Tag: Europe (page 4 of 4)

Ah! Sunflower
by William Blake

Ah! sunflower, weary of time,
Who countest the steps of the sun,
Seeking after that sweet golden clime
Where the traveller’s journey is done;

Where the youth pined away with desire,
And the pale virgin shrouded in snow,
Arise from their graves and aspire;
Where my sunflower wishes to go.

I have chosen this William Blake poem to introduce my reflections of our move to Europe. How I felt before, during, and now that we have arrived, is reflected somewhat in his words.

This past winter 2012, I was ‘weary of time’ and I was ‘seeking after’ some kind of ‘golden clime.’ I was beginning to feel, for the first time since dealing with my hip limitations, defeated and old. All of my efforts to get a job as an art teacher, to connect more with other D.C. poets and artists, to find that damn balance between teaching and art (this is, and has been, my albatross) all of this was wearing me down. I felt my age. I felt lost, bored, restless. I felt like Benjamin and I would never make our dreams come true of more creative-driven work and travel to Europe. I thought we’d only talk about it.

Working at Carlos Rosario both helped and hindered. I loved working with such beautiful people, truly lovely students, and having Spanish around me again was a lyrical gift. But even in this, I felt like I was turning myself inside out to create great lessons, to give whatever time and energy I could to help my students. Slowly again, I was feeling embittered by how poorly teachers are paid, how we are taken for granted, how we are blamed. Most of all, I was not attending to my albatross. The teacher was winning the battle, and the artist wanted out…all together.. out.

Meanwhile, during both the Fall and into the Winter, I did slowly make connections with Pyramid Atlantic Art Center and Gretchen, the Art Director. Pyramid had offered us two opportunities to gig over the summer at the center, and both of these were great! Then, for November, Gretchen offered us one of the best gigs we’ve ever had. We performed at the Book Arts Fair at Silver Spring’s Cultural Center. The space was beautiful, and being among international book and paper artists was truly an honor.

In December, creative writing and mixed media workshop ideas bubbled up, and I was able to format them and present to Gretchen. She called my ideas “tall glasses of water,” and I felt so flattered. I also felt like she was an absolutely refreshing person to meet. She took a day to workshop with me and get me reacquainted with paper making again. It felt so good to get my hands wet with pulp, and to chat with her throughout the process.

Just as I was waiting to see if my workshop would fill with enough students, and just as I was connecting with a colleague to write curricula for a kids’ summer art camp, Benjamin realized that SoundCloud was seriously considering hiring him. They conducted two Skype interviews with him, and then they asked him to fly to Berlin for a face to face. This was early February. At this point, we had to tell our families, and we were jumping out of our skin with nervousness and excitement.

Admittedly at first, I wasn’t sure what it all meant that I had finally begun to make some connections in D.C. with art, and now here was this opportunity to move to a continent I have dreamed of seeing since I was 12 years old, a continent with art and history and ancestral ties. Here was this chance to wake up the traveler in me, to resurrect a part of me that needed to move again.

Second, admittedly, I didn’t want to be one of “those women” who follows her man around and forgets to really look at her own career desires.

Thirdly, admittedly, I was afraid that given my mobility challenges, and my intense fear of flying/claustrophobia that I’d be too old for this big change, that it was too late for me.

When these thoughts entered my mind, however, I had to laugh at myself. It wasn’t like my “career” as an English teacher was all that gratifying. I mean in some ways, like I mentioned earlier, yes, but really I have been looking for a way out of the formal classroom for a long while. Tutoring might be ok here in Germany, but even when I think of this, I cringe a little. Teaching creative writing and art workshops? Yes, and I think I can do that here or even remotely. Balancing the needs of an entire group for little pay or teaching business English? No.No way.

Insecure excuses numbers 1 and 2 were out. I wasn’t following Benjamin and forgetting my career. Was I supporting him as he was making both of our travel dreams come true? Hell, yes! This was huge for him! To be scouted and chosen by a successful, international company is thrilling for him. I am extremely proud of him.

As far as my mobility is concerned…am I scared that the supposedly un-shoveled, icy Berlin sidewalks in winter are going to be scary to navigate with my crutch? Yes. But it’s spring, so I have now, summer, and fall to figure this out. If this gets the best of me, then I will have to address my fear of flying again, and maybe get on a plane to go somewhere warm. I’ll have to figure this out as I go as well. I did DO it, however. I got on that damn plane and made it here! I should be proud of myself for this. It was challenging during take off and turbulence is not my favorite thing, but movies and Xanax helped, and Benjamin was amazingly supportive. Having kittens on the seats in front of me was soothing too. I love those two Dutch women for letting me pet those kittens! Insecurity number 3 is still challenging, but I am trying, and this is all that matters. And I’m not too old.

While wrestling with all of these individual feelings, we also had the shared stress of dealing with all of our stuff. We had to deal with stuff in our DC apartment and small storage space. We had to sort through, and clear out, stuff in our storage space in North Carolina. We had to drive stuff from DC and NC to my parents’ place in Florida. We had to sell furniture, bikes, and the car. We made trips to Salvation Army, Cause for Paws, and the neighborhood Gaia boxes. We listed and sold stuff on Craigslist. We put up flyers in the building. Friends came and took stuff away. One sweet friend spent an entire day with us loading her pick-up full of our stuff and taking it to a recycle center, a dumpster,and a music store. We sent stuff in boxes via air and ship and truck, and holy, holy, holy, we are still not all together done with this part of the process.

We had to wait an extra week for our air box to arrive from D.C. It was held up because the German government needed more information about our living and working status. Because Benjamin’s last name is German, the government thought he was trying to evade some law, and they wanted to tax us on our stuff. Wow. FedEx also somehow labeled the boxes incorrectly. Finally the boxes went through customs, and arrived safe and sound. These boxes had practical stuff like clothes we needed, but they also had all the music we have ever recorded. Exhale, indeed.

I don’t think we would have been so nervous if we hadn’t had a bad experience with the USPS. The USPS “lost” or “mishandled” one of the boxes of books I tried to send to my parents. In that box was every hard copy publication I have ever published in, two copies (still in sealed plastic) of On the Road, and most heartbreakingly, every signed copy of my friend David’s poetry. I don’t have much to write about this as I’ve already gotten angry, cursed the USPS, kicked myself for not sending “smarter,” and cried not knowing how to ask my friend for more copies, or how to find the energy to contact the literary magazines to see about back issues.

I took this USPS thing personally. I have always loved the USPS. I still Romanticize letter writing. I have sent post cards that I have personally collaged to friends and family. I have never called the USPS “snail mail.” Too much respect. I loved my local offices…in DC where Joe the postal worker played R&B nice and loud and called me ‘hon.’ And in North Carolina where the man in the walrus mustache always asked, ” What else now?” It felt like this, “Post Office, are you really dumping me? After all these years in our relationship? Post Office, really? How could you break my heart like this?” So you see, now I just don’t have the mental space for many more words on this. Break ups are awful.

The remainder of our stuff is on a ship making its way here. It should be here in 3-5 weeks. Our kitchen, musical instruments, art supplies and projects, and all the rest of our clothes are in those boxes. Should. Arrive. Safely. Exhale.

And I suppose that brings us to actually being here. For this I have created other posts, so I will close full circle with the poem. I have ‘arisen.’ I am ‘aspiring.’ And I ‘go.’

Benjamin and I had another lovely weekend.

We began by having brunch at Butter with our new friends, Julie and Brendan. It was a really good time hanging out with them. Both of them are incredibly smart and funny. We talked about music, Chicago, the ridiculousness of art grad school, apartment and studio wishes, neighborhoods, restaurants, etc. I’ve said it before in earlier posts, but it’s worth repeating. It is very comforting to meet another couple who are also going through this relocation process. Very nice. I am looking forward to further outings and getting to know them better.

After brunch, Benjamin and I walked to find the mall on Schonhauser Allee (approximately 4 blocks from our place) that Julie recommended. We needed simple things like a drug store (turns out it isn’t only apothecaries here–ha ha), a post office, and yes, another market to compare food prices. The mall was, as most malls are, a great place for people-watching. Of course, there were the gaggles of teenagers, but the most surprising thing to see were the families with their dogs. Yes, dogs are allowed inside the mall. This was the first time I have seen them on leashes, but there they were riding the escalators and strolling along. Quite the sight.

We did find all the things we were looking for, and as “U.S.” as this may sound, it was kind of nice to see something as mundane and sort of familiar as a mall. Down the street we decided to try the fish joint we had read about. At the risk of writing about another great food experience, I have to say that Der Fischladen was great! We ordered the fish and chips, and not only was the cod delicious, the servings were huge! The Floridian in me was doing cartwheels having found the protein source that my body understands. And you can buy filets and shellfish there too. The salmon and the scallops looked fresh and from what I could tell reasonably priced. I will be back!

Unbelievably stuffed, B and I walked home to nap. We had to. After we woke up, we chatted a bit more about apartments, and then god bless his techno smarts, B found a way for us to watch movies and some of our favorite TV shows on my laptop. We popped popcorn and watched “Silver Linings Playbook,” and as B said, “it was pretty good for a chick flick.” I really do owe him a Star Trek experience or something for all the movies he lets me choose. Good man. We were also able to find silly favorites like Big Bang and Psyche, and best find of all, the fourth season of Justified. Ah, my friends Rachel and Ben back in the States would totally understand our relief at this one being available.

On Sunday, we did more exploring both North, East, and South of us. North of us we found another Kaiser, a postal station, and to my specific delight, a craft store. The neighborhood definitely becomes much more residential, (less shops) quiet, and expansive to the North. This is nice for the quiet aspect, but I want to live closer to things to do.

To the East, the best find was Shakespeare and Sons on Raumerstrasse just past Hemholzplatz park. I had read about this all-in-English bookstore and cafe, and I was so happy to find it! It is perfect. Another perfect place to write, and so sweet to find myself surrounded by books I could actually understand. Again, very “U.S.” of me to say, but I am being honest.

