PC and I went to see the Temper Trap Monday night.
It was awesome.
They played this alternative venue over on the East Side. Covered in graffiti, and looking a tad sketchy, the Astra Kulturhaus proved to be a pretty cool place. There were so many English speakers present, that I was actually thrown off if I heard German.
Fellow Australian band Chet Faker opened, and ended their set with a pretty sweet cover of “No Diggity”. Then Dougy and the Temper Trap stormed out to give us a great show.
On a natural high from the concert, we chose some pretty legit looking stoner food. Cube Fries absolutely smothered in mayo and ketchup. One observation though: Homemade ketchup is never worth it to me. You can have tasty homemade mustards, aiolis, etc., but artisanal ketchup just doesn’t live up to Heinz. Quit advertising your homemade ketchup like it’s a big deal; it blows.
Anyways, we rode the train home and took a shameless number of selfies. I’m sharing them here partly because I’m narcissistic, and partly because anything that displays the disparity in size between my massive chompers and his mini teef is hilarious to me.
In other news…
PC and I are leaving to spend the weekend in Dubrovnik. check ya later.
Euro 2012 excitement keeps rolling along here. Last week, we met up with PC’s teammate Roko and his lovely lady Jasmin to watch Spain take on Croatia. There was a bit of added fun in that Roko is Croatian, while Jasmin is half Croatian, half Spanish and chose to cheer on the Spaniards. Naturally, the banter was spirited and silly. Meeting up at a little Croatian bar, the crowd was lively and assertively biased, cheering like mad anytime their side crossed the half. And although Jasmin’s Spanish wound up victors, there were no hard feelings, and domestic bliss was preserved.
In other news, I cannot get enough of the fussball themed schtuff here.
soccer ball bread at the grocery store mmmhmmm
I even went so far as buying soccer ball shaped ice cube trays for the new freezer. I know, it’s totally “sixth grade girl who paints her nails her team colors, makes an AIM name like ‘socrchick9′, and draws soccer balls on her folders”. I’m aware. But come on, it’s fun! And I friggin’ love having ice now in my beverages. Take that, ice averse europe.
my “cool” trays
On Friday, we met up with some friends to watch the Germany Greece showdown. Beyond the obvious ‘Germany Greece Eurozone crisis’ jokes to be made, we were soon apprised of another joke…
What you see in the picture above is our friend Ricky doing a stunning imitation of German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Merkel made it to the quarterfinal wearing a signature big shouldered suit jacket. A jacket which limits her arm mobility, making her goal celebrations hysterical and cute in that adorable grandma way.
Take a look:
Watching “Angie” gleefully clap away was a welcome departure from the “tough old broad dealing with the eurozone crisis” image I usually see. The cameras couldn’t help but pan to her for each goal celebration.
On Saturday, we wanted to go down to the “Fan Mile” near Brandenburger Tor to watch the Spain match. Numskulls that we are, we forgot that it was Pride day for Berlin. Past the first blockade and it was immediately clear that the rainbow festooned party animals were not overly interested in a EuroCup quarterfinal. No matter, it was pretty fun to mill around the merry makers and take in the scene. Apparently 700,000 people poured into Berlin for this day.
A performance in front of Brandenburger Tor
Actually, the celebration reminded me of another political anecdote. Klaus Wowerweit, the mayor of Berlin, is gay. In fact, during his mayoral campaign he coined a now famous phrase at the end of one of his speeches,”Ich bin schwul, und das ist auch gut so”. This roughly translates to, “I’m gay, and that’s a good thing”.
It’s such a simple and powerful statement, however I can’t imagine that stunt going over well stateside. As usual, comparing the politics of my home and my temporary home is a fascinating, bewildering exercise.
Side Note: Allegedly the mayor likes to party, aaaaand at hoffest (that thing I blogged about) there were rumors that he was wasted. fun stuff.
Oh and here’s an extra little fun news tidbit from the weekend…
For 20th century history, I’m not sure any other city can compete with Berlin. I find myself constantly astounded and fascinated by this city, its scars, and its resilience.
Elaine’s mom came to visit, giving us the added push to recommence sightseeing.
We found ourselves at Sachsenhausen concentration camp.
Having now visited Dachau, Auschwitz-Birkenau and Sachsenhausen, I can assure you that “seen one, see ’em all” does not apply. Every camp contains some unique horror. Here’s a few unique facts about Sachsenhausen:
-Towards the end of the war, 13,000 Soviet POW’s were brought here. 10,000 of them were summarily executed.
– Many prominent SS officers trained here in preparation for their work at other camps, including Auschwitz.
