So now that I am landlocked and theres not an ocean in sight, the weather has decided to warm up at a rapid rate. It was scorching hot in Berlin today! I felt like I finally crossed the line from being an Australian to a Canadian because I wasnt coping with the heat at all. I walked around the whole day, exploring the city, but had to keep stopping for little breaks in the shade and at one exhausted point I fell asleep in a park. Shame on me...
I have found some interesting areas in this town, but it hasnt won my heart just yet. Paris and Rome are tough acts to follow, but I will give it a chance, just because so many people have told me that this is the coolest city in Europe, especially if youre a musician.
I have to admit, Im a bit of a sucker for old architecture, so the modern and square appearance of Berlin is not very appealing to me. Its so strange to think that most of the historical buildings that once filled this city have been destroyed by war. And even stranger to think that it wasnt so long ago. Im not going to lie, at times I been left with a sad, eerie feeling, after looking at the citys monuments and being reminded of the history that has taken place here. It makes me shudder to think of all the insane cruelty that was orchestrated from this centre...Lest We Forget...
On a more positive note, it is true that this city is full of all sorts of interesting people. Ive seen lots of tattoos, and piercings, crazy hairdoos and cutting edge fashion. Today, I even saw a guy wearing tight shiny leather silver pants. Sooo impressive on a hot and sweaty summers day! It kind of makes me realise how uncool I am in comparision - I´ve been wearing the same daggy clothes for quite some time now, have no tattoos, didnt get my ears pearced until recently, and have been sporting the same hair style since kindergarten...hey "kindergarten"... thats got to be a German word right? And I thought I didnt speak a word of German! Ha :)
Oh and for anyone planning to travel here, its true that Germans are extremely efficient, so dont go thinking that you can beat the system and stupidly hop on to public transport without buying a ticket. You`ll be caught within seconds by guards diguised in plain clothes and before you know it youll be giving them your passport and telling them your real address before you have a chance to realise that you could have just lied and even if you try your best to plead innocent and pretend that you just didnt understand how the machine worked, they wont believe you and they will hand you a 4O Euro fine and you will find yourself cursing and muttering under your breath for the rest of the way home which will take over an hour by foot because theres no F-----g way you will buy a ticket after that and give them another cent of your hard earned money.......
Well, so Ive been told..... I would never try such a crazy stunt :)