To the South of us, closer to where Julie and Brendan are staying, there are many, many, many cool things! We saw a cultural center called Kulturbrauerei. Once a brewery, it is now a place for all kinds of performance–dance, music, and movies.
Looks like a place to explore further for certain. We found whisky and wine shops, more antique/vintage shops, and of course cafes and restaurants. We were craving Thai food and found a great place called Bangkok Treffpunkt, just over the tram tracks on Prenzlauer Alle. The streets in this section of Prenzlauer Berg are wider, but not at all sparse. So much to do and see wherever you look!

Two of the most unique finds were the book exchange and the bar Julie and Brendan took us to called Scotch and Sofa.

The book exchange is literally a cluster of tree trunks with rectangular nooks carved into them. Plastic flaps protect the books that are tucked inside. Basically, I am guessing that the concept is give a book, take a book. It had this awesome fairy tale feel to the whole thing. I loved it!

To cap a fine weekend, we joined Julie and Brendan again for whisky cocktails at Scotch and Sofa. What a place! We all wondered whether the decor was truly East Europe or made to look that way. My friend Nick would flip over this place. Modern and antique furniture, great music, speakeasy/lounge feel, and cocktails done right. I think even he would approve, though to make sure I will order one of his signature drinks next time. I know nothing compares to when a friend mixes a drink for you, but when, not if, he visits, I want to show off a proper place. I also need to see which Polish vodkas are good in this town. I see a lot of Russian, to which my friend Irina would approve, but I need my potato juice. The bartender was singing along to Buena Vista Social Club (ah Spanish, my love, keep following me please), and J&B said that on a different night they were playing Johnny Cash. Ok, Berlin, you have some style. Obviously, we will be back.

So there you have it. Weekend 2 and all is still groovy.

Shopping on Friday, May 17, Berlin

Another sunny spring day here in the usually gray city of Berlin…

This will be a short post as I must get ready to begin long term apartment research. We have been assigned our agent, and it’s time to really start looking. Wow!

But first a little list of some of the food I found at two Bio markets and the clothes I had to buy at Aschenputtel:

1.Fish (frozen, yes, but I recognized the Marine Stewardship Council logo, so I think it will be good…it’s not fresh, but at least it looks like a decent filet)

2.Chicken (again, frozen but I can work with it)

3.Peanut Butter (it IS here–hah hah)

4.Popcorn (ah, comfort snack)

5.Basmati Rice (perfect with the chicken)

6.A striped, white, blue, and red summer dress (8 euro)

7.A pink flowery summer skirt (12 euro)

The combination of successful food finds and a little retail therapy felt very nice. I also wandered home on a different street and found two more second hand shops and a Cuban restaurant. The menu is no comparison to La Septima or my students’ cooking in Tampa, but it’s worth a try. And if there’s one Cuban restaurant, there may be more…

Always more to discover…

Treasures on my Walks– First MidWeek Berlin

Over the past two days, I have wandered around Prenzlauer Berg trying to get my bearings and a feel for this neighborhood.

I continue to be charmed. I have already listed what I found on my first walk, and because of all those treasures, I returned to that area.

I wanted to visit the second hand and handmade vintage shop again. I loved the dresses and skirts that were hanging on the outside sale rack, and I had heard Johnny Cash playing, so I knew this would be a fun place. This time when I went inside Allison Krauss was playing. Who was the owner with such good taste in music? And such lovely taste in both clothes and decor! The inside felt like a combination of a neat, beautiful, and carefully arranged closet and an artist’s sewing room. To the left, there was a sewing machine where the seamstress displayed her latest project. She was making what looked like a quilt or a tapestry. There were several colorful, felt circles ranging in size from 3″ to 5″ in diameter. These were stitched together loosely with small loops of yarn. This in and of itself was a very nice design, but to add to the composition, the seamstress layered some of the circles with little lace or crocheted doilies. So pretty! I had to ask her about this! But first I visually took in a little more. On the shelves above the clothes racks there were vintage lunch boxes and post cards of 1940s Hollywood movie stars. Her inventory of clothes was feminine and elegant. I felt at home in this magical place.

I shyly began to speak to her, hoping we’d have enough language between us to communicate. We did. Her name was Iris. She had traveled recently to Thailand, and she spoke excitedly about how the colors there were her inspiration for the work. The doilies belonged to her mother and grandmother. I complimented her on the choice to add simple line stitches over the doilies to create another layer. She smiled and humbly pointed to her sewing machine which also came from her mother. I complimented her on her shop and promised to come back to buy something. I thought of my friends Nikki and Jessie while I was in there. I know they’d be equally enchanted. Oh, and the shop is perfectly named, Aschenputtel, which translates to Cinderella. Yes, I am going back to find many glass slippers.

I continued walking to discover my first neighborhood kitty.
He was sitting outside an artist’s studio, and weirdly enough he was on a leash. With all the dogs that run next to the bicyclists or hang out in the parks without leashes, it was strange to see a cat on a leash. At first, he seemed spooked by my crutch, but after I slowly set it down, he walked over to me. And what a talker! He meowed happily when I pet him. He gave me his chin, rolled over onto his belly, and mewed again. He didn’t want me to leave, and I will return to see him again. I hope he is the first of many friendly felines.

