Wow. Yesterday was something. I was really not up to speed on what goes on in Berlin on the Erster Mai, or first of May, or Tag der Arbeit, or Labor Day, or Maifeiertag, or May Holiday, or however else you want to call it, because apparently this holiday deserves multiple names, purposes, and celebrations.
It was a madhouse, to say the least. I met up with friends at 1pm and then we ventured into Kreuzberg, where the bulk of the action takes place- beers in hand, cameras in tow, and sunscreen properly slathered. It is an understatement to say the entire city becomes an outdoor party on this day, and the "dreamy" or "heavenly" weather, as the Germans call it, only egged everyone on. People (and police) were everywhere. Bars and restaurants and random people were blasting music from their establishments or corners. Vendors were on the street, selling everything from Turkish snacks to house-made "mojitos" (with vodka and ginger ale?). The parks and squares were bursting with sunbathers, smokers, dancers, musicians, couples, families, and grillers. A MADHOUSE, I tell you!
Some highlights of my first
Erster Mai in Berlin included: making all my friends wear (and reapply) sunscreen, giving and receiving cheek kisses to a very enthusiastic vendor, getting rained on during a boat ride along the Spree, listening to Gangsta's Paradise on the street while enjoying some
rot-weiss Pommes (fries with ketchup and mayo), spotting really strange police trucks that looked like they had come out of a museum, getting offered a piece of baklava by a random guy on the subway who told Kelly and I he was training to become an OBGYN, watching a German
Volksmusik band perform my karaoke staple: "Believe" by Cher, and singing James Brown on the bank of the river with my gal pals.
I doubt I can do this any more justice with pictures than I
can with words, but let's be honest, we all prefer pictures. So I'll leave it at that, and enjoy:
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| American girls do Erster Mai! |
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| Bus that was lit on fire |
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| Turkish vendors in Kreuzberg |
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| Polizei on patrol |
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| Bank of the Spree |
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| They're on a boat! |
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| On the way to Treptower Park |
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| Performing "Believe" by Cher |
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| Post-rain shower view from the boat |
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| A German, Italian, and Austrian on a boat! |
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| Rave in the park |
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| Smooch for the "Mojito" Man |
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| I feel guilty being the only one in focus! |
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| Sunset in the Park |
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| Carnage |
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| Nighttime Oranienstrasse parties |
3 comments:
Sophia, this is crazy... I grew up on Görlitzer Straße. A few houses to the right. I was christened and had my confirmation in the church, Emmaus Kirche, you see in the background of your "Sunset in the Park" pic. I miss my "Kiez". The different smells, languages, food, but most of all, the people. This brings back so many memories. ;)
Thanks for the picture and for your response the other day.
Hi Kathrin- how funny! Glad I could show you some pics of home, then. What are you doing in the US? You've clearly been there awhile- your English is perfect!
cute vendor! you should have given him MORE kisses!!
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