Hello once again...
Well, as usual, I am terrible at this whole blogging thing and it seems impossible that I can relay all of our adventures to you without missing out on all of the best details but, I will try to do my best. I know, it would have been better had I been able to tell you of my trip as it was happening but we were just having too much fun. I hope you will enjoy these next few posts nonetheless.
April left this morning and it seems strange to be on my own again however, I definitely feel better prepared for being on my own after having had the past 9 or 10weeks of experience behind me. I did however, change my train ticket weeks ago so that I will now be coming home on August 27th! I am really looking forward to being home and seeing all of you. This trip has been incredible but, it definitely seems right that it is just about home time.
Now, back to telling you of our adventures :) Our train ride from Rome to Catania was highly entertaining as I described in my Roma post. Upon first impressions of Catania and our new surroundings, we thought it would be a pretty good place to be...we were wrong! Sicily is VERY different from mainland Italy and if you think it is a bit chaotic in the North, well, chaos reigns supreme in Sicily...utter chaos. Catania lives by the motto "Carpe Diem" meaning "Seize the day" and it is apparent in everything they do. Mount Etna plays a very central role in the city of Catania. Because the residents of the area do not know if "Mama" which is what they call Etna will allow them to live to see tomorrow they live each day as though it were their last. The city is full of passion and crazy driving. Our hostel was situated right in the center of the local fish market and was probably the smelliest place in the world! It was also the local hotspot for all-night parties so we lay awake all night (dripping in sweat) as the parties went on until 3am. Then were awoken by 5am by the the vendors setting up the fish market. We woke up in the morning (if you can call it "waking up" if you have barely slept) and walked out of our hostel to thousands of pigeons feasting on the dozens of fish heads and chicken feet littered all over the ground. We somehow did not realize that drinking the water here (as we had done in our two previous locations) would be at all disgusting and well, April paid the terrible price and was sick for a good 4 days. Poor thing...luckily though, she didn't get sick until our last day in Catania. This was a good thing because our next destination was a very nice hotel on the Aeolian Island of Lipari and it is much nicer to be ill in a place that is clean and fresh and was cleaned for us daily. I am very happy to report though that after some rest she made a full recovery and was feeling nearly 100% better by the time we left Lipari.
We decided rather quickly while in Catania that we didn't want to spend much time (or any at all!) in the actual city of Catania so our first full day we set off for the town of Taoromina. It was probably one of the most beautiful places we went to on our whole trip. We spent the whole day on Isola Bella snorkelling and sunbathing and it was absolutely a perfect day. However, on our way to Taoromina we got a tad bit lost due to our poor translation of instructions. We ended up having to walk 2 kilometers on a very narrow windy road with two lanes of crazy Sicilian driving on a road that, in Canada, would have been a wide sidewalk! It was a bit dangerous and we, both, are very happy to be alive to tell the tale. Although the views from the walk which ran along the coast was absolutely breathtaking if you were brave enough to take your eyes off the road!
On our second full day in Catania we signed up for a Mt. Etna and Alcantra Gorge daytrip and it was such an unbelievable day! We were picked up at our disgusting hostel at 9am and taken in an off-roading type of jeep to Mt. Etna. We walked around the lower craters of Etna and then drove up Etna (I am sure we just about died in that jeep about 10 times!) to a higher point and then trekked for about 2 hours. I cannot really describe how impressive it was to be atop Etna while it was actually erupting! The eruption was nearing it's end however so, there wasn't much lava left to see but, the smoke, the craters, and the lava bombs were something I never imagined I would experience. The way that the lizards, trees, plants, butterflies, grasshoppers, and everything else that lives on the volcano, have evolved to survive in such conditions was astounding and utterly impressive. I cannot wait to post pictures when I get home so that you can all see what I saw. After our trekk up Etna, we were all pretty hot and tired so we went to a picnic spot and had the traditional Sicilian lunch that was prepared for us by women in Catania. It was absolutely delicious and much to April's dismay, I have been taking pictures of most of the food we have been eating and I will devote an entire blog entry, at some point, to the food we have tried in Italy. It has been so absolutely incredible. They have been all about quality, not quantity and we love it. Somehow, we are losing weight despite our mandatory 1-2 gelati's each day along with our almost daily espresso's and paninis! Catania is more about food such as anchovies which is not my most favourite dish however, we have been trying to taste as much of the local cuisine as possible. Following lunch we drove through some beautiful countryside mostly, full of vineyards and found ourselves at the Alcantra Gorge. The water was absolutely freezing as it is the melted snow from the mountains but I could not allow that to deter me from taking a dip in such beautiful surroundings. There were caves with sparkling clear water and many people were canyoning which, had I not been on a tour, I would have been doing as well. It was so very, very beautiful. We were then taken back to our hostel where we had a late dinner and an early bedtime, hoping to get some rest before the partying began!
