Amsterthoughts

Wednesday in Amsterdam...

Took a walking tour of the town, learned a bit about its history. The gist? If it makes money, it's cool with the town. Also, the Dutch traded Manhattan (new Amsterdam ... why they changed it I can't say...) for Suriname. So there ya go.

Nice to get the history, as I knew precious little about Amsterdam (they dammed the Amstel river, hence the name -- not to be confused with Heineken damning Amstel Light). Also had a local brew -- a white beer, but I forgot its name. But it was good.

Also hit the Anne Frank house (yes, my Holocaust tour continues ...). Very digestible, good setup, some interactives, good history ... well done.

And if it seems as if this blog is losing a little steam, that's because it's author is losing a little steam (as evidenced by that inexcusable misuse of an apostrophe back there). Long trip. All great, but long. Not sure if the coffeehouse visit last night helped or hurt.

FUN FACT: A little less than 10 percent of the Dutch smoke weed. Gotta love tourism.

Looking to rebound big today with a (mostly) unplanned side trip. More on that later. But for now, some musings...

* I wonder if the EU currency deliberately looks like play money.

* I wonder if I could knock a biker over with a well-timed foam rocket.

* I wonder how original New York pizza can be served here (yeah, with utensils, but that's not what I mean). Though I guess with the whole New Amsterdam thing, maybe it works somehow.

* I try not to wonder what could be on Porno Supermarket's much-advertised demonstration video.

* I wonder if I actually look like a cokehead, or whether the folks on the street looking to score some just ask everyone. Let's go with the latter.

* I wonder if I have a stress fracture in my foot.

* I wonder if any other cities have had to take specific measures to stop guys from pissing on buildings.

* I wonder if any other cities have had to deal with women protesting outdoor facilities being made available only to men by pissing on a bridge.

* I wonder if any other cities had to shut down the new female facilities because heroin addicts were shooting up in them.

* I wonder where all these cuts on my hands are coming from.

* I wonder if I too can save Holland.

* I wonder how many bikes are at the bottom of the canal (our tour guide says tons of 'em).

* I wonder which hostelmate took my room key (I eventually found it -- my guess was right).

* I wonder how many times I can lose and then find my sunglasses (in another city).

* I wonder if I should go to Dublin.

* I wonder why everyone thinks I look like I'm 26. Not that I'm complaining ...

* I wonder if the key-thieving hostelmate in the bunk beneath me would be offended if I gave him a breathe-right strip.

* I wonder if that psycho tourist from the walking tour yesterday still is stalking me.

* I wonder if covering the tennis tourneys in Rome and Berlin -- and maybe some soccer -- would have allowed me to expense all this.

* I wonder if Joe Girardi has been fired yet.

* I wonder if I will start walking all around Santa Monica when I get back, or whether I never will walk anywhere again. Ever.

* I wonder where the hell I am right now (I since have figured it out, but I'm sure I'll wonder off again).

* I wonder about Pandora.

* I wonder whether those kids will be convicted in the Natalee Holloway case.

* I wonder which country's currency is weakest against the dollar, and whether I should vacation there next.

* I wonder if Zenit Yobs are going crazy.

* I wonder if my other hostelmates actually do have meningitis to go with their throat infections, or if they were just kidding. Or being paranoid.

* I wonder why Charlie Brown never kicked Lucy.

* I wonder if anyone watches the NASCAR reruns Amsterdam apparently shows at night.

* I wonder if any other three weeks of my life will compare to these.

Going Dutch

Made it to Amsterdam, where the rules are scarce and the internet is down (as I compose this, anyway) .

Got here late last night and did some exploring ... And let me get this out of the way now: the red-light district is odd, hilarious and creepy all at the same time. And I, without objection, am following my mother's instructions: window shopping is fine, but don't go in. Not even all that sure about making eye contact as they tap the window, trying to get your attention.

I did see a very attractive young woman in a doorway this morning, but she was fully clothed and without red luminescence -- though she did work for a street marketing firm. Pretty much the same thing, no?

"Coffee house" is the official slang for marijuana cafe, which is fine unless it's morning and one is looking for an actual coffee house with unadultered pastries.

I did find a standard cafe and ordered an Amsterdam classic: banana pancakes. A bit different. See the pic above.

There also was a cat hanging around in the restaurant. Do they serve cats here? As in, provide them with food (To Serve Man is a cookbook!). Found out she (Pluke) lives there. Found out later that many restaurants have cats to help with the mice problem.