Next, I went into a neighborhood Bio and ice cream store. I must have looked as confused as I felt trying to understand the new labels, because the young woman who worked there approached me. She began in German, and when I used my tag line,”Ich verstehe nicht,” she enthusiastically changed to English. God bless the young people here and the German education system for instilling an interest in English. Not only did she answer my questions about everything from dunkel bier to cherry juice, she reviewed vocabulary and pronunciation with me as I shopped. She was so sweet and smiley. Her name was Lina, and this was her summer job. She was going to go to university in the fall to study design, web and print design. Of course I shared that this was Benjamin’s career, and she was excited to learn that he was happy and making good money. I will return there as well. Kindness like this goes a long way.

More kindness was extended when I visited the art supply store the next day. Kunstler Magazine is located on what I think is the border between Prenzlauer Berg and Mitte. They sell mostly paint, brushes, and paper, so of course I thought of my niece. She’d love it in there! It is very well stocked and a painter’s dream! I was on the search for scissors and glue, however, and thankfully they had a small selection. The woman who worked there was very nice, but when I asked if she spoke English, she smiled and said, “No, ah, my colleague.” She then went to the back and out came another younger woman. I asked her if there were any fabric stores nearby. She kindly drew me a little map and directed me to a shop called Frau Tulpe, which translates of course, to the very cute, Mrs. Tulip. She also gave me a metro map! YAY! It’s fine to look things up on Google map, but I still need paper to navigate. I thanked her profusely and left.

The route to Frau Tulpe was beautiful. I walked in one of the tucked away neighborhoods of Mitte passing a gorgeous church, a store simply called Chairs, that my friends Jen and Nick would love as it had all kinds of modern design chairs, and of course little coffee shops. The inside of Frau Tulpe was adorable. Individual ribbons hung from the ceiling, so when I went to look at the rows of thread beneath them, it felt like being surrounded by a happy mobile. My mom would have loved the bright selection of fabric as well as how knowledgeable and friendly the staff were. No waiting in a long line like at JoAnne’s. I was helped as soon as I asked, and I learned how to pronounce ‘nadeln’ and ‘faden’ or needle and thread. Yes!

Finally, to close my journey of charms and treasures, I will describe my new favorite cafe, Butter, and one the best experiences I have had in this city so far. Butter is the perfect cafe. It’s open, airy, and bright. The tables and chairs are perfect for writing, and the layout has multiple floors and small, hideaway nooks for those of us who want to focus undisturbed. Their cappuccinos are delicious, “styled’ with a barista’s signature leaf swirled into the milk, and served with an amaretto cookie. For me, the best quality of Butter is the music. I have heard everything from classical and jazz piano to folk to Kate Bush’s “Wurthering Heights.” Like I said, it’s perfect.

When I was in there last, I sat at my little corner table sipping and writing. A couple came in and sat at the table next to me, and to my ear’s delight, they were speaking Spanish. Ah…When the waitress came, the man switched to German to order, but as soon as they left, he went back to Spanish. From what I could eavesdrop, they were talking a lot about music. As I sat there, like a kitten content in a sunbeam, I heard the music, the Spanish, the servers and other patrons speaking German, and slowly these haiku/song lyrics that I have been working on began coming back to me. I was writing again. After long months of focusing on the move and putting art aside, it felt divine! I must have gotten pretty lost in it, because the couple finished their breakfast and started to leave. The man turned to me and said,” Tschuss,” and I answered, “Adios.” This response made both of them laugh and they began talking to me in Spanish. Whoa! I couldn’t get out of it with English, because they didn’t speak it, so here was my opportunity to practice. I learned that they were not a couple. They were brother and sister. They were from Argentina, and as I had overheard, they were a musical duet. He was a guitarist and she was a singer. They explained that they were in Berlin to perform at the Instituto Cervantes Berlin. Of course, I wrote down the address of this center. They were patient with my beginner Spanish, and smiled as they said goodbye. I honestly couldn’t have asked for a better exchange.

What I Found and Felt on My First Day “Alone” in Berlin

For this entry, I think I will make a list of findings and then feelings:

Findings, literally within 2 or 3 blocks of this apartment:

1. Several bakeries where the bread is cheaper than the bio
2. A chocolate shop
3. A witchcraft bookstore
4. A handmade and vintage clothing store
5. An antique store with a 1950s sewing box, a library card catalogue with a million drawers, and many other charms
6. Another bio market with reasonable coffee by the pound
7. A physical therapist’s office
8. A mountain bike store
9. An artsy movie theater venue

Feelings to correspond with findings:

1.”I need to buy bread separately. I need to channel my Grandpa Marvin who hated supermarket bread.”

2.”I need chocolate. No, I don’t. Yes, I do. Maybe tomorrow.”

3.”Witchcraft literature almost next door? Of course! Does the proprietor recognize me? Ha ha ha too funny!”

