bike-tastic

One thing that I have learned in Berlin is that they like their bikes. There are special lanes, on sidewalks and on streets. They have their own red, yellow and green lights. People even listen to the bell. This is a city made for biking.



So today I rented a bike (a pink one, to be specific) and explored the city, it's streets, and it's very essence. At first I was timid, not quite sure of the rules of the road. Do I have to signal here? Should I be on this side? But soon I gained confidence and began having fun. Should I take a left, a right, or go 'gerade' (straight)? Those were the big decisions of my day.

Somehow and very much uninentionally, these random decision led me into the Festival der Kulturen (Festival of Cultures) with it's aclectic music, millions of booths filled with a wide variety of food, ranging from pakoras to crepes and of course some german beer stands in between. I listened to music while sitting on my bike, I people watched, and I bought a scarf. It was very much a fabulous 'happen-chance' encounter with Berlin and it's cultures.



But then I was off again. This time I knew a general end point: Schloss Charlottenburg. So I made my way through the city streets, and then the Tier garden, and eventually happened upon a Flea Market (I recently learned that the name comes from the fact that they used to have monkeys who would pick the fleas out of peoples hair. Interesting eh? Europe is teaching me quite a lot...) that I had read about on the web but had forgotten when and where it was held. It was delightful! And my bank account can take a sigh of relief as I do not live in Berlin (tragically so) and that I had limited space in the bag that was strapped to my bike. But I did come away with a 'pearl' necklace. And if you're wondering, of course they're real...



So I spent a day on a bike, wizzing up and down streets, in the rain and out of it. I eventually made it back to my hostel, drenched but with a smile on my face because this city makes me feel alive.

Note To Self: Eurail is NOT free

I learned my first lesson today. And yes it was today. Albeit probably 2AM or 3AM in the morning in the Czech Republic, sleeping on the pull out chairs that make a bed (which I only realised about 4 hours into the train ride...thank god the person beside me decided to get some rest...)on the night train from Vienna to Berlin.

OK. OK. OK. I'll start from the beginning.

I was trying to be the smart eurail traveller on a budget. I was trying to save money and time, so I changed my train reservation from the wednesday day train to the tuesday night train. In theory, not only did I save the cost of a night's accomodation but I also gained a day in Berlin. Of course, as I later learned, at an ungodly hour, everything seems to work out in theory, but practice is a whole other ball game.

So don't get me wrong, I read my eurail booklet advidly, and paid careful attention to the details. So when I bought my first reservation (for the day train) I specifically asked 'does this train go through the Czech Republic because my pass isn't valid there' and the man just smiled and said 'oh no, it is through Germany'. So I walked away with my reservation in hand. But later on, realising that I was NOT being economical, and I was NOT saving time, I did what any other sane person would do, I walked back to the train station and changed my ticket to the night train. And of course, failed to realise that the night train DID in fact go through the Czech Republic.

So there I was, in the train as it was leaving the station, having small talk with the person across from me, and slowly realising that he was going to a town in the Czech Republic, and NOT in Germany. 'The Czech Republic?!?!?' I asked. Knowing full well that with yes as the answer I would now have to pay for a ticket while travelling through an uncovered country on my pass.

So that brings me to waking up to the shaking head of the controller, along with the phrase 'not valid here' at 3AM. All I can say is that at least it only cost me 24 Euros. But also, thankfully the person next to me was nice enough to lend me 50 cents, because the controller did not have enough euro change to break my hundred, and surprise surprise I did not have Czech money. (and yes, I was an idiot. carrying around a hundred...who does that anymore?)

So next time I will double check. I will enounciate clearly, point repeatedly at my pass before making reservations. And perhaps then, and only then, will I be able to sleep peacefully on my next night train.

Tschusss from Berlin!

Love Hate Relationship

Things I love about Germany:

1. They speak German

I had moments during our Laval BBQ (where somehow I ended up being the only non german speaker there…not planned that way, I swear) where I was delighted to hear, for the first time, my friends speaking their first language. To see the difference in how they spoke, and especially how much, was quite fun. Sometimes I joked with Valerie (quebecoise who speaks very very good german) that sometimes I couldn’t believe that german was actually another language. It was almost surreal that they could just talk. Awe and amazement I tell you.

2. They drink A LOT of beer

I kid you not. You might think that beer drinking is a stereotype, but oh no, they actually do drink it throughout the day. They drink it at beergardens (that open at 10AM), at local breweries or on terraces to watch their famous fussball, or even for breakfast with weisswurst (white sausage) and pretzels. I myself had this famed breakfast, and I attest to the fact that it was quite delicious. In Bavaria, do as the Bavarians do; drink beer, not water.

3. Fussball

Perhaps I am just staying with a stereotypical Bavarian who loves beer and fussball (he plays at least 3 times a week), but I think he is the norm, and not the exception. Right now the pressure is on- who will win the championship. All 18 teams will play at the same time next Saturday, and only then will they know who has won (their championship is cumulative and they do not have playoff’s like we do)

4. Englischegartens

It is one of the biggest parks in Europe, and I believe it spans 12km by 2km… It is outstanding.

