Parting is such sweet sorrow

Today I went souvenir shopping and had my last dinner with Jaap. Our dinner was a working dinner because we are academics and, well that's what I'm here for! We accomplished a lot and have a plan for the remainder of our work. We were at a German restaurant at my request and it was good. I even had Afri-cola which is the German counterpart to Coke. They have coke too but I had to try the German version since I'm here. The German food tastes a lot like what mom used to make... Hey mom, is grandma German?

On my way back from the dinner I took a walk along Under den Liden, the main road. I took a few pictures I'd like to share. This one is called, "Dude, you forgot your pants!"


I like to think his response is "I'm too sexy for my pants". They just don't make statues like that anymore :-)

And finally, the Spree River at dusk in Berlin...

My flight leaves tomorrow morning and I get back home tomorrow evening (thanks to the time difference). The next time I blog I'll be home! Kissing my kitty! Who hates it when I do that! Thanks for letting me share my experiences in Berlin, I've had fun and will miss many things here!

Dr. J

David Hasselhof is not big in Germany

So I had lunch with a graduate student today who actually is German. I had an interesting discussion with her about some of the things I’ve seen and some unanswered questions. She volunteered that, no matter what I’ve heard, David Hasselhof is not a big star in Germany. They don’t know how that rumor started, but it is a joke to the German’s that everyone thinks they love him. So, sorry big fella! Maybe you're still big in Japan?

You have buffalo in Europe!

So I had a Jackie moment I forgot to tell you about. The Italian restaurant I was at with Jaap on Friday did not have an English language menu. So Jaap had to read the menu to me. While he is reading I’m scanning along with him and I see the long German word that says buffalo something. I ask, does that say buffalo? He says “Yes, buffalo mozzarella, it’s more tender and delicate.” At which point, I declare “You have buffalo in Europe!” He looks at me calmly and says, “Yes.”

Who knew! To my defense, the only thing I know about buffalo is that the settlers used to shoot them out of the train window and the poor Native Americans starved because of this sport. It never occurred to me that no where in my history books did it say the settlers were AFRAID of these huge creatures! So this also has me thinking… buffalo cheese? Who was that man who one day declared to his wife, “Honey, I think I’ll go out and milk a buffalo today? And when I get home, we’ll make tender and delicate CHEESE out of it!” He either gets the award for worst job in the world OR Darwinism simply doesn’t work…

I had another interesting adventure today to share while waiting for my train. I had the distinct privilege of catching the attention of an old drunk, Boone’s Farm drinking German. Crazy ol’ bastard decided of all the places to wait out the train, sitting right next to me was his best choice. Now, I have my laptop so sitting down was pretty important as that big bulky thing is heavy (never buy a 17-inch laptop!). As soon as he sat down, I nearly got drunk smelling the crazy Boones Farm drinking man (we’ll call him BF for short)! He immediately started speaking German gibberish and laughing every now and then, which made the fumes even worse and made me think he sounded exactly like Mr. Miyagi in the Karate Kid in that scene where he gets drunk on his wedding anniversary. Anyways, eventually I realized BF was trying to talk to me. I think I can easily make this come to a halt with the “I only speak English” line, but alas! The German education system is better than I anticipated. BF speaks some English, enough to continue asking me random questions. By the time I got up and moved, BF thought I was a 25 year old doctor visiting Berlin to be with my friend, another doctor who loves me (I was not going to correct him and have him think I’m available for dinner tonight!!!) and that I live in New York City, Alabama. Why correct him? He won’t remember it in the morning!

Working and Sight-seeing

This weekend, I've been busy seeing the sights by day and working in the evenings. I've seen the Brandenburg Gate which was passed through by Hitler and even earlier, Napoleon!


Here's a picture of Humboldt Universities main building. This isn't the location I'm at, but it is what most people think of when you say Humboldt. This is common architecture in Berlin, old and detailed!


I've also went to the Jewish Museum today. They have interesting displays that help you understand how the German Jews felt. There was a "garden" of exile which was a series of columns at least 10 feet high. They were arranged on a grid that went up and down in slope. What that accomplishes is as you walk, your body gets disoriented and you start to fall into columns as you try to right yourself. I ended up with a bit of a stomach ache after only 30 seconds! It does a good job of making you feel strange and uncomfortable, which isn't even close to how the German Jews must have felt! I've included a picture of an artists rendition of the many souls lost. Those are unhappy faces made of metal at the bottom. You can walk across it and it sounds like dishes being slammed around.


I was at an ultra fancy mall and this is the "art" they had on display... I'm not sure, but I think those are smashed up cars. Gotta love art!


And keeping with the theme of cars, I've included a picture of the smart car (on the right). So when they talk about small European cars, they aren't kidding! Donald says they have them in Detroit already. Look out America, here they come! I do need a new car...

Long Day in the Salt Mines

That's how I refer to work so I don't lose perspective. It reminds me that, no matter what the day at work brings, I have a pretty good job and occupation! I haven't posted because I've been working. Yesterday I got settled into my office at Humboldt but there was a computer program I needed that was not loaded on the provided computer; not to mention the computer was in German. I also got picked on a little because I had to have an air conditioned room. Yes, that's right, I was reminded again that air conditioning is not normal in these parts!

After a long day yesterday I had dinner with Jaap. For dinner we went to his favorite Italian restaurant. He once dated an Italian who introduced him to that restaurant as the closest to her food back home. So I like to think that I had REAL Italian pizza! Of course it was good so I'm happy. Oh, and Jaap isn't German, he's really Dutch so the accent I'm exposed to isn't a real German accent. Oh well, the only thing I think I've picked up in German is what sounds like "Links" means "Left" (thanks to my many rides on public transportation). Oh, another odd thing I've noticed, there are no bugs in Berlin. Seriously, I haven't seen one ant since I've been here AND I'VE LOOKED! No mosquitos, flies, nothing. Even Jaap said he's noticed that. Makes me worry there is something strange in the air or water... :-)

Today I was holed up in my room working so nothing to report. Tomorrow I meet with Jaap to go over what I've found and then I'll go from there. Only 1 week to go and I'll have a lot of work to do. I think I'll go to the Jewish Museum this weekend and wander around, maybe take a boat tour. I can't believe I've been here for 2 weeks! I can't say I haven't truly experienced Berlin!