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.

...............

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!

65 is the new 80

Friday was a big day in Berlin. Our first day of Spring, with temps in the mid 60s and sunshine to boot. People came out in droves and were ready to celebrate. Licking ice cream cones, drinking beers, paddling on the canals, congesting the outdoor markets, swarming the Brandenburger Tor, sitting on every available outdoor cafe seat... it was a beautiful chaos to witness. A few friends and I hightailed it over to a bridge in Kreuzberg for some beers and Turkish snacks and I am not exaggerating when I say it was hard for us to find a place to sit.

Though temps for the rest of the week are looking pretty good I'm still hesitant to say it's officially Spring in these parts. Knowing Berlin we could get snow the day of the half-marathon (which is in just under 2 weeks, by the way!). But man, it is incredible how much a rough winter can do to make you appreciate what comes after. Days like this one are worth waiting for.

Devil's Food and Devil's Mountain

Berlin is a city of contrasts. Cute old ladies, punk rebels. Soviet soldier memorials, Soviet terror museums. German bratwurst, Turkish döner. The history, culture, diversity, and sheer scope of this city means that on any given day, there are a gazillion ways to spend your time, learn, and enjoy yourself. There is no one Perfect Berlin Day, in my humble opinion. That being said, this past Sunday we came pretty damn close.

Sunday was Julia and Jonathan's last day before flying back to homework and deadlines, so we knew it had to be good. Yet after tons of sightseeing and a four day packed trip to Istanbul, we were exhausted, and the only "official" thing left on the itinerary was Kaffee und Kuchen. So that is where we started our day. At 3pm.

Julia was excited:

Now, Kaffee und Kuchen really is an institution here in Germany. On Sundays, a well-respected Konditorei is packed solid with those yearning for a nice slice of something coupled with a strong coffee to round off their weekend. And those belonging to this group tend to be on the older side, as you can see in the background of this next photo. I decided that for my sister's one last Berlin wish, I had to deliver, so I did my research and found one Konditorei so far West in Charlottenburg it was practically not Berlin anymore.

Oh yeah, and Rebecca came along!

I checked the guide book while we finished off our cake to see if there was anything else of interest in the neighborhood. To my delight, Teufelsberg was a walkable distance away. Teufelsberg translates literally to "Devil's Mountain," and is an artificial hill that was constructed out of rubble left over by World War II. Apparently an old Nazi military school lies underneath but the Allies weren't able to destroy it with explosives so they decided to build a hill on top of it instead.

The Americans built a listening tower on top which they used to listen in on East German and other Communist radio signals. It's clearly been out of use for some time, but the Germans haven't gotten around to getting rid of it, nor turning it into an official tourist site. As a result, it's an eerie, abandoned building surrounded by three layers of fence meant to keep people out. Sneaking in and exploring have consequently become one of those "cool Berlin things" to do. And on this particular Sunday, we decided to be cool.

Listening tower in the background:

Walking to the tower:

Rebecca climbing through a hole in the fence:

Getting closer:

Listening tower up close:

Inside:

Our day was topped off with delicious veggie burgers and a last stroll by the Brandenburger Tor so Julia and Jonathan could say goodbye. With beers of course, because Berlin or otherwise, there is no other proper German way.

March Madness

I have my own March Madness going on this month, but instead of basketball games it'll be in the form of hosting visitors. There won't be pools or bets of any kind, but I will rate my guests on the following two criteria:

1) How many jars of Potbelly's hot peppers they come bearing.
2) How many museums they want to go to.

For the former, quantity is positively associated with points. For the latter, the opposite.

My blogging may be a bit spotty the next few weeks, but I'm sure to come back full of stories. I'm quite excited to see Berlin through the eyes of those unfamiliar with the city, and will consider it a personal failure if they don't fall in love with Berlin the way I have. Though I'm pretty confident once they have their first bite of Gözleme I've got it in the bag.

First up: Julia (the sister) & Jonathan (the good friend and vegetarian who has boldly declared he will go omnivore this vacation)! And just in case we don't consume enough Turkish food in Germany, we have planned a four day séjour to Istanbul to really get our fill.

Jet-lagged Julia & Jonathan with my airport welcome sign

Pris comes to town!

This weekend, my good friend Priscilla and her boyfriend Micha came to Berlin from Düsseldorf to spend a few days with me. Pris and I have been friends since we met in a summer study abroad program in Tübingen, Germany over 7 years ago. Jess, du hast uns gefehlt!

Here we are being silly back in 2004:

Here we are, no more silliness, in 2011:

Just kidding! We are still silly:

The two days were filled with sightseeing, delicious Turkish food, cocktails, laughing, public transport, the "Sophia game" (otherwise known as "Celebrity"), brunch, free Sachertorte, views, small smoky bars, and more public transport. The whole time they had to listen to me gush about the city (what can I say, we're still in our honeymoon phase, Berlin and I) but they handled it pretty well and were fantastic sightseeing partners-in-crime. Stay tuned for a story about our new friend, Jonny, and his old friend, Charlie. In the meantime, here are a few pictures: