We're On Vacation - One Of Us Must Be Sick

This time it's me. Sigh.

These last couple of days really got away from me as I have been brought down by the sinus infection gods. 

I woke up Friday in a haze. Fuzzy. Snorty. Scratchy. My face looked like one of those dried apple dolls you see in the gift shop at Cracker Barrel. Yep, my sinuses said, "fuck you and your plans today." So I said, "Okay, see you tomorrow."

Actually, I walked over to the drug store at the rail station and bought some really good European sinus medication. I don't know what it is about the stuff over here, but...man. Where, in the states, you have to turn over your passport and trace your family tree three generations to prove you're not going to make meth out of a box of Claritin, here you loudly sniff at the pharmacist and point to your cheek bones, and she rolls out a week's worth of pills, nasal spray, and sore throat gummies for a whopping 14 Euros. It's a little slice of heaven. By Saturday afternoon, I was feeling better.

We left the friendly confines of our hotel in search of hamburgers. One of our friends had mentioned Brgrs Brgrs as a place we should check out. Totally correct! Huge hamburgers and deliciously-salted sweet potato fries. I was indeed feeling better.

Sunday morning gave us another lovely sunrise.

But the bulk of the day was spent on a brewery crawl. A couple of local breweries topped our list to visit: Braugier and Strassenbrau. Neither was gunning for "Best Beer on the Planet," but both were worth the visit. 

For our last night in Berlin, we met up with all of our new friends back at the Biererei. When we were here last year - and I mean January 2022 - we met a couple of people...this year we came away with eight new friends. We had a great time and look forward to having them all come visit us in the states at some giant slumber party. 

Monday, hungover and hurting, we took the train to Munich for our final two days in Germany. Now, Joe makes me drink too much all the time, and I have (many times to no avail) asked him why. Today, I had my revenge. He had waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too much fun Sunday night and is paying the price. I look on, smirking. Sah-weet!

But tomorrow is another day, and we've planned a leisurely stroll around old town Munich. Final thoughts on Wednesday.

Joe's Day Gets Worse

After getting back to the hotel and listening to Joe try to explain just exactly what happened with the Uber that drove off without me, we finally get to bed. We have an early morning Thursday - we're going on a day trip to Bamberg, home of the Rauchbier.

We've been to Bamberg before (once quite awhile ago on a River Cruise), but we didn't sample the Rauchbier. We'd partied too hard the night before and were too hungover to even try. So visiting this time was nice - all new information. 

Part of our journey included taking a commuter train from the Osbahnhof station (right across the street from our hotel) to the main station (Berlin Hauptbahnhof) in order to catch the long distance train to Bamberg. It's just the the ticket was set up. But here's the thing: the connection time between the two trains is about 9 minutes. An eternity while you're on the train waiting to go, nano seconds while you're trying to navigate an unfamiliar (and giant) train station.

We easily made the train from the Ostbahnhof station, but somewhere along the six minute trip, we fell behind. Joe got a message on the train app that we might not make our connection with the long distance train. Miss Cleo must be running that app. Sure enough, we're delayed by almost 5 minutes. 

Now there are fewer things I'd rather be doing at 7:30 in the morning than running blind through a train station looking for Platform 1. No, 8. No, 1. Wait. Is it 8 or 1? Must be 1 because I see a train two floors down pulling away at 7:29. Yep. It left precisely on time from Platform 1. Too bad we were on Platform 8. It was the second time in less than 24 hours mass transit left me standing in the cold. Turns out, Joe had scrolled too far down on the app and was looking at our return tickets. Sigh.

Well, three options: Find a pub. Go find out when the next train leaves. Go back to the hotel and back to bed. The lady at the information booth was very kind...especially when she saw the red advisory that our first train was running late. HaH! Not our fault. Here's the next train, you can ride for free...you just have to got upstairs to the ticket office to get reservations. Sigh.

We finally boarded a later train - not by much - and made our way to Bamberg.

Bamberg is a great little town in south central Germany. Its in Bavaria, so it has that typical half-timbered houses look.

Just so cute.

Job One was to hit the two breweries in town famous for smoked and rauchbiers. These are lagers that have the unique flavors of meat: brisket and bacon, specifically. They are usually lower abv, but have great depth of flavor and a thick mouthfeel. They come off feeling like big beers. But I get it...it's a flavor that not everyone can enjoy. The two breweries are: Brauerei Spezial (smoked bier) and Schlenkerla (for the rauchbier).

Both were soooo good. And the food at Spezial was delish, too - of course we had schnitzel.

Checking those from our list, we wandered the old town. Just lovely.