I know I am probably forgetting many of the details that, at the time, were crucial to the story but, hopefully this will give you all at least a small glimpse into our adventure.
I am currently in Frankfurt and think I will go and check out the Old Town Quarter following posting this blog entry, then tonight I have signed up for seeing a Sneak Preview of an english movie which is organized by the hostel I am staying at. It should be fun. Tomorrow, I am going to go on a day tour of the Rhine River and the surrounding castles and villages. I am looking forward to it. I depart for Berlin the next morning where I will board my flight for Toronto later that afternoon!
Hope this blog finds you all enjoying your last few daya of summer! Can you believe it is almost over?!!! However, I find myself beginning to look forward to winter and lacing up my skates to show off my hockey skills (or lack thereof!).
Missing you and looking forward to seeing you all in just a few days!!!
Love,
Jenn(ifer)
Monday, August 25, 2008
Friday, August 8, 2008
Farewell Roma
Hello again,
I am going to try and blog after every destination but, depending on my access to internet it may not happen. Well, we are now in Catania (Sicily) after having spent 3days in Rome. I must say, I am not much of a big city girl so that may have tainted my opinion of Rome slightly but it was not my favourite destination so far. We loved the sights, especially the ruins, the Colosseum, and Vatican city but, the big city chaos was a bit too crazy.
We arrived in Rome around 9pm on Sunday night and considering we were tired and it was late we went around the corner
On our 1st full day we set off for the Colosseum, Pantheon and the Roman ruins. The weather has been HOT here so it was tough waiting in the long lines but well worth it. April is turning into an old Italian lady wiping her face with a hanky all the time! We especially enjoyed the Roman Forum...very cool! At the end of a long day of sightseeing and walking we came upon a fountain that others were soaking their feet in and decided we would join in. What a much-needed reprieve for our feet!
Our second day was spent the day at Vatican city and were blown away by the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Basilica...too much for words. We had been feeling a bit overwhelmed by the big city and with the pace we had been keeping so we decide to slow it down and watched a movie at the hostel that night. We decided that we are trying to fit too much into each day and we are now just going to see what we want to see as opposed to what we think we should be seeing. So far that is really working out for us as we spent all of today at a beach in Taoromina snorkeling and sunbathing. It was absolutely beautiful but I will save that for my next post.
On our last day in Rome we had a sleep in and then did some shopping and saw the Spanish steps. It was a very nice, relaxing day.
We departed Rome around 9pm on Wednesday night however, as is my new way of being, arrived a couple hours early to the train station where an old homeless lady tried to hit me with her bag. I was paralyzed with fear. April finds the story rather hilarious however, I am pretty sure I saw that woman's face in my dreams last night. April had gone to get some juice from a store in the train station while I sat and watched over our bags. I was just sitting there minding my own business when I (yes, here is my error) looked up and made eye contact with this woman. She maintained the eye contact (meanwhile I was paralyzed with fear) and walked in my direction but sort of as if she wasn't really walking toward me just leaning her body in my direction, if you can picture it. Then she kind of lunged and swung her plastic bag (probably with garbage in it from the smell) and thank goodness, missed my head by inches. April returned momentarily and I recounted the story and she laughed...if it had been her...she'd have been crying!
Anywhoo, the train ride from Rome to Catania was extremely hilarious. We were in an old-school train where there are 6 people crammed into a little compartment 3 seats facing 3 seats. We were with an older (50's) couple (Antonio who liked to be called Nino and his wife whoàs name escapes me at the moment), a lady in her late 30's (Carmen) and a younger fellow (Alfredo who is in his late 20's, maybe 30). None of them spoke any english but Carmen knew a very little bit of french and we had such a good time timing to have conversation. They were so proud of us whenever we could piece together some Italian sentences. It was a riot. I am sure that in my week of being in Italy, I have spoken way more Italian than I ever did German in Berlin. By about 1am we were all pretty tired and somehow we had, all 6 of us, folded down our chairs so they met eachother in the middle and made a large bed and were all cozied up together. It was so funny. April and I kept looking at eachother and breaking out into giggles. We are pretty sure that Carmen and Alfredo were having a rather cozy looking spoon cuddle. haha. Nobody got very much sleep though so by the time we arrived in Catania at 10am on Thursday (2 hours late...'Island time' they say) we were ready for a nap. We found our hostel with the help of some friendly locals who knew zero English but, somehow knew 'Ottawa, Canadese Capitale' said in a very thick Italian accent. The hostel is really great and is right next to the very large local market. Very convenient however, it smells like fish here all the time...
