Taking Berlin by Sperrys and Stripes

(In all fairness, the Sperry were coordinated but the stripes were just a pleasant coincidence)

The last few days, I've been playing host to my sister's husband's youngest brother and his girlfriend. I'll give you a second to work that one out in your head.

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And we're back! Both Sarah and Daniel were Berlin newbies, so we/they did all the major sights, including Brandenburger Tor, Checkpoint Charlie, the Jewish Memorial and its accompanying museum, the Pergamon (yes, Opa, I finally went!), Hackescher Hoefe, East Side Gallery, und so weiter. We spent a good amount of time in Mitte, the main tourist district, but I made sure they saw some of real Berlin, as well. I took them to Neukoelln, a neighborhood full of Turks and Berlin's "most dangerous" (give me a break) that is entirely absent from my Berlin guide book. At least half my friends live or are planning to move there, and it's home to great little bars, cafes, and delicious Turkish food. We also made the requisite visit to Friday's Turkish Market where they only sampled a bite of my Goezleme because they had foolishly eaten lunch before meeting me. Fools!

Sunday Brunch

Their visit also happened to coincide with the Euro Cup and first round Germany-Portugal game. We hauled it out to the "Fan Mile" for a public viewing of the game along with thousands of other enthused fans and blended in seamlessly with German jerseys on our backs and Bratwursts in hand.

After Germany beat Portugal

I've had quite a few visitors since I arrived in Berlin 7 months ago, but these two get a special shout-out and standing invitation to return anytime because they brought me such a wonderful gift: FOUR jars of Potbelly's hot peppers. They now proudly stand in my cupboard next to two jars of JIF and a bottle of habanero salsa. All American delicacies as far as I'm concerned. Future guests take note!