The Rathaus - Old City Hall

Yep - it straddles the river. Back in the 1300s, the people of Bamberg didn't want to give up any of their hard-earned lands to build a government building. So the City fathers built an island in the middle of the river and the city hall atop it. Problem solved. 

Lots of old statuary around it.

Me: A) freaking out because there's a bird on my arm, or B) having trouble refusing just one more beer.

We wandered a bit more, had some hot chocolate and anxiously watched the clock so we wouldn't miss the train back to Berlin.

Which we caught without problem. The problem was catching the commuter train back to the station near our hotel. Ugh. I was so plagued by PTTD - post traumatic train disorder: fear of missing a train, that we (okay, I) thought the train that was on the appointed platform and just closing its doors was the one we were supposed to be on. Guess not.

We balked and hopped off at the next station. After some map reading, we figured out it was the right train, just the wrong time - the next train was in three minutes. We finally got to the right station, but...it was not a fun day on the rails.

Friday - SLEEP IN DAY!!

So Many Stories!

 Let's see...where were we? Oh yeah - The Jewish Museum.

This museum is a masterclass of Jewish history: religion, persecution, exile, survival, continuity, and perseverance. More than a Holocaust museum, it's a study of the entire scope of Jewry. Prepare yourself to be fascinated, isolated, devastated, celebrated, and motivated.

Not only does the museum have an amazing collection of artifacts and historical reference, the space itself plays a part in your experience. The walls are slanted and irregular, causing you to feel off-balance. The hallways are slashed at odd angles with thin rectangular windows - letting the light in as if between the wooden pickets of an old fence. Some hallways have nothing but gray three-story walls, trapping you in a void. 

One area, called the Holocaust Tower, is a large triangular room - dimly lit by one of the aforementioned windows. But the window is small and at the top of the three-story space. You can't see where the corners are, and it's not a climate controlled room. I stood in the center, trying to get my bearings. It was cold. I could hear the rain outside. I couldn't see much beyond 10 feet or so. The gloom prevailed. I was alone until the banging door signaled someone else was nearby. It made me feel so alone. So quiet. So devoid of humanity. I can't even imagine feeling like that for more than a few minutes, much less a few years. Though survival would be astonishing, I don't think it would be welcome - not in the sense of warm, open arms. So grim.

Beyond those horrifying years, the museum takes you on a ride of Jewish successes - albeit still marked with antisemitism and hatred - and into current times. You leave feeling battered, but somehow hopeful. And certainly more aware of fellow humans and their lives.

After the museum, we headed to The Biererei - I needed a drink. We met up with some of our friends and proceeded to have a fun evening. Lots of beer, laughs...and we finally got around to purchasing a couple of t-shirts. About 8pm we decided to go around the corner for some dinner. Joe was in charge of the bag with the shirts. I'll bet you can imagine where I'm going with this. 

So we finish eating, and he calls for an Uber. (I'm usually in charge of calling for one, but my AmEx was compromised, and I hadn't set up a new payment...whole 'nother story.) Anyway, we're standing outside in the cold rain waiting and spot the car across the street. I wave, Joe heads toward the car. I notice he doesn't have the bag with the shirts, so I call to him that I'm going back inside to get it. I come back out only to see the Uber - with Joe inside - driving away. WHAT??? WHAT THE EVER-LOVING FUCK!!!

Soon, I get a text from him explaining that his driver doesn't understand English, but thinks they're heading back to pick me up. (To be fair, Joe later stated that the driver probably didn't understand German, either.) 

I'm still standing in the rain, mind you. About 5 minutes later, I get another text from Joe saying he's SO SORRY. He's at the hotel, but will get a second Uber to come get me. Never mind, I tell him, I'll grab a cab. I'm not an idiot. He's still madly texting me about how sorry he is, and, and...whatever. I find a cab and make it back to the hotel easily. I made him tip the driver. SMDH.

Gotta go for now, but I have more stories to tell.

One More Thing, Then Poland

In the midst of naming all the big brands in KaDeWe, I forgot about Dior, Dolce & Gabbana, Tom Ford, Jimmy Choo, and a host of others. I'm not even sure I spelled Gabbana right...It's just not a part of my vocabulary.

Anyway, Joe and I were walking around in there thinking we might look for a lightweight winter sweater because it's much warmer here than we ever expected - the locals think so, too - and I suddenly became very self-aware. There I was in my DSW boots, my Levis, and my urban chic Target sweater looking for all the world a snappy dresser (compared to some folks I've seen on airplanes recently), yet feeling totally invisible. I am not a fashionista. I don't see the joy in spending $900 on a purse that's going to sit on a sticky restaurant floor. I can't imagine being "Best Dressed" every day. It has to be exhausting. But for a moment in that store, I was unworthy. I SHOULD buy something! I think that's their secret.