Incidentally, considering how much time I've spent in NYC and LA, I'm a little surprised today was the first time anyone tried to sell me coke. I asked if he had Coke Zero. Confused, he walked away.

Today holds in store a walking tour, some sightseeing/tourist destinations (hello, Van Gogh) and just maybe some local pastries. We'll see. Could help with the internet withdrawal.

By airplane to the rocket

Tried to cram one last trip into the Berlin portion of my itinerary. Might cause me to miss my train to Amsterdam, but there are more trains later ... I think.

Anyway, made a quick (as in time spent there, not time it took to get there; after issues with lines and trains, I'm no longer buying this German efficiency stuff) visit to the Saschenhausen concentration camp.

There were barracks, guard towers, signs of awful conditions, mass graves, memorials, an execution ditch, an autopsy lab ... Basically, most of what you'd expect.

There were moments when I pictured the prisoners being rounded up in the freezing rain for roll call or shoved by the dozens into small showers. But because I knew I had to cruise through in order to have any hope of catching my train, I didn't let myself linger ... And therefore didn't let myself ponder too deeply. Which, after the Topography of Terror, might have been the best approach. I'll reflect later and take it all in when looking back at pictures. This place certainly deserves a great deal of reflection.

So now my train to the train is rolling. I've got a slight chance of making it ...

Final Berlin thoughts:

*Nice collection of neighborhoods, very pedestrian friendly. And (mostly) good mass transit.

*Doesn't try to ignore its history, though many believe it needs to do more. Berlin overall seems to have become somewhat progressive.

*Charging for tap water is just silly, but nice job with the spargel.

*Heathrow sucks.

*And many thanks to Katrin for being a lovely host. Go rock Ithaca.

Now pick up the pace, train!

---
FUN FACT: I barely missed my Amsterdam train (apparently it left right on time -- damn German efficiency) but caught another leaving 13 minutes later. Which somehow, through a connection, may have put me on the train I belonged on anyway. Perhaps Einstein can explain. Or Buckaroo Banzai.

Hopefully the train actually is going to Amsterdam ... Either way, the yellow fields are mighty purdy, ma'am.

Local chefs? Give 'em credit

Hit the zoo. Knut got the most attention, but the big cats and seals and sea lions were the real stars. There were some cool monkeys too, Ben. Won't go into too much detail because, well, it was a zoo. But a nice one. Nothing too crazily out of the ordinary, but much fun/relaxing.

And I got to effectively use, in context, one of the few German words (geschlossen) I know. The others include but are not limited to: wilkommen, achtung, verboten and, um... Baum.

Earlier in the day I decided to sample some of the local cuisine. See photo. One tasted like a candy bar. The other? A slightly healthier rice/granola bar. Shocking. Later on, Kathryn, her fire-dancing friend Mimi and I had some spargel soup. There -- I've had something certifiably German to eat, as asparagus is in season here right now.

And it was good. Asparagus to the max. Followed by a dish with the second-biggest chunk of mozzarella I've ever seen (that restaurant back in Florence had the biggest, though Mimi tells me some place on La Cienega also serves enormous cheese ... which just sounds ridiculous).

FUN FACT: It is possible to hop off a train, validate your ticket and get right back on in the span of about 10-12 seconds. It was a bold move to avoid a €50 fine, though I've yet to have my ticket checked on a local bus or train at any point on this trip. I had forgotten to validate it when I bought it b/c I was too busy buying local candy bars. Really, I just wanted to get my ticket validated at Rathaus. So that's what I did.

Speaking of trains... the credit card saga has come to an end -- a happy one! After multiple visits and phone calls, earlier today we were informed that the evil ticket machine mysteriously popped out my card late last night and the same crazy station worker who was there the night it happened was there again tonight to hand the card back to me. I had to sign a ledger with many, many names on it. Apparently a lot of people lose stuff. Or have cards eaten by technology.

So... my German jaunt ends Tuesday with a trip to Sachsenhausen in the morning and then a long train ride to Amsterdam in the afternoon/evening.

Tchuss, Berlin!

Fewer than 76 trombones, but ...

Everyone loves a parade. Especially Berliners.

Sunday we went to the annual Carnival of the Cultures parade, a multicultural event featuring 100 or so floats inching down the street over a sevenish-hour span. Gives the Germans more time to drink beer (this they readily admit). I had a Berliner (I mean the beer). OK, but it was no Midori.