We are off to climb Mt Etna tomorrow (yes, we are climbing an active Volcano!!) and then off to swim in some gorges which we are super excited about. I will try and post some pictures of Venice and Rome and maybe Catania tomorrow night.
Goodnight and I am sending my love.
I miss you and can't wait to see you all soon.
Much love,
Jenn(ifer)
I am going to try and blog after every destination but, depending on my access to internet it may not happen. Well, we are now in Catania (Sicily) after having spent 3days in Rome. I must say, I am not much of a big city girl so that may have tainted my opinion of Rome slightly but it was not my favourite destination so far. We loved the sights, especially the ruins, the Colosseum, and Vatican city but, the big city chaos was a bit too crazy.
We arrived in Rome around 9pm on Sunday night and considering we were tired and it was late we went around the corner
On our 1st full day we set off for the Colosseum, Pantheon and the Roman ruins. The weather has been HOT here so it was tough waiting in the long lines but well worth it. April is turning into an old Italian lady wiping her face with a hanky all the time! We especially enjoyed the Roman Forum...very cool! At the end of a long day of sightseeing and walking we came upon a fountain that others were soaking their feet in and decided we would join in. What a much-needed reprieve for our feet!
Our second day was spent the day at Vatican city and were blown away by the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Basilica...too much for words. We had been feeling a bit overwhelmed by the big city and with the pace we had been keeping so we decide to slow it down and watched a movie at the hostel that night. We decided that we are trying to fit too much into each day and we are now just going to see what we want to see as opposed to what we think we should be seeing. So far that is really working out for us as we spent all of today at a beach in Taoromina snorkeling and sunbathing. It was absolutely beautiful but I will save that for my next post.
On our last day in Rome we had a sleep in and then did some shopping and saw the Spanish steps. It was a very nice, relaxing day.
We departed Rome around 9pm on Wednesday night however, as is my new way of being, arrived a couple hours early to the train station where an old homeless lady tried to hit me with her bag. I was paralyzed with fear. April finds the story rather hilarious however, I am pretty sure I saw that woman's face in my dreams last night. April had gone to get some juice from a store in the train station while I sat and watched over our bags. I was just sitting there minding my own business when I (yes, here is my error) looked up and made eye contact with this woman. She maintained the eye contact (meanwhile I was paralyzed with fear) and walked in my direction but sort of as if she wasn't really walking toward me just leaning her body in my direction, if you can picture it. Then she kind of lunged and swung her plastic bag (probably with garbage in it from the smell) and thank goodness, missed my head by inches. April returned momentarily and I recounted the story and she laughed...if it had been her...she'd have been crying!
Anywhoo, the train ride from Rome to Catania was extremely hilarious. We were in an old-school train where there are 6 people crammed into a little compartment 3 seats facing 3 seats. We were with an older (50's) couple (Antonio who liked to be called Nino and his wife whoàs name escapes me at the moment), a lady in her late 30's (Carmen) and a younger fellow (Alfredo who is in his late 20's, maybe 30). None of them spoke any english but Carmen knew a very little bit of french and we had such a good time timing to have conversation. They were so proud of us whenever we could piece together some Italian sentences. It was a riot. I am sure that in my week of being in Italy, I have spoken way more Italian than I ever did German in Berlin. By about 1am we were all pretty tired and somehow we had, all 6 of us, folded down our chairs so they met eachother in the middle and made a large bed and were all cozied up together. It was so funny. April and I kept looking at eachother and breaking out into giggles. We are pretty sure that Carmen and Alfredo were having a rather cozy looking spoon cuddle. haha. Nobody got very much sleep though so by the time we arrived in Catania at 10am on Thursday (2 hours late...'Island time' they say) we were ready for a nap. We found our hostel with the help of some friendly locals who knew zero English but, somehow knew 'Ottawa, Canadese Capitale' said in a very thick Italian accent. The hostel is really great and is right next to the very large local market. Very convenient however, it smells like fish here all the time...
We are off to climb Mt Etna tomorrow (yes, we are climbing an active Volcano!!) and then off to swim in some gorges which we are super excited about. I will try and post some pictures of Venice and Rome and maybe Catania tomorrow night.
Goodnight and I am sending my love.
I miss you and can't wait to see you all soon.
