they say that life is a circus...

It's Anita from Berlin. Again.

I have today and tomorrow in this rich and colourful city before departing super dooper early on Friday for Roma (via Czech Rep for plane change). I'm a little nervous about the changing of planes there... I hope I can navigate the airport with time to spare. But I think I have managed to fit in a massive amount to my Berlin time so far. It has been more thrilling than I imagined, and I feel like I've finally got itchy feet. Hurrah!

So after I wrote here the day before yesterday I've had some great times. Monday (the day of the tour) was filled with lots of exciting discoveries and seriously worn out hot feet. It has been pretty warm here, and unless your in the shade or it's late at night, I have barely needed a jumper or long sleeved top. That night I hung out with my new melbourne friends Kev and Lisa and we had intentions of going to a place recommended by the tour guide. Apparently table tennis is huge here, and there are bars devoted to a round robin ping pong -- you hit the ball once and then go to the end of the other side's line, and if you miss you are eliminated. All accompanied by beer. Oh the beer in Germany is lovely. Very cheap too. 1.50 euro for a stubby (pint). Because it gets dark here at the minute at about 10.30, the night ran away from us. We sat chatting in the hostel lounge over a couple of beers, and by the time we went to make a move it was 2am. So instead of hitting the town then, when we'd already had such a big day, we thought better of it and hit the hay. They are lovely people, a little younger than me, but very much Northcote people who are interested in music and food and creativity and politics. I have really enjoyed their company.

Yesterday was spent on a self-devised tour of the city. I almost did a retracing of the previous day's tour, and instead went into the things I wanted. I went into the Reichstag and waited for an hour in the queue to go up the lift to the observation deck. It's such an amazing building and like so many Berlin buildings, still wears the bullet holes and blackening from the bombs of the war. In the case of the Reichstag it was almost entirely destroyed. It was a fantastic panoramic view.

I also bought some new Birkenstock sandals. I came away without summer shoes and found I've really needed them and Birkis are so cheap here. I got the pair i wanted and then wore them all day long.

I walked through the Mitte region and along the Unter Den Linden and back towards the German History Museum. On the way I got to pass the Babelplatz (a sqare surrounded by the opera house and library and Humbolt Uni where the book burnings happened), and I stopped at lots of shops and monuments along the way. It's quite a walk. At the German History museum I was impressed by the way most explanatory notes were in Deutsch and English. It made it easy to navigate! Things of note that I saw included: real knight's armour and 4th century stuff, a really gruesome crucified jesus with intestines and ... so so much Weimar Republic and Third Reich stuff. It was 1/2 the museum. They had Hitler's desk designed by Albert Speer and they had his globe of the world that even had a bullet hole through it. It was a great museum, and I was glad to be doing the circuit with other young people (by chance... just for more bodies in the museum). I find museums really eerie if they have no one in them, and over here with more than 150 museums in Berlin alone, there are few people in them.

I went and had a wander around the Berliner Dom (cathedral) and it was spectacular.

Finally wandered back to the hostel where I sat with Kev and Lisa and some others and we chatted before finally at about 11 going off and trying to find the PingPong bar (without success) before settling at a turkish bar. It was another late one but I really really enjoyed.

I hired a bike today and so decided to ride across town (hmmm... on the other side of the road navigating stupid drivers) and ended up at the East Side Gallery, which is the remaining part of the Wall where all the graffitti is. It was sensational but chilling.

Im having a great time, but am feeling pretty spent today. Thinking about an afternoon nap, but also wanted to go to the Jewish Museum. I wish I had a month here!
*sigh*

Love to everyone, and great big cuddles. Thanks for your comments, I'm loving them.
xoxoxo