4.”I love this striped dress, and that pink flowery skirt, and those shoes, and she’s playing Johnny Cash on her old timey radio. I want money to shop here.”

5.”This is like a secret treasure box! Who was the woman who sewed from here? What was her story? I love this design. I want this. A card catalogue? What? I could fit all my collage supplies in there! I want money to shop here.”

6.”A pound of espresso for 3 euros? Um, yup. Gotta buy this.”

7.”Could it be this easy to get to physical therapy? What? The office looks soothing. I must take a picture of this praxis and research the doc later.”

8.”Oh yes! Not beach cruisers or city bikes, but the fat tires! Yes, yes, yes!”

9.” Aw, movies in the hood too! Wow! I love Prenzlauer Berg!”

It was chilly and gray all day, but I had fun anyway. Until tomorrow…

Whirlwind of a Monday! We met the HR crew of SoundCloud and a new couple from Philadelphia, Brendan and Julie. Brendan was hired at SC at the same time as Benjamin. He is a guitarist, and Julia is a ceramic artist. They both went to art school in Chicago! Small, small world. Together with 2 of the HR crew, Theresa and Francis, (from Bavaria and New Zealand respectively) we jostled around the city and got paper work stuff done.

We can now officially work in Germany, and we are fully insured. While acupuncture is not covered (damn!), physical therapy, dermatology, and all the other doc stuff is. I’m not sure if there will be long waits, as in some other countries with socialized medicine, but I am confident that we can get recommendations from friends and B’s coworkers, and it will be fine.

After the morning running around, we were treated to lunch at an Asian tapas restaurant. I know I am talking about food a lot, but everything is so good here. The German government has strict rules about food, so freshness/organic or ‘bio’ is a source of national pride. We had chicken satay, a coconut curry dish with veggies and chicken, crispy rolls, and spring veggie rolls. Very fresh! After lunch, Julie helped me navigate the tram map to go home. For this I was so grateful as my hip was feeling tired, and I had a bit of brain drain from all the running around and meeting new people. She and I found the M12 and got on. I paid too much for the ticket (borrowed a euro from Julie too), but we made it home. Julie got off at my stop, and then she and I went out for coffees. I owe her for this too. She is great, and it was really nice to talk to someone about how this process was a feat indeed. We could laugh and relate to one another. Oh, and they have a kitty! They have a silver tabby tom cat named Neko. I want to officially be the cat auntie/kitty sitter for them.

A note about Francis and Theresa. We could listen to Francis talk all day! He has a deep voice with a soothing tone and a beautiful accent. He’s also like 7 feet tall and funny as hell. B and I were both charmed. Theresa is an absolute sweetheart, and we are now convinced, after meeting her, Gary, and the Bavarian pub owner from the Two Swans pub in Amsterdam, that everyone from Bavaria is nice. This region will definitely be one of our weekend trips. Also, in the office, I briefly met Jess, from Ireland. These lovely accents are going to make me daydream all day long!

Some local politicos that I learned…Apparently, just like in the U.S., with its “Yankee Go Home” and the North with its ” All Southerners are lazy” mentality, people from North Germany (Berliners) feel somewhat negatively toward people from South Germany (Bavaria). There is a mind-set here that folks from the South have money and are buying up all the good housing in the North.

So here’s my language dilemma. According to Christoph, B’s musician friend who cooked us dinner on Sunday, I sound like a Bavarian when I try to speak German. B sounds like a Berliner with his pronunciation. Surprise surprise, that as a ‘half Floridian,’ I would sound Southern. I sound this way because I roll my R’s. Again, surprise, surprise due to Spanish being familiar for me. B can do the back of the throat/ hacking sound, and I can’t. Christoph advised me to stick to English (hell no), and Theresa said to flaunt the rolling of the R’s and sound Bavarian. To this I say, hell yes!

Anyway, after coffee I went home to meet my landlord’s father and learn how to use the washing machine. This was an awesome experience as well. Just like Irina’s mom, her father hugged me. It was so sweet. I learned the step-by- step of the machine, and then I asked about the lock. Irina’s papa showed me the trick to the lock, and I think I have it. I have always been key-challenged, particularly for old buildings, so I need to be patient.

And I’ll end here…as patience is a good thing to remember.

Today we walked again to Mauerpark to witness the phenomena of the flea market and karaoke…wow! It was so packed! The first thing we saw was a quartet (clarinet, drums, stand-up bass, and singer) performing klezmer/ gypsy /swing music. So good! We recorded them and will try to post it on the Google hang out. Then, we muscled our way into the area where all the vendors were, and it was body to body. Not our thing, so next time we will get there earlier, because there is so much good stuff to see. Clothes, jewelry, modern furniture, boots, tools, etc. I thought of my family here. I thought of my Dad because he loves flea markets, Mom because there was so much good stuff for thrift store prices (from what I could tell), Matthew as there were so many buskers and folks hanging out with their dogs, and Michael because there were food vendors everywhere. He would make a killing at this thing, and in Berlin in general. I am indeed challenged to find good fish in this town. But with all these “firsts”, I will. The karaoke hadn’t started yet, but we needed to get home and get ready to meet with our friend, Christoph.