Much love,
Jenn(ifer)
Monday, August 4, 2008
Buongiorno Venezia!
Buona Sera!
Well my Berlin adventure has officially come to and end. We left Berlin on Thursday night and took the overnight train to Venice (aka Venezia)! The train ride (when we were awake) was increbible. Just like the train brochure pictures...amazing!
Our last night in Berlin was great. We went out to dinner with Miranda, Yianni and the girls at a beach bar/restaurant and had some fun salsa dancing and playing fooseball! It is very different not seeing you everyday guys! I hope you are having a great last few days in Berlin and that Nemy's party went fantabulously!
Upon arrival in Venice, April and I were blown away. There are no words to describe Venice...it is beyond words. Unbelievable and it far surpassed even my wildest dreams. We made our way to our first hostel experience and were pleasantly surprised! It was right on the water and had a nice mix of old people, young people and even whole families! I think we were a bit spoiled in our first hostel which may cause some later shock upon arrival at other hostels on this trip.
We arrived in the evening on friday and so, decided to head on over to San Marco and have some dinner (thank you Yianni and Miranda!). We had pasta and seafood straight from the lagoon and it was so delicious. We then walked through the labrynth of narrow streets, along canals and across the many bridges with our mouths wide open in disbelief. It was incredible...out of a dream for real. We kept saying to eachother: 'can you believe this'?? It was a wonderful and relaxing first night.
On our second day we awoke early and had breakfast courtesy of our hostel and, once again, headed off for San Marco to explore the Palazzo Ducale (The Duke's Palace). Such history...After spending quite some time there our bellies began to runble so, we set off in search of lunch. We found the large market square which has been in existence for 1000 years and bought pecorino cheese, prosciutto, baguette, and grapes and sat along the Grand Canal to eat our lunch and watch the boats and gondolas go by. It was unreal. Following lunch we set off for Murano to see the glass museum but got distracted looking in the shops and did not end up seeing the museum. However, we were told the museum is not that great anyhow and there would be no glass making demonstrations until september so we felt okay about misisng it. Murano glass certainly are amazing works of art. In the evening we took a Vaporetto (wtare bus) ride along the Grand Canal. I can see why it was described by Philippe de Commines as 'the finest street in the world, with the finest houses'. Stunning really. We decided to venture out to Campo Santa Margherita for a pizza dinner and were delighted by the buzz of young people and the energy of the surroundings. After our delicious dinner, we headed back to the hostel where we sat by the water with a bunch of other hostel patrons. We drank the bottle of wine we had bought earlier (just 3.50 euros!) whilst being serenaded by the people next to us who were playing the violin. This, thus far, was the highlight of my entire summer. It was seemed as though I was living in a wonderful dream and I felt as though I just might burst with happiness and gratitude at my fortunes.
On our final day in Venice we visited Basilica di San Marco and were overwhelmed by the tile mosaics. I am not the most appreciative person of art (sorry Annie!) but, even I, almost shed a tear as I sat, mouth agape, staring at those mosaics. Following our visit to the Basilica we stopped for an italian sweet (not that we need any more sweets as we eat at least one gelato a day!) on our way to attending an English church service. April felt right at home in the Catholic service. It really cracked me up because the priest must have had somewhere very important to be after that service because he wasn't even finishing all of his words because he was trying to get through it so quickly. Meanwhile there were two little Italian ladies trying to protect the service from rude tourists walking in durind the service, sitting down and standing up, talking and trying to take pictures despite huge signs saying it was forbidden! These Italian ladies were a riot, smacking tourists, shooing them wagging her finger in their faces. It was a most enjoyable experience however, even if not the most spiritual and enlightening. Following church we decided to check out this Caffè Florian we had heard so much about. Upon discovering I would need to take out another student loan to pay for such a coffee experience we decided to hightail it out of there! Instead I had a lemon granita (frozen lemon drink) and it was delightfully refreshing as the weather has averaged 34° for the past few days! We then headed back to the hostel to retrieve our bags, check our email and head to the train station to board our train to Rome. We arrived at the train station early (I know, so not like me eh?! April is a good influence I guess!) and were able to get on the earlier train so we could arrive in Venice at 9:10pm instead of 11:00pm.
We were sad to leave Venice but also very excited about our next adventures in Roma! I think we will often feel these mixture of sadness to leave and excitement to go over the next few weeks.
We are now in Rome and have been here for about 24 hours and have already done so much but I will leave that for the next post!
Ciao and much love,
Jenn(ifer)
Well my Berlin adventure has officially come to and end. We left Berlin on Thursday night and took the overnight train to Venice (aka Venezia)! The train ride (when we were awake) was increbible. Just like the train brochure pictures...amazing!
