June 8, 2013 – Day 68 – Berlin Germany

Inside of the Fredrichstadt :Palast

Kathie Having a Great Time on The Spree River Cruise

June 8, 2013 – Day 68 – Berlin Germany

Bill on the Spree River Cruise - Note the Souvenir pins on his hat. 

Spargel, Scarves, Man-Bags, Schoolbuses, Show Me, Sachsenhausen, Twelve Apostles,

Cruisin’ on the River Spree, and other Stuff

Now that the rain has left the area, we have kicked into high gear.  Less than a week until we fly to Heathrow Airport and only 24 days left in our Grand Adventure - still lots to see and do in Berlin.  And lots of things to comment on:

1. Spargel – Spargel is the German word for asparagus.  It’s thick, white asparagus, not the little green asparagus that we are used to.  Every German restaurant has a Spargelkarte (Asparagus menu) in the spring that features this vegetable.  The Spargelkarte will be around as long as the asparagus is and then will be replaced by strawberries.  Then we will know that it is truly summer.
2. Scarves – I have never seen as many women wearing  neck scarves as I have seen in Germany.  Once the weather turned warm, I expected them to be put away, but the majority of women still seem to wear them.  We bought Denise and her Mom scarves for their birthdays.  If I could figure out how to tie them as well as German women do, I wouldn’t leave here without one. 
3. Man-bags – very practical for men – definitely not a hit in the US.  Lots of men – especially younger men – are carrying man bags.
4. Schoolbuses – There are no school buses in Berlin.  The children take public buses, U-Bahn,

-Bahn, etc. to school every day.  It’s free and their transportation cards can be used for other destinations than school. 

5. Beach Clubs – There are no real beaches on the river in Berlin, but there are Beach Clubs.  Come on down, find a deck chair, get a drink, and watch the action on the river. 
6. Being Outside - If it’s not raining, Europeans are outside at their cafes, on the riverbanks, in the parks – everywhere.  They are chatting, walking, bicycling, sunning, drinking, eating, and just hanging out.  It doesn’t matter if it’s cold out.
7. Butter – if you get butter with a meal other than breakfast, you have probably been spotted as an American.  There will be fabulous bread – but no butter.  In some restaurants, you will be asked to pay separately for the bread. 
8. Graffiti – graffiti is an amazing art form in Berlin.  There is obnoxious obscene graffiti like you will find anywhere, but much of the graffiti in Berlin is truly artistic. 



Molecule Men (There are Three) on the River Spree.  Can you spot the third  one?

9. Babies – babies go everywhere.  Moms and Dads take babies in their strollers on buses and trains and put them on the fronts and backs of their bicycles.  Bill helped a Mom yesterday who was trying to get down the stairs at the S-Bahn with a baby carriage and toddler in tow, carrying the toddler’s bicycle.  In our automobile driven US worlds, we would never consider such a thing. 

   

   Beach Club on the River Spree

Tuesday, June 4, we had a fabulous experience.  We went to the Frederichstadt Palast to see Show Me – a singing, dancing, acrobatic, aerialist, lighting, and costume extravaganza.  You didn’t need a word of German to be able to understand what was going on.  It was just delightful – we found ourselves muttering “come back, come back” at the end of each act.  There was a 40-foot waterfall, Chinese acrobats, and the German version of the Rockettes.  Prior to the show, we went wandering and had dinner on the River Spree.  One of the really cool things about the show is the intermission – when you arrive, you can order a table for the intermission and order your drinks.  You are given a table number and when you come out for intermission, your drinks are on the table.  Great customer service! 

On Wednesday  we went to the Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp outside of Berlin which deserves a whole blog by itself.  Then we took the train to Savigny Platz and hooked up with Denise at the Twelve Apostles Restaurant – each apostle has his own pizza and they didn’t forget Mary Magdalene or Levi, either.  On Thursday, we took a lovely four hour cruise on the River Spree.  The day was perfect – sunny and breezy (balmy as our buddy Dave Wiechec would say).  Drank some Riesling, ate some Currywurst, and in general enjoyed another perspective on this remarkable city.   I must admit to succumbing to the pollen in the air and the pressure of traveling for so long yesterday.  Didn’t feel well all day, but Bill ministered to me as he always does and I feel much better today. 

Spotted this boat while having dinner on the River Spree.
Adele was my Mom's name.