Berlin: Checkpoint Charlie

Here's a picture of Conrad Schumann running to freedom (and for his freakin' life!) on August 15, 1961. While we were walking around the eastern part of Berlin, I asked Mrs. TBF if she had ever heard of anybody "escaping" from The West to The East. Just wondering...



Here's a picture of "capitalist pig" TBF on February 26,2007 leisurely walking in pretty much the same spot carrying his new shoes that he just bought a few hundred meters up Friedrichstrasse. What a difference 45+ years makes!

How long will it be before I can calmly board a boat in Havana (with a couple boxes full of Cuban cigars) and take the short cruise back to Florida? Only time will tell.

That whole Communism thing wasn't such a good idea after all, was it?

Not Just A Place To Sleep...

We wandered aimlessly around Berlin on Saturday afternoon popping into a few stores (including a store that sells these South African candles that we like), a Starbucks for a quick pick-me-up, and a bar/restaurant at Gendarmenmarkt for a quick drink. After I had a beer and Mrs. TBF had a glass of wine, we walked out into the square (where I took this self-portrait) and realized that we were both REALLY tired! It was time to head back to the hotel for a short nap.

Short nap? HA!

We got into bed around 4:45 p.m., and we woke up at..........8:15 p.m.!!!! That's right, folks. We took a 3.5 hour nap!

After shaking out the cobwebs, we went down to the lobby to talk with the concierge about finding a place for dinner. We were in the mood for Asian, so the lady ended up recommending a place called Good Time. We requested that she make a 10:00 p.m. reservation, so we had a little time to kill before we had to leave and we decided to have a drink in the lobby.

This is the lobby of Hotel Adlon where we enjoyed our drinks (the picture is from their website).

Pretty nice, isn't it? I'm telling you, this was one of the nicest hotels we've stayed at; total L.O.L. (lap of luxury). The staff was really friendly, the service was great, the rooms were really well appointed...

Oh...and while I'm thinking about it, here's some unsolicited advice: Don't stay at a crappy hotel when you travel. It's not "just a place to sleep". One thing that really bothers me is when people skimp on their hotel when they travel. I've heard people say: "We're gone all day anyway..." That's a bunch of B.S.!! Unless you're just out of college and backpacking across Europe, or you're on an absolute bare-bones budget, then you shouldn't be staying in a hostel. I'd even go so far as to say that it's better to spend more money per trip on fewer trips than to take a bunch of trips and stay at 1-star hotels. You'll end up enjoying the sights, but then you'll just end up complaining about the hotel after you get home. Beg, borrow, or steal the money - I don't care. Life's short. If you're spending a little more money on your hotel than you think you should, then you're headed in the right direction. Just do it!

There! I've had my say. Tell us what you really think, right?

After our drinks we walked on nearly deserted streets (Where was everybody?) over to Good Time at Hausvogteiplatz. The food was great, although a bit spicy. I have to admit that we've become accustomed to food not being very heavily spiced in Switzerland. Yes, we've become wimps when it comes to spicy food, but the "heat" didn't keep us from eating it - ALL of it!

We sleep-walked back to the hotel with our tummies full of spicy food and climbed back into our extremely comfortable bed where we slept for 8.5 more hours. I pointed out to Mrs. TBF when we woke up in the morning that we had slept for twelve of the last twenty-four hours.

Ahhh...L.O.L. is goooooooooood!

Berlin: Potsdamer Platz

As we were walking into the Sony Center at Potsdamer Platz, I told Mrs. TBF that I thought it looked very Helmut Jahn-ish. As it turns out, Helmut Jahn WAS the architect, which resulted in Mrs. TBF accusing me of being an "architecture geek"!

Feeling very cock-sure at this point on the Helmut Jahn-coup, I pointed out to Mrs. TBF that the Sony Center ceiling reminded me of the scene in the movie Independence Day where the spaceship is settling over Area 51 and Robert Loggia blurts out: "They're preparing to fire their primary weapon!" She agreed, and even tolerated the half-dozen or so "...they're preparing to fire their primary weapon..."s that I blurted out in rapid-fire succession as we walked toward our lunch spot.

