays the trumpet, a bass player who also plays the acoustic and sings bass, the lead guitarist who is a tenor, the drum player, and three lead singers! my favorites were the songs where it was just the 4 first members doing a cappella songs in 4 part harmony! they are so good! they really put on a good show: one of the lead singers did a song on his own about a cocktail drink. between verses he actually made the drink, meanwhile doing more bar tricks than any bartender ive ever seen! he ended the song by whipping out a knife, throwing an orange high in the air, catching the orange ON the knife, placing a slice on the edge of the glass, and (just before the last chord) opening a little umbrella to put in the drink. he then gave it to someone in the audience (no, not me). the crowd was going nuts! it was a fairly small place, and i'm quite positive i was the only american there (which was kinda cool). it was a weird mix of punk kids with lots of piercings (i didn't know a person could have that many piercings in the side of his face!), and well dressed people...go figure?! definately a good time.

my observations of berlin subways:
ALLOWED:
-dogs
-bicycles
-beer
-all other types of alcohol
-smoking
-SMOKING! (the other kind)
-PDA
-not paying
-begging
-playing guitar
-playing the oboe

NOT ALLOWED:
-??? (i'll get back to you on this one)

i spent most of the next day trying to figure out how i was going to get OUT of the city, rather than enjoying the city. when i finally got that straightened out i took the train until i saw something cool, then alighted (that sound better than "i got off"). i walked around town for about 6 hours, just seeing cool things, taking tons of pictures, watching kids play at the park, walking thru neighborhoods, looking in the windows of resturants (dreaming of the days when i'm so rich that eating is not an optional activity), trying to figure out what the street signs said, etc. it was great, and i was reminded that, although it would be nice sometimes, if i were to travel with another person i would not be able to do stuff like that. the solitarity and the a-plan-a-minute meandering, and the miles and miles of walking would not be feasible. its been good. it's been really, really good. and although i actually watched Friends at the hostel, i mostly don't really miss the states. it's great here, but i do feel like one of those ugly americans who just relies on everyone else to speak english. but i am going to learn german, i am. that's my goal. i no longer have plans to see every major landmark in europe. i just want to learn some german, see some of eastern europe and more of germany, and get back to london in time for my flight. that's all.