Our last night in Berlin was great. We went out to dinner with Miranda, Yianni and the girls at a beach bar/restaurant and had some fun salsa dancing and playing fooseball! It is very different not seeing you everyday guys! I hope you are having a great last few days in Berlin and that Nemy's party went fantabulously!
Upon arrival in Venice, April and I were blown away. There are no words to describe Venice...it is beyond words. Unbelievable and it far surpassed even my wildest dreams. We made our way to our first hostel experience and were pleasantly surprised! It was right on the water and had a nice mix of old people, young people and even whole families! I think we were a bit spoiled in our first hostel which may cause some later shock upon arrival at other hostels on this trip.
We arrived in the evening on friday and so, decided to head on over to San Marco and have some dinner (thank you Yianni and Miranda!). We had pasta and seafood straight from the lagoon and it was so delicious. We then walked through the labrynth of narrow streets, along canals and across the many bridges with our mouths wide open in disbelief. It was incredible...out of a dream for real. We kept saying to eachother: 'can you believe this'?? It was a wonderful and relaxing first night.
On our second day we awoke early and had breakfast courtesy of our hostel and, once again, headed off for San Marco to explore the Palazzo Ducale (The Duke's Palace). Such history...After spending quite some time there our bellies began to runble so, we set off in search of lunch. We found the large market square which has been in existence for 1000 years and bought pecorino cheese, prosciutto, baguette, and grapes and sat along the Grand Canal to eat our lunch and watch the boats and gondolas go by. It was unreal. Following lunch we set off for Murano to see the glass museum but got distracted looking in the shops and did not end up seeing the museum. However, we were told the museum is not that great anyhow and there would be no glass making demonstrations until september so we felt okay about misisng it. Murano glass certainly are amazing works of art. In the evening we took a Vaporetto (wtare bus) ride along the Grand Canal. I can see why it was described by Philippe de Commines as 'the finest street in the world, with the finest houses'. Stunning really. We decided to venture out to Campo Santa Margherita for a pizza dinner and were delighted by the buzz of young people and the energy of the surroundings. After our delicious dinner, we headed back to the hostel where we sat by the water with a bunch of other hostel patrons. We drank the bottle of wine we had bought earlier (just 3.50 euros!) whilst being serenaded by the people next to us who were playing the violin. This, thus far, was the highlight of my entire summer. It was seemed as though I was living in a wonderful dream and I felt as though I just might burst with happiness and gratitude at my fortunes.
On our final day in Venice we visited Basilica di San Marco and were overwhelmed by the tile mosaics. I am not the most appreciative person of art (sorry Annie!) but, even I, almost shed a tear as I sat, mouth agape, staring at those mosaics. Following our visit to the Basilica we stopped for an italian sweet (not that we need any more sweets as we eat at least one gelato a day!) on our way to attending an English church service. April felt right at home in the Catholic service. It really cracked me up because the priest must have had somewhere very important to be after that service because he wasn't even finishing all of his words because he was trying to get through it so quickly. Meanwhile there were two little Italian ladies trying to protect the service from rude tourists walking in durind the service, sitting down and standing up, talking and trying to take pictures despite huge signs saying it was forbidden! These Italian ladies were a riot, smacking tourists, shooing them wagging her finger in their faces. It was a most enjoyable experience however, even if not the most spiritual and enlightening. Following church we decided to check out this Caffè Florian we had heard so much about. Upon discovering I would need to take out another student loan to pay for such a coffee experience we decided to hightail it out of there! Instead I had a lemon granita (frozen lemon drink) and it was delightfully refreshing as the weather has averaged 34° for the past few days! We then headed back to the hostel to retrieve our bags, check our email and head to the train station to board our train to Rome. We arrived at the train station early (I know, so not like me eh?! April is a good influence I guess!) and were able to get on the earlier train so we could arrive in Venice at 9:10pm instead of 11:00pm.
We were sad to leave Venice but also very excited about our next adventures in Roma! I think we will often feel these mixture of sadness to leave and excitement to go over the next few weeks.
We are now in Rome and have been here for about 24 hours and have already done so much but I will leave that for the next post!
Ciao and much love,
Jenn(ifer)
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Royalty?
Last Sunday, April and I attempted to go to the Berliner Dom for church (my 3rd attempt!) and, once again, a failed attempt. We were 1/2hr late this time and felt it would be much too rude to try and go in. Instead we found this amazing market and got a couple of wursts (sausages) and walked around. We bought artwork! I have never bought a real piece of artwork before! It is a print of the Berlin train system with the sights behind it and is really cool. I am excited to have a house one day and to fill it with artwork bought on our various trips.