The parade was entertaining, as many African and Pacific communities in Berlin put together floats that included music, dancing and performing. Then there were the somewhat local cities (one native was explaining to me that one float was from a not-so-nice city ... but it -- featuring an astronaut/alien rave of sorts with a few white guys rapping -- might have been my favorite just for the sheer irreverence).

Then came some friendly Germany-US debating. After some good political and cultural discussions, I proclaimed that at least Bill Clinton tried to get Obama. Bush didn't. They looked confused, especially considering how passionate I seemed.

"I said 'Obama,' didn't I?," I laughed. "I meant Osama!"

They cracked up.

Oye. Germans 1, Americans 0.

Today brought me out to Checkpoint Charlie -- or at least a realistic recreation of ... except now there are more tourists. The checkpoint and wall history fascinates me; I try to imagine what it would have been like if, say, folks from Storrs/Mansfield weren't allowed to go to Willimantic or Ashford.

Actually, we wouldn't have cared. (yeah, that was too easy.)

FUN FACT: Germans truly are efficient. For instance, some girl on the train I'm on right now just yelped, fell out of her seat and broke her cell phone all in the span of less than a second. That's Borg-like efficiency. Resistance is futile.

After Checkpoint Charlie I wandered over to the Topography of Terrors. It's a bit of an outdoor museum at the site of the old government and SS headquarters. The remains there mostly are old pieces of basement or old rooms and walls, but there also are many signs, pictures and audio presentations detailing the history of this place.

Most notably, it was where many/most of the nazi strategies were concocted by Hitler, Himmler and Co., including the relocation and extermination of Jews.

Reading these recounts was simultaneously fascinating and sickening. Checkpoint Charlie has little bit of a fun factor. This place clearly does not. Terror is an appropriate, if understated, choice of name.

Next to these grounds stands a relatively long and intact portion of the wall. It's mostly barricaded off to keep it intact, but I may have to drop by tomorrow with a chisel.

On a more fun note, about to hit the zoo. There's a polar bear here that has been all the rage, though some baby bears down near Munich apparently has been stealing Knut's thunder. But Knut was here first, and I'm not going all the way to Munich to see a bear. San Diego will suffice ...

100 percent certifiably fresco- and calorie-free

Religion, oppression, circumcision, soccer, inebriation, cattle and Coke. Typical day.

Began Saturday with a solo trip to the Jewish museum, including a Daniel Libeskind-designed structure. It has three axes: The axis of continuity, the axis of exile and the axis of the holocaust, all telling different stories of Jews' experiences in Europe. The Garden of Exile, the Holocaust tower and, later, the fallen leaves, were the most powerful. The tower was almost haunting, while the garden, much like the memorial the day before, is very disorienting. Libeskind's choices sometimes are effective, sometimes seem a little underdeveloped. But still a compelling experience.

As for the "normal" museum (right down the street from Checkpoint Charlie), which traces 1,000 years of Jewish settlements in Germany (and Europe), one could spend hours upon hours there. Much of the information was surface-level, but there was so much of it and many interactive and novel displays kept the experience fresh. Though I respectfully disagree with their computer's suggested spelling of my name in Hebrew!

FUN FACT: There is no "J" sound in Hebrew. But "CH" is prominent ...

Being reminded of all the persecution -- even far before the holocaust -- is sobering. And the holocaust stories themselves, told with individual/family perspectives rather than broad strokes -- were sad and still unreal.

After a train adventure which included (unsuccessfully) trying to get my credit card back (the people at the station had no idea what I was talking about ... knowing a little German -- maybe around 4-foot-7 -- would've helped), I ventured over to Olympic Stadium, where Kathryn and I took in the Hertha BSC Berlin-Nurnberg match. (Wolfgang Sidka once played for Hertha). It was the final home match of the season for Hertha, which had little on the line other than possibly jumping to mid-pack in the Bundesliga. But Nurnberg is in danger of relegation, so they needed a point here.

The atmosphere was awesome. Fans (many presumably heavily inebriated) going nuts with their chants the entire time, led by one guy with a mic and sound system. It was 0-0 at the half, but Hertha scored off a turnover relatively late in the second half (though they blew a 3-on-1 counterattack that would have sealed it -- weak!) and barely held on as Nurnberg sent everyone up late and had a few good scoring chances. Nurnberg still has a shot next weekend to avoid relegation, but they clearly were dejected after losing this one.

"We clearly are dejected after losing this one," some coach or player may have said. In German.

The refs didn't even call it too tight despite the normal amount of flopping. And there were a couple of questionable calls, but not enough to think that this match was fixed. Though this is the Bundesliga ...