Instead, we left, went across the street to a souvenir shop, and bought a cheap/Berlin-branded umbrella because Joe left his cheap/Berlin-branded umbrella at home. 

Browsing in that store was an amazing experience, but I would rather spend that $900 on a plane ticket.

Okay - Poland!

We'd never been to Poland, but a quick day trip yesterday remedied that. We grabbed a train (at the station across the street from our hotel) and took a 2-hour ride to Poznan (Pose-none). A quick walk into the city center and...  Oh, no! The entire - and I do mean entire - city center was under construction. $30 million worth of new piping, new paving, new sidewalks, new signage, new seating, new green spaces, new...new everything. So the pictures aren't great, but now we can't wait to come back and see the result.

On our way to the Center

Beautiful entrance 

Last block NOT under construction

Town Hall Clock

Look at this fucking mess!

So pretty...well, someday.

The other downside to all this carnage was that not many places were open (can you blame them). 

But we found a place for lunch. This is the Polish version of Schnitzel. Yum!

We really did have a good time and found a magnet for the fridge! After lunch we found the prize: a craft beer bar, Piwna Stopa. Def going back there!

Got back to Berlin kinda late and hit the hay. We woke up to this gorgeous sunrise:

Of course, now it's raining (so glad Joe has his own umbrella). Oh well.  Today we're going to the Jewish Museum and back to the Biererei. Tomorrow: Bamburg!!

Espionage Museum, KaDeWe, Italian Dinner

This morning we had Espionage Museum tickets - a fantastic collection of spycraft tools and stories beginning way back in the day...like ancient Egypt. Fascinating. Curated there: an Enigma machine, a large collection of mini spy cameras, a whole section on James Bond, and dozens of interactive exhibits/missions to find out if you have the smarts to be a spy. (Apparently I have no knack for it.) It was so much fun, aside from all the kids hogging the missions. For almost two hours we immersed ourselves in the history (fact and fantasy) of being an agent, spy, and traitor.

We left the museum and hopped on the U-bahn train system to take us to KaDeWe in the Kurfurstandam neighborhood. Easy Peasy - and really cheap.

KaDeWe...not so cheap. And not so small.  Think about the biggest big box store you've ever been in. Now pile seven of them on top of one another.

I'm not even kidding.

Inside the store, on every floor, were whole sections of brands. Like, on the first floor - which is watches, jewelry, perfume, etc. - there is a Tiffany's store, an Hermes store, a Rolex store, a Chanel store - you get the idea. Every floor boasts luxury brands and beautiful layouts.

Mesmerizing.

But the top two floors are the most amazing things I've ever seen. Food. Brilliant food. Of every kind. From everywhere. You could shop it and take away, or you could order and eat it there. Crazy-pants.

Just one of the cases in the cheese section.

Little pastries/tartlets

Cakes and pies

Chocolates

Some more chocolates

It's an incredible array of gluttony, beautiful and dizzying. How could you even choose? We found a brewery/restaurant and had butter chicken and beer. 

After sweating our asses off - why do they turn up the heat so high over here? - we headed back to the hotel to relax for a bit before dinner.  We found a little Italian place down the street that gets really good reviews. And now we know why. Trattoria la Bruschetta - tiny, cozy, delicious.

Tomorrow: Poland!

Happy New Year

 Well, we rung in the new year last night. And we kept ringing until the wee hours. I got a message from my friend in Spain: "How is Berlin?" I replied, "Considering it's 12;08 and we just woke up, I'd say Berlin is pretty good!"

Cihan. I've spoken of him many times. Our favorite barman/owner/master beer curator.

We've had a blast the past couple of days hanging out at the Biererei with friends old and new, but now that the holidays are essentially over and the crowds are thinning (people returning to work and school), it's time to get touristy. Tomorrow we have tickets to the Espionage Museum and then we're going to KaDeWe - 60,000 sqft of retail, deli, and restaurant. I think we'll be able to find something good there.

On Tuesday, we'll take a 3-hour train ride to Poznan, Poland. Never been to Poland. Time for some pierogies and Polish beer, maybe a museum or two for some history, and a walk-about in the old city - we'll need a magnet for the fridge.

Hope everyone had a wonderful New Year's celebration whether you're a party animal or a in-bed-by-niner. And here's wishing better days and new adventures in 2023. Cheers!