First day in Berlin

I've been back from Europe since Sunday and I've been putting off writing a blog entry.  I've been struggling with the size of the journey.  This vacation was overflowing with new experiences and just as I can't sum up what its meant to me... Its hard for me to even start writing about it. But here goes...

We left on friday morning on a much too early flight out of Phoenix.  It was exciting preparing for the trip and it felt a little surreal.  I kept having to cancel plans with the lame excuse "Oh, sorry I can't be there I'll be in Europe". Mentally I didn't realize just how far away Europe was from my life in Arizona.

The plane ride was long and uneventful.  I listened to lots of music and watched a few movies.  Over The Hedge was surprisingly funny, I almost watched it twice. ;-).  On arriving in Amsterdam for our connecting flight to Berlin we found out the cute woman behind us was on our tour.  I'd introduced myself and Chris and I soon found out her name was Natalie.  She is from Cleveland, and speaks Russian which was entertaining since I took russian in college.  She would be with us for several adventures...

Once in Berlin we took a well needed nap and then walked around the neighborhood.  Everything was very green and it reminded me of Japan.  It felt foreignbut still very comfortable.

That night we met the tour group for dinner.  It was a good time and the people that sat our table would become good friends by the end of the tour.  Its funny how the first night set the mood.  There were people from all over the world.  I made friends with a brother and sister from the Phillippines.  I also met a few of the many canadians on the tour.

We started talking about going out that night to see the town.  By now it was Saturday night in Berlin and I wanted to see what the city had to offer.  Chris, Natalie and I left the hotel and made our way to Schonberg Allee where we had heard about a club called White Trash Fast Food.

( I'd like to pause here and say - I love Berlin! )

Saturday night in Berlin was worth the cost of the trip.  There were so many people out walking, there was music coming from every direction, the city just felt alive and it made me feel alive.  We got a little lost looking for the club and saw an absinthe bar.  Before coming to Europe I had been curious about trying absinthe.

Inside it was dark and smokey and pretty crowded.  We found the last table in the place and were soon accosted but a group of rowdy Englishmen.  According to their fearless leader they'd been drinking for four days.  In between singing pub songs they gave us drink recommendations.  We had several Absinthe and Redbulls which were surprisingly good!  And then tried several types of Absinthe. I'm not a big drinker but I liked it.  The whole preperation with the sugar cube, the spoon and lighting it on fire is part of the experience.  I recommend trying it. ;-)

We eventually left to resume the search for White Trash Fast Food.  I was tipsy and really enjoying myself.  We found the club and it wasn't what we were expecting.  We walked in and were seated in a restuarant with a jazz guitar player on the stage.  It was a strange looking place but not what we looking for.  I excused myself to find the bathroom and I followed the signs to the basement.  After using the restroom I heard some music.

Really good music. ;-)

In the basement is the dance club, its this long cavern with a low ceiling.  Industrial music was blasting and the dance floor was packed.  After going up stairs to get Natalie and Chris we hit the dance floor.  As far as I could tell it was all germans in the place.  They danced aggressively and the energy was off the chart. This was a hardcore, wear you out, sweat pouring off you, dance 'til you drop kind of club.

After about 45 minutes the music stops and a band takes the stage.  The band is called Smatka and featured a beautiful German/Polish woman.  It was dancey rock music, lots of synths and cool beats.  The singer kept losing more and more clothes. ;-).  We were right up front and she interacted it with us.  I got to sing into the mic twice.  (I was so excited I couldn't catch my breath to sing)  She and Chris were dancing together.  It just rocked.

As the set ended it was time to go.  We left the club and it was raining outside.  I was soaked with sweat so it felt wonderful.  We grabbed a cab that had just pulled up, it only cost us 8 euros to get to the hotel.  Back at the hotel I stood in the rain for a bit and even danced a little.  I was euphoric.

And that was the first night in Berlin.

( larger versions of images available on my flickr account )