April made an enemy with a gypsy (I know, it’s not the politically correct term…what term is more appropriate?) who came asking her for money and when April said no she threw her hands up at her and began cursing as she walked away.
After the church service ended we decided to go and check out the Dom in case we never do make it there for church! You can go all the way up to the top where there is a viewing deck that wraps around the whole outside of the building. Very cool and some great views of the city. The most interesting part had to be the crypt down in the basement though. The Höllenzorn Royal family have been entombed down there and it was impressive to see caskets from the 1500’s with crowns perched atop them. We found April’s surname on many of the name plaques! It appears she may be a descendant of the Prussian Royal family. When her great-grandfather came to Canada they had roll call at his one-room schoolhouse and when asked his last name he said “Joachim” and his teacher spelled it phonetically (Yochim) and that is how their last name was changed. Interesting how these things happen.
All in all, it was a very enjoyable Sunday. I really love the feel of Sundays. Somehow, I always have a feeling of all is good in the world on Sundays. I quite enjoy it.
Much love to you all,
Jenn(ifer)
Sachsenhausen...
Hello at last!
I am sorry for my long absence from blogging. I have been busy exploring Berlin. I realized about two weeks ago that time was moving much quicker than I wanted and that I didn’t have an infinite amount of time to see and do all that I wanted to in Berlin. Now I have just a week left and I fear there will still be so much I will not get to see.
April arrived a week ago and it has been so great having her here. We have been doing so much that it would be impossible to try and give you a complete update but, I will do my best to give you an overview. I will probably be adding multiple blogs in a row so make sure to look scroll down to see if I have added more than one at a time.
Last Saturday April and I went to Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp in Oranienburg, which is on the outskirts of Berlin. It was a really tough experience. I felt sick to my stomach seeing what humankind is capable of. Although, it was such a sad experience, I also feel it was important. I think the opportunity to witness one of the darkest times in history in such a real experience made me feel a real connection to the Holocaust and the many lives we lost. People just like me with a life they were living, people they loved and who loved them, with so much achievement behind them and such promise ahead of them and it was all taken away. I think to that to remember them will be the only way to prevent that from happening again. In one of the cells there was a poem by Pastor Martin Niemöller who was Hitler’s personal prisoner and who lived in self confinement for over 6 years at Sacshenhausen. The poem is pretty famous now and I have heard it before but until I saw it in Pastor Martin Niemöllerthe cell at Sachsenhausen I had never connected it to my life before. It really made me think about how apathetic I often am to politics and other important issues. Here’s the poem for those of you who haven’t heard it before and again, for those of you who have:
They came first for the Communists,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist.
Then they came for the Jews,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew.
Then they came for the trade unionists,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Catholics,
and I didn't speak up because I was a Protestant.
Then they came for me,
and by that time no one was left to speak up.
We got back from Sachsenhausen in the evening on Saturday and were feeling pretty low so, we decided to go to the Sony Center and have dinner and see Mamma Mia. It was really cool to sit in the Sony Center and have the “sky” changing colours. The ceiling of the Sony Center is a large tent and the panels change colour once it is dark so we felt really hip and alive in such a lively environment. For once, we were able to order food and not make complete fools of ourselves or have our waiter hate us before even asking for our drink order. I think I might be beginning to get a hold on the language and customs here (well, at least a bit anyways). Just try not to smile too much or do anything that anyone else isn’t doing and you’ll be okay. I think I might have been too happy and chipper for them before and they could spot I was a tourist a mile away with my large toothy grin. Mamma Mia was great, I highly recommend it! We laughed hysterically which was a nice contrast to the grimness of earlier in the day. I honestly thought my face would break because I laughed so hard…or that I would really annoy the people sitting next to me but, they were laughing even more than I was so, again, I didn’t make any enemies.
Well, I hope this blog finds you all enjoying your summer. April and I are off to Italy next week and we are sooooooo excited, although I will miss the girls.
Miss you all,
Jenn(ifer)
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Fat Tire Bike Tour
Hello again,
Well, I decided to take advantage of my day off today and sign up for a bike tour of Berlin. I am so glad I did. I met some really fun people, figured out some history behind many of the places I see around me, discovered some new places to check out and was able to speak English all day. It was more than enjoyable.