As for Hertha, the players walked around the stadium and then in front of the wild chanting section and hung out for 15-20 minutes, joining in the chants, jumping up and down, etc. -- probably because it was the final home match. It was wild. And a blast.

The stupid Cameron Crazies got nothing on these guys. The chants and jumping continued on the train, though many of the fans realized they should save the more wild chants for when the train isn't moving.

FUN FACT: A week or two ago a German train was derailed after colliding with a flock of sheep. No passengers were seriously hurt, but 20 sheep were killed.

If only the train had run over Flock of Seagulls instead ...

FUN QUOTE: "No sheep willingly walks through a tunnel," a representative for sheep farmers told Reuters on Monday. (Not making this one up.)

Days later, a German train plowed into a herd of cattle.

WTF!!

Anyway ... did I forget to mention the Coke Zero girls at the match? Berlin is rolling out all the stops.

Part of the culture shock... English and German are closer relatives, but I was able to understand far more Italian than German. Maybe my HS Spanish (close relative of Italian) is paying off ...

The craziest thing? It's not Bert and Ernie here. It's Ernie and Bert.

That's right, Bert. You might have the more German-sounding name, but Die Ernsters (that's what Ernie supporters are called here ... so I've just decided) have a more organized grassroots and lobbying effort.

The big campaign difference? Bert is for trains, Ernie is for cattle and sheep. Which clearly gives Bert an advantage, unless Ernie can, um, derail Bert's campaign.

Oh my... need to stop typing now.

Wallingford, Meriden, Berlin, Hartford, Windsor, Windsor Locks, Springfield

Adios Italy, hola Germany.

It’s a bit disorienting to be in a completely different culture after having spent the previous eight days becoming accustomed to Italy. Adding to it is the contrast between Italy’s winding streets and intimate vistas and Germany’s enormous, imposing structures.

I repeatedly had to stop myself from saying “scusi” and “grazie.”

Made it to Berlin on Friday and managed to hit a few sites right off the bat. With my old buddy Kathryn serving as tour guide, we strolled the Unter den Linden leading up to the massive, majestic Brandenburg Gate.

FUN FACT: The gate is where Ronnie said, “Be my little baby… oh my darling. Whoa, oh-oh-oh-ohhh.”

Hold on… wrong Ronnie.

“General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization: Come here to this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”

There are also different types of bricks signifying where the wall used to be (some parts of it still stand … more later).

Then to the nearby (and relatively new) Holocaust Memorial (AKA Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe). In and of itself, it was solemn, imposing and effective – and, architecturally, not what I expected. But adding to the experience was a concert of sorts being played from within the massive, almost maze-like memorial. It was brass and percussion, producing dark and moving music to commemorate the opening of the memorial. It was powerful.

And logistically impressive. There isn’t a lot of room among the concrete slabs for a small orchestra, so each instrument was set up apart from the others, with the musicians watching the conductor via camera/video.

The memorial itself – which for me felt like countless, nameless tombstones -- was powerful. The music deepened the experience.

Then a German TV station interviewed us for our reaction to the concert. No idea if it aired, but I’ll pay a quarter…

We also visited Bebelplatz, the site of Berlin’s book burning, which happened 75 years ago today. That monument also is impressive – a glass floor through which one can see a while room with empty bookshelves.

On the way to Potsdamer Platz, we passed a motorcade. Clearly the government was ready for my arrival. Once there, I got to see/touch remains of the wall. Kathryn tells me of friends from both sides who talk about the effects the wall coming down has had. In addition to the obviously positive, many West Berliners gobbled up property in East Berlin, affecting the housing markets, while the government has put so much time and resources into developing the east that some parts of West Berlin now pale in comparison.
The segments of the wall are completely covered in graffiti (and, in some places, gum), making even more vivid the scenes of it coming down … which, really, didn’t happen all that long ago.

But all of this completely paled in comparison to what was to come. After eating at an Italian restaurant (I know, I know), on the way out they provide you with…

Free. Gummy. Bears.

I am in the home of Gummy Bears?! My god – it’s like a coffee addict venturing to Colombia (I passed on the harder drug references here. You are welcome).

My host doesn’t know of any Gummy Bear attraction or theme park (though apparently Germans love the circus … no, really), but I shall search. And yes, damnit, Gummy Bears are capitalized!

FUN FACT: Gummy Bears are awesome.

And then the ticket machine at the train station ate my credit card.

Jonathan, son of Susan ...