Bob let me sleep in until 9:30 although you'd think that going to bed at 2pm yesterday then taking a walk would leave me well rested. I woke up several times in the night, once when people outside were setting off firecrackers--no sparks, all boom.
Deutsch Dome, outside our hotel in Berlin, Germany
We showered and dressed then set out wearing our rain ponchos to a very steady drizzle. I still fit into my rain pants from over a dozen years ago even though I am much stouter.
Bob was so-so about eating anything; he wanted to get out and about as much as possible. I stopped at the place where a couple were sitting in the window with orange juice. It turned out they squeezed the orange juice fresh for each order. We added a roll covered with sunflower seeds and called it enough.
Our plan was to take in as much of the Tiergarten as possible and hit the NaturKind Museum but our first attempt at a subway ticket bombed. Down the street about when we reached the Hauptbahnhof which is near to the famous Brandenburg Gate, we watched a whole pack of really wet bicycle riders put in cash and get their tickets just fine.
Brandenburg Gate at the wrong time of day and sunny.
We followed suit and we able to navigate over to the NaturKind Museum which is noted for their displays of dinosaurs, fossils, mineral deposits while offering good examples of how artifacts are prepared, especially live facsimiles of them.
We finished the museum and then rushed back to the hotel because we were due to visit the Berlin Statsopera, stopping at the McDonald's for lack of inspiration about where else we should eat. The meal wasn't all that great.
We also made a stop in at the grocery store where Bob picked up gin, water and limes. When I loaded one bottle of water and the limes into my backpack, a woman said something like sprechen Deutsch. I couldn't understand her and shook my head and she repeated it enough times that I asked Bob what was going on. For defense in this situation I asked the translator how to say, we're learning German == mir lernen Deutsch. I already read a few words, enough to get around.
From the desk clerk at the Hilton I learned I could buy a phone card and get wifi via it, he said it came with instructions.
The underground becomes a place to hang out with friends and pass a coke bottle around, wear your hair colored and spiked. Dine at a fast food place, or pick up groceries and flowers. Relax awhile over a cup of coffee or glass of wine while reading a book. Listen to musics while reading the paper. Fashion can be flowered jeans for male and militaresque jackets or the never out of fashion black leather. Perhaps you could spend your life below and never come up, just busk for coinage or even work there since you don't get too cold or wet.
The opera was quite beautiful.
We returned back to the hotel, both of us suffering stomach upset off and on, this evening appears to be my turn.
My fat bare legs got a lot of notice, apparently folks around here do panty hose, many in various shades from yellow through black. The men sport haircuts that if were lawns would be called well edged. Many couples were lovely, one man hopping down stairs and holding his girl's face in his hands. Even the male couples were cozy, but not very demonstrative. A few tattoos were visible. More showed pale skin and suits. The women did wear dresses so I was glad to have brought one.
Startling sights, the purple lit buildings as we climbed out of the underground. The lattice work design on the trains. Old buildings foundations spray painted with graffitti. Lots of impatience at the lines at kiosks--if you don't know what you're doing, stand well back from the herds.
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