I arrived at the Tour place about 10 minutes before the tour was about to leave (remember the scary transit pass incident?) The tour began with a brief little name game and then we got to choose our bike for the day. I chose the prettiest blue bike with white flowers all over it. I called her "Suzy" and she was a dream cruiser, she even had a bell! I was however, riding the same size bicycle as the 10 year old girl on the tour...I'm okay with that though. We set off and saw many things I have already seen but I really appreciated the tour guides explanations of the sights. I met some new friends who were ever so hilarious and kept me laughing the whole time. 4 guys, one from Adelaide, one from Vancouver and an Opera singer from Texas who was working in Germany at an Opera house here and his partner who is a costumer for the opera and was also from Texas and was just here visiting for 6 weeks. It was great to remember how I am not really all that shy and that I am extremely sociable because when you go for a month without talking to many people those are things you can forget. We stopped at a wonderful beer garden for lunch and beer and I had a new beer. It is my new favourite. It is called Erdinger Dunkel. It is a dark beer and it is ever-so-delicious. I do not believe everyone was as sober as I was on our bike ride after the beer garden but, Amy, you will be happy to know I did not ride and drink. The tour was supposed to last 3 1/2 hours but it actually lasted 5 hours but I didn't mind at all. I had a great time and actually have pictures of myself from this trip! Difficult to do when you're sightseeing on your own. Yay!
Tonight, M and Y went out for a little date night and I spent the evening with the two little lasses. Tomorrow, I think the girls and I are going to check out the aquarium. Should be fun.
On another happy note, April got word on Monday that she will be coming to Berlin early. She'll be arriving next Wednesday morning at 8am. She'll need to work on her school stuff while she is here before we leave for Italy but I also need to work during the day so, it should work out well. When we are not working it will be great to take in the sights together. I am sooooo excited!!!!!!!
Love to you all,
Jenn(ifer)
Clueless
Hello again,
Well, I am officially in trouble with the German officials! Today, while riding the U-bahn (underground subway) I was interrupted from my reading (Harry Potter, I am obsessed and am trying to finish all of the books by the end of the summer) by three (yes, THREE) transit officials checking transit passes. I was not aware of who they were because when they got on the train they said something but it was in German and I don't understand more than 10 words and that may even be exagerating my capabilities. Then, they stood in front of me dressed in plain clothes (they go undercover here) and looked at me in a way that seemed to say, "I can smell that you have done something wrong in purchasing your transit pass and we like to be cruel to tourists". Well, yes, I had apparently done something wrong in purchasing my transit pass and they were certainly mean to me. They escorted me off the U-bahn by the arm at the next stop. I cried. It was really embarrassing. I had bought a student transit pass but, apparently I did not qualify for a student pass because I am not a student in Berlin. Who would have known?!! My ISIC card has been sufficient everywhere else...oh well, I am clueless I guess. Nonetheless, I cried and they took pity on me. Obviously I wasn't trying to scam the system as I had bought a rather expensive monthly student pass and carried with it my ISIC card and well, I was crying so they let go of my arm and were kind enough to tell me where to go to get out of trouble. I now have to go to the BVG (transit headquarters) within the week and present to them my case where they will judge whether I should have to pay the 40 euro fine. If I am found not guilty they will allow me to get my money back to buy the proper pass. The transit police assured me that they believed I wouldn't have to pay the fine and everything would be okay but to make sure to go within the week otherwise, the Polizie would come to my door. Yikes. I was on my way to a bike tour that was to begin in less than 1/2 hour so I wasn't able to go today but, I will definitely be going within the week to plead my case. Crazy things happen to me....
Oh, also, while I am on the clueless note, I might as well tell you all about how I made a fool of myself yesterday as well. I decided I wanted to see a film at the Sony Center in Potsdamer Platz since tickets are half price on Tuesdays so, I got on the subway (this is actually when I bought that dreaded student pass!) to take me there. Upon arrival at the cinema I went up to the ticket counter and asked which movies were playing in English. She showed me a list of movies and I said "alright, give me a second and I'll choose one and come right back". As I had not heard of any of the movies (they were all current blockbusters but, I haven't seen a movie in ages) I looked at the pictures and selected the one with the prettiest leading lady and went on my merry way back to the ticket counter in about 30 seconds. I then proceeded to tell her which movie I wanted to see and then comes the clueless part. She said "where would you like to sit"? Being clueless as I am, I thought she was referring to something I had read about where you can pay an extra euro and sit in a box seat (no idea what that is at the cinema...didn't see any at least) so I just said, "Oh, just a regular seat please". She then looked at me as though I were stupid and said, "yes, but where?". I must have looked at her dumbly for a whole minute before she realized I still had no idea what she was talking about and said "you know, back, front, middle?" to which I then realized meant they have assigned seating at the cinema here and I very quickly said "ok, the middle then please". Well, she did indeed give me the exact middle seat, F18. It was delightful. The seats are so very very comfortable, there was enough room for me to stretch my legs straight out and just barely touch the seat in front of me and you can buy beer at the cinema! Oh, and they have employees who come in at the beginning of the film and sell Ben and Jerry's! It was quite the experience. I saw a film called "Happy-go-lucky" and it was pretty hilarious. No plot, but hilarious.