Christoph lives only 4 blocks from us. Very cool! His apartment is decorated beautifully–minimalist with of course an emphasis on music and books. He treated us first to coffee and tea, and we chatted and got to know each other better. Then the meal began. Wow! First there was an Austrian soup. Yum! It had a barley base, white wine, rosemary, and not chicken stock, but goose stock. Delicious with red wine and fresh, warm bread! Then, the main course was a Bavarian pretzel. This was not like any pretzel I have ever tasted. It looked like Italian polenta with the same consistency. He bought the dough at a bakery then added bacon and chives. The man can cook! This he served with steamed asparagus and sautéed mushrooms. Oh, and it wasn’t over. For dessert, he made homemade crepes with strawberries. Good thing we are walking a ton.

Christoph is a gentleman. Mild mannered, a bit serious, but also witty. I think he thought well of us, or at least I hope so. We are invited to a party at his place this coming Saturday, so we must have done something right.

We walked home in the rain, and this ended a very nice first weekend.

Second morning in Berlin…woke up, had our coffees, wrote a bit, and headed out again.

This time we began in the park next to our building. Turns out it is a park AND a cemetery–bonus! We snapped some photos of lilacs and statues next to the graves, and we took a field recording of some birdsong. There was a duo of birds that was building a nest above us at one point, and I need to identify this species. They were so pretty with tips of bright blue on their wings.

Next, we bought two cappuccinos at Butter. The waitress recognized us and smiled at my mistake as I requested not ‘zwei’ but ‘weiss’ cappuccinos. Instead of asking for ‘2’, I asked for ‘white’ cappuccinos. It was funny. The waitress wanted to practice her English, (she actually said, “I love English”) so I think Butter will be a nice place for me to sip and write and maybe make some language exchanges.

I then went into the Catholic church, St. Joseph’s, to get some information for my Dad. I’m not sure where the actual church or chapel is because when I went inside it looked like an assistance home. I recognized the word “caritas,” and I took what I thought was a church bulletin. When I opened it, it looked mostly like a chart of how to donate to the church. The entrance was peaceful. Lots of little sitting spots and even an aquarium. The aquarium reminded me of my third grade teacher, Mrs. Anglim. I loved how she had a prayer corner for us with a rocker, a rosary, and an aquarium. Funny, just as I was thinking of her, a nun, in full white habit walked by. Only my Mom would understand that this scared me just a little. If you’re raised Catholic, and you were a bit of a hell raiser in school like I was, (and my Mom was) when you see a nun, you can’t help but feel like you did something wrong and you’re about to get caught. I also saw a man about my Dad’s age looking like he was taking care of a few things. It was sweet. I didn’t find his rosary in German yet, but I can go back as this church is very easy to go into.

Meandering further, we passed some bike shops, shoe stores, and clothing boutiques. Oh my god, I need a job because the urge to shop is strong–can’t help it–everything looks new, cute, inviting! Thank goodness on Monday I go with B to begin the process of getting our work permits. I know my first task is going to be finding a place for us and being “Becky Home Ec-y,” but as soon as we settle into a routine, I am freaking shopping!

Finally, to round out our morning, we made our way to Mauerpark…the place with part of the Wall that once divided East and West, and which is now a beautiful park, sports arena, artist tagging ground, and site of the famous Sunday flea market and crazy karaoke bear pit. It’s hard to imagine all that happened there. If you didn’t know the history, you’d think it was an expansive, lush, playful park. When we first entered from the north end, this was my first feeling. But then, as we got closer to the actual parts of the Wall, I felt something different. There is the Wall, yes, with tons of layers of graffiti, but the massive lights are imposing. They are most likely used for the sports events, but I couldn’t help feeling like something similar was used to catch people trying to cross. Our neighborhood is on the East side. Given all the “trendy,” bright stuff in this area, it is hard to imagine anything bleak or oppressive happening here, but horrible things did happen. I admire Berliners for honoring it, but also at the same time turning it into something more positive, useful, and creative.

I am a new comer, so I will learn more about this as I live here. For this morning, I will say that we were asked for directions twice to the sports arena. Both groups began with, “Entschuldigung,” and continued to speak. I was able to gently stop them and say in German, “Ich verstehe nicht. English?” To which there were smiles and attempts to speak English. “Sports arena?” they asked. This we could answer as we had just passed it. The other funny thing to mention is what was happening in the arena.Soccer? No. Competitive cheerleading! Buses and buses full of cheerleaders, and cheer Moms and Dads. My niece and sister-in-law would have gotten a kick out of this.

We came home to eat lunch, and on the way I spotted a thrift store! YAY! This made me miss my Mom, but I will take pictures. I will be going there very soon.

A perfect Saturday morning stroll on our second day…

Berlin, my new city, how impressive you are!

Where to begin…if first impressions mean anything, and if it’s true that there are the 4 H’s to relocation, (honeymoon, hostility, humor, home) then I am in love, and I don’t want this feeling to end for a long while.

