EaST BeRLiN
The KLM flight was absolutely wonderful....I was worried about the MD 11 as it's one of the oldest Air craft out there still flying persons. But, the minute I was through security and staring out at, our royal Dutch blue MD 11 " Anna Pavlova " ( Named after the famous russian Ballet dancer ) on the VYR tarmac any fear just went away....
Seeing as I had hardly slept the night before and was up early to get baggage, I was hoping that I 'd nap at the terminal once I had expelled my anxiety. But, no rest came till I reached my Brother's place in EaST BeRLiN. On the flight over I was right near the back where the plane curves to the tail. The plus, was it gave me an extra window to look out at the world. But, put me under the third engine and I could hear her cycle occasionally as the pilots used her to climb and accelerate.
Once in Amsterdam, still with little of no shut eye came the run from one terminal to the next. The last time I'd been through the place it was pre 911 and the extra added security check took up a huge amount of time , which I really didn't have ( i was hoping for a seat and rest before moving on. ) That plus the board gate change it was a bit crazy....The walkways looked too familiar, those long hallways, encased by long, tall windows either side through which I could see the rows of loading and unloading planes. The long, flat people mover escalators were intermittent, but it wasn't until i got onto one that worked and looked around that I realized that this was the terminal walkways that Feist filmed, " My Moon My Man "
The flight to Berlin Tegal was very much the commuter flight with almost no one on board... but, at 55 minutes to berlin flying time no rest still. After collecting my baggage and then meeting up with Andrew and his new Family ( I'm still weirder out by him being a Dad - He's really taking to it which is the oddest aspect. Even though I've known of Liam for a year. looking over at him feeding, changing, and pushing a baby stroller around Berlin is very odd...)
Any fear of weirdness in meeting Sabine was a nonstarter. My brother was always a ladies man ( and his son is the chip of the old block... He totally worked magic on a a couple of ladies from the U.S. who were checking to the sites around Alexandersplatz... a Real ham for the girls. He was getting tired and cranky and then these two spotted him and he was all smiles and faking the shy act...) So, I'm used to my brother having GF and a wife and running into him all my life in the company of women.
The rest of my time, on my first day has been wandering W/ Andrew and Liam taking photos with a new camera and playing tourist so far....EaST BeRLiN is very odd... Bits of the wall still puncture the city but they're a walking art gallery now. Checkpoint Charlie is now just a tourist trap.. A recreation of the old hut, staffed by Italian actors who model as American border guards and pose for pictures. And your in no danger of being shot just making a bad deal on russian and east german communist army surplus that the turkish tourist stalls sell, or being run over by sleek Euromobiles....This is a VW paradise.. the only rare ones are the new and old Punch-buggies... very few Porsches.. which is sad.
In the rest of EaST BeRLiN is far more genuine..a strange, lively mishmash...old german buildings, crushed up against brand new shops and condos. And the rare bombed out, or abandoned shells. Some which are being removed and fixed up, next to Anarchist Squats, Left wing Squats and Right wing tenements or Turkish immigrant flats. Around the corner from Hostels full of loud Auzzies and Kiwi's, and funky artsy bars where hipsters watch the world cup playoffs.
The streets that used to be for so long filled W/ Tanks, soldiers and security checkpoints and all that cold war coolest stuff I imagined are now filled with Transit vans, hipsters riding dangerous looking single speeders w/ no helmets. the walkways and all over the place it's alive with children, pregnant women or women w/ baby strollers. Very few Men push strollers and I've noticed people sometimes give my brother w/ his sleeve tattoos the oddest... almost scowling looks as he pushes Liam around the city.... I guess they're thinking " who's this Biker underworld type stealing this baby...???"
Soon I'll get cheap cel phone and venture out on my own for a bit after I get my baring...
The KLM flight was absolutely wonderful....I was worried about the MD 11 as it's one of the oldest Air craft out there still flying persons. But, the minute I was through security and staring out at, our royal Dutch blue MD 11 " Anna Pavlova " ( Named after the famous russian Ballet dancer ) on the VYR tarmac any fear just went away....
Seeing as I had hardly slept the night before and was up early to get baggage, I was hoping that I 'd nap at the terminal once I had expelled my anxiety. But, no rest came till I reached my Brother's place in EaST BeRLiN. On the flight over I was right near the back where the plane curves to the tail. The plus, was it gave me an extra window to look out at the world. But, put me under the third engine and I could hear her cycle occasionally as the pilots used her to climb and accelerate.
Once in Amsterdam, still with little of no shut eye came the run from one terminal to the next. The last time I'd been through the place it was pre 911 and the extra added security check took up a huge amount of time , which I really didn't have ( i was hoping for a seat and rest before moving on. ) That plus the board gate change it was a bit crazy....The walkways looked too familiar, those long hallways, encased by long, tall windows either side through which I could see the rows of loading and unloading planes. The long, flat people mover escalators were intermittent, but it wasn't until i got onto one that worked and looked around that I realized that this was the terminal walkways that Feist filmed, " My Moon My Man "
The flight to Berlin Tegal was very much the commuter flight with almost no one on board... but, at 55 minutes to berlin flying time no rest still. After collecting my baggage and then meeting up with Andrew and his new Family ( I'm still weirder out by him being a Dad - He's really taking to it which is the oddest aspect. Even though I've known of Liam for a year. looking over at him feeding, changing, and pushing a baby stroller around Berlin is very odd...)
Any fear of weirdness in meeting Sabine was a nonstarter. My brother was always a ladies man ( and his son is the chip of the old block... He totally worked magic on a a couple of ladies from the U.S. who were checking to the sites around Alexandersplatz... a Real ham for the girls. He was getting tired and cranky and then these two spotted him and he was all smiles and faking the shy act...) So, I'm used to my brother having GF and a wife and running into him all my life in the company of women.
The rest of my time, on my first day has been wandering W/ Andrew and Liam taking photos with a new camera and playing tourist so far....EaST BeRLiN is very odd... Bits of the wall still puncture the city but they're a walking art gallery now. Checkpoint Charlie is now just a tourist trap.. A recreation of the old hut, staffed by Italian actors who model as American border guards and pose for pictures. And your in no danger of being shot just making a bad deal on russian and east german communist army surplus that the turkish tourist stalls sell, or being run over by sleek Euromobiles....This is a VW paradise.. the only rare ones are the new and old Punch-buggies... very few Porsches.. which is sad.
In the rest of EaST BeRLiN is far more genuine..a strange, lively mishmash...old german buildings, crushed up against brand new shops and condos. And the rare bombed out, or abandoned shells. Some which are being removed and fixed up, next to Anarchist Squats, Left wing Squats and Right wing tenements or Turkish immigrant flats. Around the corner from Hostels full of loud Auzzies and Kiwi's, and funky artsy bars where hipsters watch the world cup playoffs.
The streets that used to be for so long filled W/ Tanks, soldiers and security checkpoints and all that cold war coolest stuff I imagined are now filled with Transit vans, hipsters riding dangerous looking single speeders w/ no helmets. the walkways and all over the place it's alive with children, pregnant women or women w/ baby strollers. Very few Men push strollers and I've noticed people sometimes give my brother w/ his sleeve tattoos the oddest... almost scowling looks as he pushes Liam around the city.... I guess they're thinking " who's this Biker underworld type stealing this baby...???"
Soon I'll get cheap cel phone and venture out on my own for a bit after I get my baring...
i loved airbournes performance
are you having fun in berlin? im not a big fan of berlin theres so many other /better cities in germany. but all an american/canadian ever sees is munich or berlin it seems