Anywhoo, I feel that if I continue on in this post and write about the bike tour then this might become too long and I will lose my audience so, I will save the bike tour for the next post, along with the post I have been promising about the end of our Krakow trip.
Miss you all and hope you all get a jolly laugh out of my cluelessness as I am certainly laughing at myself right about now.
Much love,
Jenn(ifer)
Well, I am officially in trouble with the German officials! Today, while riding the U-bahn (underground subway) I was interrupted from my reading (Harry Potter, I am obsessed and am trying to finish all of the books by the end of the summer) by three (yes, THREE) transit officials checking transit passes. I was not aware of who they were because when they got on the train they said something but it was in German and I don't understand more than 10 words and that may even be exagerating my capabilities. Then, they stood in front of me dressed in plain clothes (they go undercover here) and looked at me in a way that seemed to say, "I can smell that you have done something wrong in purchasing your transit pass and we like to be cruel to tourists". Well, yes, I had apparently done something wrong in purchasing my transit pass and they were certainly mean to me. They escorted me off the U-bahn by the arm at the next stop. I cried. It was really embarrassing. I had bought a student transit pass but, apparently I did not qualify for a student pass because I am not a student in Berlin. Who would have known?!! My ISIC card has been sufficient everywhere else...oh well, I am clueless I guess. Nonetheless, I cried and they took pity on me. Obviously I wasn't trying to scam the system as I had bought a rather expensive monthly student pass and carried with it my ISIC card and well, I was crying so they let go of my arm and were kind enough to tell me where to go to get out of trouble. I now have to go to the BVG (transit headquarters) within the week and present to them my case where they will judge whether I should have to pay the 40 euro fine. If I am found not guilty they will allow me to get my money back to buy the proper pass. The transit police assured me that they believed I wouldn't have to pay the fine and everything would be okay but to make sure to go within the week otherwise, the Polizie would come to my door. Yikes. I was on my way to a bike tour that was to begin in less than 1/2 hour so I wasn't able to go today but, I will definitely be going within the week to plead my case. Crazy things happen to me....
Oh, also, while I am on the clueless note, I might as well tell you all about how I made a fool of myself yesterday as well. I decided I wanted to see a film at the Sony Center in Potsdamer Platz since tickets are half price on Tuesdays so, I got on the subway (this is actually when I bought that dreaded student pass!) to take me there. Upon arrival at the cinema I went up to the ticket counter and asked which movies were playing in English. She showed me a list of movies and I said "alright, give me a second and I'll choose one and come right back". As I had not heard of any of the movies (they were all current blockbusters but, I haven't seen a movie in ages) I looked at the pictures and selected the one with the prettiest leading lady and went on my merry way back to the ticket counter in about 30 seconds. I then proceeded to tell her which movie I wanted to see and then comes the clueless part. She said "where would you like to sit"? Being clueless as I am, I thought she was referring to something I had read about where you can pay an extra euro and sit in a box seat (no idea what that is at the cinema...didn't see any at least) so I just said, "Oh, just a regular seat please". She then looked at me as though I were stupid and said, "yes, but where?". I must have looked at her dumbly for a whole minute before she realized I still had no idea what she was talking about and said "you know, back, front, middle?" to which I then realized meant they have assigned seating at the cinema here and I very quickly said "ok, the middle then please". Well, she did indeed give me the exact middle seat, F18. It was delightful. The seats are so very very comfortable, there was enough room for me to stretch my legs straight out and just barely touch the seat in front of me and you can buy beer at the cinema! Oh, and they have employees who come in at the beginning of the film and sell Ben and Jerry's! It was quite the experience. I saw a film called "Happy-go-lucky" and it was pretty hilarious. No plot, but hilarious.
Anywhoo, I feel that if I continue on in this post and write about the bike tour then this might become too long and I will lose my audience so, I will save the bike tour for the next post, along with the post I have been promising about the end of our Krakow trip.
Miss you all and hope you all get a jolly laugh out of my cluelessness as I am certainly laughing at myself right about now.
Much love,
Jenn(ifer)
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