Coming in by train was perfect. The countryside between Amsterdam and Berlin is beautiful. The Dutch landscape is flat lush, and verdant. People of all ages ride bikes through the woods and past the farms. Who are these brilliant, bike riding, truly more intelligent human beings? Ah, I love them for this!

The first part of the North German landscape was also flat with people biking. Then it did give way to some rolling hills and even a few small mountains. I saw pine trees, birch, poplars, and lilacs. There were fields of something yellow, not sure what was growing, maybe something like hops to make beer? I am ignorant though, and I don’t want to assume this, so I’ll look it up later. Whatever it was, it was pretty. I also didn’t know how to feel about the wind turbines. There were a lot of them. All I could think about was how they might affect bats and birds, but again, I need to do more research.

After 6 hours of these vistas, we started to get closer to the city, and finally to Berlin’s Hauptbahnhof train station. Wow! The architecture of this building is beautiful! It is on such a grand scale that it is breath taking, and given the amount of machine movement and people bustling through, it has to be. Huge, grand, impressive! Benjamin and I were both awestruck. It actually took a moment for us to get our bearings and find our way outside and to the Uber car.

As a side note, this is the only way to travel in bigger cities when you have luggage to carry. We used Uber from our apartment to the airport in DC, from Jordaan to Central Station in Amsterdam, and from Hauptbahnhof to our temporary place here in Berlin. Every driver was experienced, knowledgeable about his city, charming, and courteous. The added bonus is that you ride in style. We rode in a Lincoln,a BMW, and a VW. Totally decadent in some ways I suppose but worth it if you’re already anxious about getting your self and your stuff from here to there.

And when we arrived here in our temporary apartment, we had the most charming experience. The woman we are renting from speaks English, but her mother, who showed us the place, does not speak it quite so fluently. She gave us a tour completely in German, smiling and giggling and using body language the whole time as it was clear we didn’t fully understand. At the end she motioned that we should call her daughter with any questions, and then she said in perfect English, “Don’t worry. Prenzlauer Berg is very trendy.” I loved this! Then, when we reached for a handshake, she hugged us! So nice! To be welcomed into your new abode this way was a true gift.

Our apartment is adorable! It is an altbau, not sure when it was built, but it has the nice alcove of windows and no lift to date it. The living room, kitchen, and bathroom are all painted white and red, while the bedroom is painted with blues and greens. Very nice color choices. The ceilings are high, the floors pine, and the view from the living room is a quaint little park. Lovely. Coffee and three kinds of coffee makers were left for us as well as everything we needed for cooking and cleaning. So thoughtful. We took quick showers and headed out for dinner. Wandering until a place felt right, we found a little Italian restaurant called Pizzeria Aviano (I think this was the name) only a few blocks away. We split a carafe of wine, a salad, and a large pizza, for 18 euros, and it was all delicious! We ambled home, slept well, and got up early to explore our new neighborhood further.

We began with a breakfast at a cafe called Butter. They had a buffet for 7 euros that was out of this world! Breads, cheeses, sliced meats, salmon, potato salad, waffles, pancakes, and a huge assortment of various sauces, puddings, and spreads. I tried everything! I ate my waffle with dabs of apple sauce, some tapioca, and something that tasted like vanilla pudding. But nothing was overly sweet like in the U.S. Everything was fresher, more flavorful. I tried a horseradish spread with my salmon. Oh my god was it good! We also splurged and had freshly squeezed orange juice. We were told that both fresh o.j. and peanut butter would be hard to find, but we found both on our first day.

After breakfast we went food shopping. We prefer to do this while full so that we don’t over buy. And we did pretty well. We started at a Kaiser, and we were able to find a few things there, but I was surprised that it was kind of pricey for a “regular” supermarket. Then, we went to two different, smaller, bio markets, Alnatura and BioFrische, and we found fresher, organic food that was actually cheaper. Very unlike the U.S. There were many unfamiliar things, as expected, but I liked the challenge. I need to remember to save the labels and begin writing bilingual grocery lists. It did feel good to make dinner at home and to eat lightly. We made a simple arugula salad with bread and cheese. We thought we had chosen dark chocolate for dessert, but it turned out to be white chocolate with coconut and mango. Not at all tragic for our first shopping mistake. ha ha Again, unlike common white chocolate in the U.S, it was not overly sweet, much more fruity.

On some girlie notes, I also had to buy skin and hair care products. Before we moved, I researched this, and I read several posts that German products were better. Completely true! We went into an apothecary, (you don’t see Walgreens type drug stores, only these) and I couldn’t believe all the natural products. The women wear what look like doctor coats and they know their products. And again, the healthy, normally expensive lines that I could buy in the U.S. were cheaper! I love this place!

AND the fashion here! In both Amsterdam and Berlin, so many people dress stylishly, creatively. My Mom, niece, and sister-in-law would flip to see this. And given that they may read this post, I must describe… It seems that the spring fashion here includes pencil mini skirts or cut off jean shorts worn with colorful tights. Of course, bright scarves are everywhere, and I did see the skinny jeans with Chuck Taylors look as well. But as my friend Irina once said about London, women in Europe, and I think the men and even the children too, seem to dress up more. This doesn’t feel “businessy” or stuffy like I saw in Chicago or D.C. It feels like NYC. I am a bit intimidated, but hopefully that will pass as soon as I frequent the thrift/vintage stores and flea markets. Clothing is significantly more expensive here, as I was told, but there are sales. And so the clothes hunting will begin. For this, I will miss my family, but I will not give up trying to convince them to visit.