– The grounds include the “T building”. This is where SS administrators, or more appropriately, Desk Killers, worked. The murderous bureaucratic office. Men sat calmly at their desks typing up files, signing on orders and deciding what punishments could be meted out to prisoners, proper execution techniques, spreading the use of zyklon B, and generally dictating the policy of terror.
I find this to be the creepiest, most despicable and horrifying part of the whole thing.
Sachsenhausen grounds
After all that fun, we headed back into the city to cruise the MauerPark flea market, and gawk at the Bearpit Karaoke. Oh yeah, remember how Mauer means wall? And how that park is where the wall used to be? And how lots of people committed suicide, or were shot right there? Now, hundreds of Berliners gather round to hear people sing their guts out and act a fool.
Bearpit
We capped the day with a bbq. PC the grillmaster was loving the balmy evening.
Having explored a great deal of the WWII era history, I’ve been itching to get into Cold War stuff. I read Stasiland a month ago, so I’ve been oddly eager to visit Hohenshönhausen Prison.
From 1945-1989 this place was a place of terror and mystery. Existing on no map, when the wall fell demonstrators were not there to break down its doors, and storm the building. Stasi agents were able to destroy many of their files, and evidence regarding the prison’s functioning. However, the building, the cells, the interrogation rooms have all been left largely in tact.
unassuming hohenschönhausen
For a bit more background…
Following WWII, the soviets used Hohenschönhausen for “de-nazification” purposes. However, as communist East Germany (the GDR/DDR) began to take form as a nation, so did its ministry for state security-the stasi. Arguing that the GDR was such a weak, young nation that it needed protection from the evil, corrupting forces of the West, the stasi identified “dangerous” elements in the population who might do harm to the fledgling state. Using informers, cameras, microphones, spies, etc. the stasi might identify these enemies of the state, grab them off the street, and transport them to Hohenschönhausen. Here, prisoners could be held for any length of time enduring unimaginable psychological tortures until a trial and sentence was handed out.
the original underground soviet prison. the “submarine”
Most of the information we have about Hohenshönhausen emerged from first hand accounts of former prisoners. In fact, some former prisoners currently give tours.
At its height, the Stasi employed nearly 100,00 full time staff which doesn’t include the thousands of unofficial informers. Offenses which might land you in prison could be anything from distributing anti-communist literature, to listening to the Beatles. Former prisoners who have been able to find and read their own stasi files, found that many times the person who informed on them was a spouse, a parent or a friend.
a cell
Once a prisoner, you would endure extreme sleep deprivation, interminable interrogation and horrifying mind games. I can’t detail every story and example here, (much as I’d like) but I’ll give a few examples. Prisoners were normally not allowed to see anyone. The only human contact they might have would be with their interrogator. If a prisoner were to catch a glimpse of another person, it was likely a ploy by the Stasi. Someone who closely resembled a family member or friend might be led past a prisoner’s cell to cause emotional pain and anxiety.
During interrogations, prisoners were forced to sit on their hands. Besides causing discomfort, sitting on one’s hands led to sweating. Once a prisoner left the room, stasi agents removed the chair fabric, jarred it, and kept it on hand in case they might have to track down this person in the future. By saving the sweaty fabric, they hoped to save the person’s scent. Much easier for doggies to find you.
Lives were destroyed and spirits were broken here. Many East Germans still have ties, stories and nightmares from the Stasi’s involvement in their lives. Healing and progress continue to be made, however, a lack of awareness and willful forgetfulness threatens this process.
The prison left a disturbing impression on me, and I haven’t stopped thinking about it. Touring Hohenschönhausen has been one of the best things I’ve experienced in Berlin.
– Interrogation room. Everything in it is authentic and original. You can sit on the real stool, touch the real curtains, and stare at the real wallpaper.
Of course, it hasn’t been all doom and gloom. Thursday brought a trip to beautiful Potsdam. Despite gray weather, the lush palace grounds of Sansoucci were a welcome respite from the hustle and bustle of the city. We followed it up with another trip to the dome of the Reichstag, and a chance to marvel at how far this place has come in such a short time.
It’s an entirely different city. I was gone not two months and the place transformed. Gray skies, dour faces and mud have given way to sunshine, grins and everything abloom. After my initial trepidation about returning so soon, I have been happily surprised by this summery Berlin.
Yes, the change of seasons has much to do with the metamorphosis, but I also point the finger at Euro Cup 2012. Tv’s are set up everywhere in parks, on sidewalks, and in shopping malls. People are flying flags and painting their faces. The excitement is contagious. It feels highly reminiscent of the 2006 World Cup (Pepp soccer girls-you’d be lovin it). Despite the violence, racism and arrests plaguing the tournament, the feeling round these parts is one of goodwill and celebration.