Then, as we lunched at Lindenbräu (a restaurant/brewery recommended to us by the Expatters), I enjoyed watching a gauntlet of cheerleaders that shook their pompons as people walked into the adjacent sports bar.

Oh...I don't know. Maybe it was the one-liter beer I drank (along with the lapel pin I was awarded for finishing it), but I suddenly became very cavalier and started talking "crazy" talk. Yup, I decided - and advised Mrs. TBF - that I was going to be buying her a cheerleader uniform.

Doh! That was shot down. BIG TIME!!!

Achtung, Baby! I Have An Announcement To Make...

Berlin is a pretty cool city. I'd recommend it, AND I'd go back. Es tut mir leid for last week's lack of excitement for Berlin (and Germany in general). I'm blaming a "...general malaise that only the genius possess and the insane lament."

We stayed at the Hotel Adlon which is right by the Brandenburg Gate. Not only did we receive an upgrade to a Junior Suite (I'm tellin' ya, ya gotta ask!) with a view of the rather futuristic courtyard (lifetime employment for the window cleaner!), but I also found out that Mariah Carey had stayed at the hotel. Just in case she stayed in our room (unlikely), I touched every single surface. I also touched every surface in the lobby AND every elevator button. Wait a second...what am I thinking? Doesn't Mariah have a designated elevator button pusher in her entourage? Ummm....thought so. Dammit!

After waiting a good twenty minutes for our bags to be brought up to our room (I'll bet that Mariah didn't have to wait that long!), we quickly unpacked our bags and then set out to explore Berlin. We stopped for a quick chat with the concierge, he gave us a map, and we walked out into Pariser Platz. So much to see, and so little time. What should we see first? Should we explore East Berlin? West Berlin? Potsdamer Platz? Checkpoint Charlie? The Wall?

Hey...is THAT a...? Could it be???? DUNKIN' DONUTS!!!!!!!

Italian Shoes, South African Candles, And...

...a shot glass.

Those are the souvenirs I brought home from Berlin.

Oh...and also some good memories!

Berlin turned out to be better than expected. How much better? Well, you'll just have to wait and see. We're having our taxes done this evening, and the accountant will be here in just over four hours.

...got some organizing to do!

I've Never Been To Manhattan...

...but this weekend, we take Berlin!

For all you Leonard Cohen fans out there...oh, never mind!


I have to come clean -

I'm not the biggest fan of Germany. Ok...I said it!

Mrs. TBF and I met our friend Dave in Munich in October, 2001, and we had a really fun weekend. Then, we went to Hannover for a wedding a couple of years later, and had a good time at the wedding (even though I had a bad cold), but found Hannover to be...well...a bit on the dull side (sorry!). So, other than a handful of trips just over the border into Lörrach, or to make a flight connection in Frankfurt, Hamburg, or Munich, we haven't really ventured into Germany at all over the past few years.

And here's the best part: I speak passable German, AND the German border is only fifteen minutes away from where we live.

Ok...OK...take it easy! I have nothing against Germany. Nope...nothing at all that I can think of. I...just...don't make a reason to go there. It's kind of like when I lived in Chicago; there was absolutely NO reason to venture into Indiana or Wisconsin unless you really had some specific reason to go there (...going just to laugh at the Hoosiers and Cheeseheads doesn't count!).

It's the same for me with Germany.

So, why did we decide to go to Berlin this coming weekend? Well, I guess it's because the Basler Fasnacht begins this coming Monday, and the thought of being around Basel during the weekend prior to, and Monday of, Fasnacht (and having to endure that grating fife and drum music) is even less appealing to me than going to Germany for a long weekend.

Yes...I'm a real party-pooper when it comes to the Basler Fasnacht. Hell...I didn't even buy a Fasnacht badge! Mwah-ha-HAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!

So, it's with mixed emotions (indifference, lack of excitement, opting for the lesser of two evils...) and a general malaise (at least where I'm concerned) that we will make our way to Berlin tomorrow morning. I haven't made any restaurant reservations, I haven't really read our "Top 10 Berlin" book, and I...

Well, we'll see...