Another thing that has made me a little homesick is watching people with their dogs. While I see some people using leashes with smaller dogs, many larger dogs are trained to run along side people as they bike or walk. Like the cyclists in Amsterdam, there is a rhythm to this that is pretty incredible to watch. I know my brother would be amazed. I haven’t seen any kitties yet, but I will find them. Amsterdam, as a fish town, of course had tons, but I am hoping that my new city is kitty friendly too.

My first impressions are positive. I know the second “H” of hostility will most likely hit me in the winter, but for now, I have spring, summer, and fall to enjoy. Ah,Berlin…

To finally arrive on this European continent…at 46…to have waited this long, too long… I am experiencing strange, abstract feelings of comfort and familiarity while knowing on a concrete level that this is a new and foreign place. There is discomfort to come, for certain, as this is life, but this feeling of floating, of surreality, of charm and dreams is welcome, welcome, welcome. Perhaps the self editor, the pragmatist, wants to gain a foothold in my writing, but for now, she gets kicked out of my brain.

Because Amsterdam was Romantic and lovely! As our wise Dutch/Turkish cab driver, Tolog said, “Different people come to Amsterdam for different reasons. Some come for the coffee shops, some for Van Gogh or Anne Frank, and some for the tulips.” Maybe this is so. He should know, since he’s driven all kinds of people in and out of his city. I came originally because it was a direct flight before our move to Berlin, and I was indeed curious about all that he described.

But what has left an impression and what will draw me back is the charm of the Jordaan neighborhood. There were so many bicycles! On the street corners, (where there were no traffic lights, except for a few of the bigger intersections for the trams) you had to look carefully in every direction, because people flew on their bicycles! People talked (or texted) as they rode, people in suits looked like they were rushing to work, and mothers propped babies on the front bars of their bikes, (the children were protected by plastic shields)… And not a single helmet to be seen. Incredible! There was a flow to it though, and people were extremely adept at using their little bells and brakes. To see less cars and more bikes was refreshing.

The canals and the houseboats added to the charm. Benjamin and I had pints of dark beer and some ‘snacks’ prepared by a sweet woman who was the proprietor of a Bavarian pub called The Two Swans. Her place was situated across from the canal, between the Cheese Museum and the Tulip Museum. How could we not stop here? The food consisted of a small platter of fried cheese, curry samosas, and Dutch croquettes which tasted like they had some potatoes in them, but I’m not sure. Everything was delicious and perfect with the beer! So we sipped and watched people slowly come out of their houseboats. They emerged quietly, naturally, while at the same time, the tourist boats chugged by with people snapping pictures, laughing, and drinking. Quite the juxtaposition! Still, I can imagine that sleep could come easy if you were rocked by the water every night. And if you wanted to leave, you could, I suppose just head down the canal. I loved watching this and imagining either one of my brothers or my nephew seeing this lifestyle.

When it began to rain heavily, we headed inside The Two Swans. Again, we were delighted. It was dark and perfect. There were pictures on the wall of people singing along with an accordionist and dancing polka out into the street. One picture looked like it dated back to the 1940s or 1950s. Another was a collage of all the singers who had performed there. Their heads were cut out into a circle around the title of the pub. Really fun images! From what I could read in another photo, the building was constructed in the 1790s. Lovely find indeed.

We did go to the outside of Anne Frank’s House, but I couldn’t go inside. There was a long line, and we didn’t have time, which was honestly part of it, but I also felt like I wasn’t ready. Not on my first day in Europe. I didn’t want to depart from my dreamy jet lag feeling, and I knew being inside a place where a young girl wrote in her diary, while she hid from evil would jolt me. We will return to Amsterdam, and I will go, when I feel stronger. I need to do this for myself and for my niece.

We didn’t make it to the Van Gogh or the tulip fields, but we vowed to return to these as well. Again, with only one day, we opted for wandering the neighborhood streets instead of trying to hit the tourist sites.

On a few of the streets in Jordaan, we did see coffee shops. They were lit by fluorescent signs, which of course appealed to the font/text geeks in us, and they were so…normal. They were like any other bar or cafe. Honestly, we would have walked right past them if it weren’t for the signage and the wafting scent. Probably in another district we would have seen more people in them, but overall these were not crowded. In the U.S., we seem to demonize so much. Prohibition haunts our past. We have banned our books. Some religions have feared, and still forbid, dancing and card playing. Maybe because I am the great grand daughter of a whisky-running, “witchcraft”- practicing family, I just don’t have it in me to judge these things.  Anyway, this is as far as I go with this philosophy. The coffee shops were a normal part of a culture different from mine.

And Amsterdam is beautiful and unique. I can’t wait to return!