Germans, rightly or wrongly, haven’t had much opportunity or call to proudly fly their flag in the past century. Expressing national pride can be a tricky and self conscious exercise here. So there’s something sort of heartwarming about seeing German people happily decking out their cars, donning jerseys and cheering on their national team.
Along with the Euro madness, we had the chance to take in some volleyball action at the Olympic qualification tournament.
Vying for one of the last slots in London, Germany and Cuba battled for 5 sets.
A nail biter of a match, the Germans finally closed it out in front of their home crowd.
Directly after the match, they rolled in a big screen so that we could enjoy the Euro action. Wouldn’t want to miss a minute, would you?
Have I mentioned that red, black and gold are everywhere?
– Patriotic candy
Tuesday evening, at the mayor’s invitation, PC and I headed to the Rathaus (city hall) for Hoffest. The whole BR volley’s crew was invited to partake in an evening of food, drinks, music and prizes.
An extensive advertising fair, seemingly every company in Berlin had a booth with free crap to hand out. A favorite for our group was the Berliner Bank booth, and their airline quiz. Match the airlines with their countries of origin and win stuff.
Some teammates won flashy hats and lanyards.
We all won segway tours! I can’t wait for an hour of touristy nerdiness.
The array of food and drink was dizzying. I think I had dinner and dessert about five times over. Creme Brulee, grilled lamb, pistachio ice cream, currywurst …mmmm. In the end we ate and drank more than our share. Perhaps not the classiest course of action, but how often do you get to go to an event like this?
– PC eyeing/eating a macaron. This picture just cracks me up.
Since Hoffest, the days have been filled with fußball and radlers. Radler is a divine half beer, half lemonade concoction perfect for the warm days here. I see no reason to drink anything else this summer.
– the grapefruit variety is a new fave
I guess that’s all for now.
Oh wait!
We got a freezer! Holy cow is it awesome. At this very moment, I have a whole box of magnums, and an additional carton of ice cream chillin’ (literally) and ready to be eaten any time the mood strikes.
I know this sounds ridiculous, ‘what’s the big deal about a freezer and ice cream?’. Well what is one to do if it’s 10:30pm, you’re craving frozen dessert, and you live in Berlin?. The supermarket is closed, the ice cream shops are down for the count, and you’re out of luck. Erin without ice cream is not a good thing. No way am I spending any more evenings dealing with that noise. It’s ice cream time in this casa.
There’s something about being at home that makes me…suck at blogging. really. it’s terrible. Frankly, I don’t feel too badly. I wanted to soak in every ounce of my time in California instead of frantically documenting it. This decision led to 2 things:
1. I had almost ZERO pictures of my own. In fact, this post is largely the result of my swiping other peoples’ photos off of Facebook. Sorry for the thievery everyone.
2. Having the opportunity to see so many friends and family made this departure my most challenging so far. This was highly disappointing as I had hoped that this whole leaving, and living away from everyone thing was going to get easier. That theory was firmly pulverized by a Sunday night mini-meltdown. Of course, I realize that complaining about this is ridiculous. How lucky am I that I have such wonderful people in my life to miss? On that note, a quick memo…
Wonderful People: Come visit me. Please. Or just keep your facebook well updated so I can keep up. Thank You.
Alright, that was sufficiently pathetic. Here’s what I’ve been up to…
Lunch with Jamie in Orange
Dodger game with the Fam
Bachelorette Party
We headed to Palm Desert to celebrate Emily, my former college roommate and teammate. As excited as I was to make Em’s weekend special, I was, admittedly, selfishly, just as excited to see some of these girls. It had been far too long.
Looking ladylike…for a time at least.
THE WEDDING
The combination of the bachelorette and wedding weekends felt like a mini Pepperdine soccer reunion. Emily and Robbie promising each other eternal love and fidelity wasn’t bad either 🙂 Congrats you guys.
Beautiful bride and her maids.
Emily and Robbie Dodson
PC
He got to enjoy two weeks in California, albeit in a sling. Post surgery, he’s had very little pain, and insists upon doing as much as he can, which is fine by me as my tolerance for wimps is low :). In all seriousness, he’s healing well. While California is not his native land, I hope that this ersatz home lent him some measure of comfort and reprieve from the oft lonely international life.
Emo gimp at the beach.
A crippled Angry Bird.
So, I think that about wraps up my time in California. We’re in Berlin now, so hopefully I’ll get back to blogging regularly.
In other news, a special congratulations to the Australian volleyball team which qualified for the Olympics! Now I’ll have 2 teams to cheer on in London!
Casa Incognita 