5. Amazing transit system!


Although you can virtually get anywhere on the S bahn, the U bahn, the bus or the tram, you are gorged for your buck (or euro in this case). Although to be fair, Vancouver is almost the equivalent, but with far less options…


Things I dislike about Germany:

1. There are no vegetables and potatoes don’t count!

I think that the diet in Bavaria consists of lots of meat, lots of potatoes, and perhaps a little bit of cabbage on the side. Yesterday I had a salad and it was amazing. I don’t think salad has ever tasted so good.

2. Expensive expensive alcohol

All I ever hear about germany (and Europe) is the cheap alcohol. But what they fail to mention is that yes, you can get cheap beer, wine and hard alcohol in the store, but once you enter a bar, you pay A LOT! Of course, it hurts especially when I convert it to Canadian dollars.

3. Leading me to my final point: the euro

I have officially stopped translating what I spend into Canadian because otherwise, this would merely be a downward, spiralling slope into a dark abyss. Ok. Perhaps that was a little melodramatic but the euro does not make me feel warm and fuzzy inside…

Servus!

Servus! Verstehen Sie? Ohhh du spricht nur ein bischen Deutsch? Ok, ja ja.

Oh wait. You dont speak german? Well welcome to my life over the past few days. I am in Munich staying in Andi’s flat (a friend from laval) discovering Germany and it’s wonders. Just yesterday we borrowed Andi’s mother’s car and drove to Neuschwanstein, first stopping at the Wieskirche. We drove through scenic, curvy and very very narrow roads in an audi3. But it was beautiful despite the clouds and I even managed to get a glimpse of the beginning of the Alps. We also managed to arrive at Neuschwanstein before the clouds and rain enveloped it. It was beautiful and magicial, although our tour guide was less than enchanting. We then drove back to Andi’s parents for typical Bavarian food: Pretzels, bread, meat, cheese, and radishes (fresh from the garden), and of course mustard (to go with the pretzels). So there I was, sitting in a Bavarian home, in a village of 2000 people, surrounded by German, and although I must admit to understanding little to none of what they were saying when they talked amongst themselves, I managed to explain a little bit about myself, and string enough coherent phrases together to make an acceptable, albeit limited, conversation with his parents. Someday I will be able to speak german well enough so I won’t have to look helpless and like a lost puppy on a regular basis. But don’t you worry, I’ve got that look down. Perhaps I will greet you with it upon my return…

finally...

I will be short and to the point: I suck at blogging

There is not enough time or energy to actually put words to feelings, to moments. The ability to capture an experience and to make it sound at all coherent and put together is much harder than it first appeared. So I will attempt to be better than I have been for the first 15 days...

Also because I love paris and you should be informed that I have officially fallen head over heels (well in my case falling apart sandals and shoes that leak) in love with paris.

I will elaborate later on my encounters with paris, hostels, and maps.

until then, much love from munich

From keyboards to choucroute

Je suis bien arrivée en France et à Strasbourg vite-fait après…and I am loving it!

Many things have happened in the last few days, and I will try my best to recount a little bit of my european adventures to you…

The Flight: I should start off with stating that everyone on the plane hated me. Perhaps not for the reasons that might come to your mind immediately…but I was the person that sat in the first row of the plane with tons of room to spare. I could stretch my legs, I could maker myself feel at home by splewing all my stuff on the floor. So yes I was THAT girl. And you can hate me for it even more because I didn’t even reserve a seat, let alone try to get that seat. But you will be happy to know that on my connection from Heathrow to Charles-de-Gaule that I did NOT get to sit in that seat. Instead I had to suffer along with other mortals like you…

The Luggage: OK. Next time you go travelling remind yoursef that, although it RARELY happens, luggage does indeed get lost, especially when you have a transfer … according to AirFrance. That maudite transfer in Heathrow has left me sans vêtements for the beginning of my travels. Thank god for Anna Lia! Because although they do provide you with a little bag that has the slogan“caring more about you” written on it, filled with “useful” things (ok they are slightly useful and help me to not smell…),I still lack cloches… (but really? If they “cared more about me” I would still not be waiting for my luggage from AirFrance, a day later than they said…)

The Choucroute: The first night in France I managed to make it to Strasbourg from Paris-Gare de l’Est, after spending a day waiting for a train that had space for Eurail travellers. But I managed to make the most of my day, by seeing Monmartre, along with the crowds of people, on the French équivalent of Labour day, on May 1st. I managed to miss the crowds striking elsewhere in paris which I guess is a good thing… But I arrived to be greeted by Anna Lia et Jean Pierre and then whisked away to Vendenheim for a delicious meal of chouctroute, topped with alcasien beer and very french cheese. How can it be any more french than that?

The Keyboards: After having struggled to figure out how on earth I was supposed to type on these god-damn keyboards, it was pointed out to me that if I changed the mode to english, I could type as if I was on a normal keyboard. So thankfully I did listen in typing classes in elementary school because I dont have to look down, and get as confused by the q replaced with an a, the w replaced with a z… Now all I need to rectify is the small problem of french auto correct… its amazing what it comes up with…

Anyways, I should eat something before I pass out from hunger. Today we are off to climb the 300 plus stairs at the Cathedrale! Just my little bit of excersice for the day… I’ve even decided to run it…

À bien tôt!