Back to the Pergamon

Berlin
Sunny in the morning then drizzly later – 3 degrees
  
Got up at around 8.00  Woke up a a couple of times in the night with the body adjusting to the new time zone. However, felt refreshed and ready for our first full day in Berlin.
 
We went to café Berio for a full continental breakfast of cold meats, salmon, fruits, cheeses and breads whilst listening to Kylie (who seems to follow us around the world), Dianna Ross, Barry White and others. Waited for Raz, whose plans, little to our knowledge, were being thwarted by the modern torment of failing technology (both his alarms did not adhere to their primary function).
 
After breakfast, we bought our tickets for the ever efficient Berlin rail system and were whisked off towards Potsdammer Platz, transferred on to a bus to Friedreckstrasse then on towards museum island.
 
Winter is reconstruction time or maybe that’s the whole time in Berlin, as in certain places, cranes still litter the skyline in their continuing readjustment to reunification. This has been a constant for all my trips to Berlin. The entrance to the Pergamon was also under construction which allowed us to walk around the island and view some of the sculptures in the gardens in the shadow of the Berliner Dome.
 
Once inside the Pergamon Museum, I was reminded of the ritual disrobing ceremony that you undertake in a cold country. We were then escorted upstairs to reveal…the walls of Babylon. Wait. That’s not how I remember it. Oh that’s right, the renovations. Now, there is nothing wrong with the walls of Babylon. In fact, it is a an awesome sight in its own right. But, the Pergamon must come first. So we quickly walked back through the gates trying not to look at the magnificence of the towers and walls and whisked our way to where the glory of the Pergamon stands rising up out of the centre of the room whilst grandly flanked by the friezes that would’ve originally surrounded the building.
 
Although this is my 3rd time here, I am still astounded by its grandeur and how the museum has cleverly an thoughtfully reconstructed the temple as it formerly stood. It is a must see for any visit to Berlin.
 
After absorbing the Pergamon for 30 minutes we crossed over to the Market Gate from Miletus which is just as impressive in its stature and antiquity. As you pass through the main entrance you are astounded by the size of the towers that stand at the front of the great walls of Babylon, one of the wonders of the ancient world. You parade down the corridor and you are surrounded by the tiled lions designed to place fear in the heart of the cities enemies. It is like a walk through time. Except it’s not hot and sandy and you don’t feel that your life could be taken from you at any moment, but it’s almost the same.
 
Other highlights include the Goddess of Athena, the excavated remains of the Assyrian Palace and the Façade of the Mshatta Palace. No wonder we spent hours here and used up all of the battery life on my video camera.
 
Feeling in need of some fine German Weinnacht Markt wares, we weaved ourselves back into clothes and proceeded down Unter der Linden to the market at Alexanderplatz. We inhaled our first wurst and supped on Gluhwein whilst watching the citizens of Berlin stroll through the Christmas stalls.  As the afternoon light started to fade, do did we. So we caught the S bahn back to Nollendorf (we went the long way home, but so what), went to a nice Vietnamese restaurant for dinner (recommended by Raz) and headed to the apartment to refresh for the next day and a new adventure. What next does this marvelous, world city have to offer?

Day One "Berlin" - Off to a rocky start...

When oh when will we have teleporters! 

Seriously 26 odd hours in a buzzing metal shell sucks. But I'm in Berlin now so it's all good and that's the only complaint you'll hear from me about it.

We landed in Berlin at 10.05am and were greeted by a slap of fresh cold crisp air as it was -1 degrees.  Germans in their typically efficient manner had us off the plane and out of the airport with 15mins of touching down. Got to love 'em.  

Once we step foot off the plane it was the first moment I became truly excited about the trip, even to the point of doing a little Gene Kelly dancing jump coming of the plane, just a tad excite!.  :)

We took the cab down to Nollendorf Platz to our apartment, and along the way I began to remember why I love this city so much. The colours of the city during winter are some beautiful, the contrasting buildings, and the people. There are still areas of the city that have barely been touched since the war, homes that are so small that they can really only be called a shack, but even that shack has a sense of pride to it.

Of course the real fun started once we arrived at the apartment, we realised the german prepaid sims had not full activated yet, then both phones crashed and could get the started again, then couldn’t get the number for the guy we booked our apartment whom was going to be meeting us at the apartment! So after a comedy of errors we finally located or landlords number and David went in to a store to ask if he could make a call.  Thank the gods we had the foresight to arrange some cash before arriving so we could at lest get some coffees! :) It’s all about perspective.

Just as David walked into the store at ask if he could use their phone, our landlord arrived and showed us into our apartment. Turns out he thought we were calling him once we arrived and had tried to call our aussie numbers, but due to our phone issues we had no idea. Oh well.

Lovely apartment on the third floor and so very very quiet. So quiet in fact, that I have that post dance party ringing in my ears from the constant plane noise for the past 26 hours.  After sorting out the phone and sim card issues, getting online, showering (oh it’s good to be clean!) and changing it off to get some lunch.

We took a quick walk around the corner to one of our favourite cafes, Café Berio for hot chocolate, delicious burger and cheesecake. It’s good to be back in Berlin and see that some things have still not changed. It’s a smallish café with art on the walls and decorated in a slightly tacky 1930’s style, but not in a bad way. It feels comfortably gay and tacky and very welcoming, the boys always have a smile to spare and the service is great.

Upon walking back to the apartment, via the long way around, we bumped into my best friend Raz who had arrive the previous day.  Once again all is right in the universe.

Berlin, I’ve missed you!

"Let the mind be enlarged to the grandeur of the mysteries, and not the mysteries contracted to the narrowness of the mind." 

- Francis Bacon

And there're off!

It's currently 7pm EDST and we are flying over Western Australia.  The lights have dimmed, people are readying for sleep, except for the few walking the isles or readings under their night light.  So here I sit tapping away at the plastic keyboard of the laptop, writing the first entry to the next chapter of our blog, listening to the mellow and haunting sounds of Perfume Genius.

So you know we are headed to Europe, but many may not know where in Europe we are going... First stop is Berlin!  Then Dresden, Prague, Vienna, Munich, Nuremberg, Saltsburg, Cologne, Brussels, Paris for Christmas and finally, London for NYE!  There may be a few day trips to places like Bruges, Bon or Dusseldorf, but we'll see how we're going before setting those in stone.

Due to the horrid "man flu" chest infection I've had since Thursday last week, it's been really hard to even get excited about the trip.  Even on the plane now I'm still not well. :(  But I'm positive that's all going to change once I land in Berlin.

I'm really looking forward to Berlin; it's a city I love (more than I did New York, sorry David), the history, culture, art, photography, people, nightlife and the food & mulled wine.  I never really get excited at Christmas, for me in Australia it's just another day (except it’s my mother's birthday. You just lost brownie points with her. - WOOKEY), but in Berlin it's a social celebration involving friends, family and strangers. There are night markets and food & wine stalls where people will crowd around a heater in the very cold night air and chat with each other, be they stranger or friend.

My second reason for looking forward to Berlin this time is that my spiritual brother and best friend, Raz has flown out from Sydney to join us and spend the week in Berlin with us in celebration of my 40th year on the earth. :)

Anyway it's time for some sleep, if I can... I have discovered that flying into Dubai instead of Singapore is rather inconvenient for people to try and adjust their sleeping pattern to the destination country.  Oh well, that's what drugs are for I guess!

By the time I post this online I will already be in Berlin (or maybe the London airport lounge), so the adventure is just beginning!

"Let the mind be enlarged to the grandeur of the mysteries, and not the mysteries contracted to the narrowness of the mind."
- Francis Bacon