The train trip from Prague to Berlin goes through Bohemia, western Czech Republic. It is very beautiful with fabulous rock outcrops along the river which the route follows. The train stops in Dresden briefly, then pushes on to Berlin. The day I caught the train was a bit of gong show, due to the snow storm that had happened the night before. I had intended to get the 11:00am train, so I got myself to the station with lots of time to spare. When I checked the departure board, it didn't really make any sense to me, not just because I don't understand Czech, but because the departure times were all a mess. I had bought my ticket the day before, so I knew that there was supposed to be an 8:30 train and an 11:00 train. I finally got a straight answer from the info desk, that the 8:30 train had still not left the station, and would be boarding in a few minutes. So I dashed to the platform and waited to board the 8:30 train at about 10:15. It finally showed up, and I was happy to get inside the car where it was nice and toasty warm. And there it sat for another hour and 10 minutes. I shared the car with a young American woman, who had spent several months teaching English in Prague, and was on her way to visit friends in Hamburg. We managed to keep ourselves entertained with chit chat whilst we were waiting for the train to leave the station, which it finally did at 11:30. In Dresden we took on more passengers and were joined by a lovely, older German couple who spoke a little English, and so shared some conversation with them as well.
When I arrived in Berlin, I was heading to my nephew's place. Jarrod has live there for 8 years, and he very generously offered to put me up (or should that be "put up with me"?) during my visit. It was such a treat to stay in a real home (Jarrod and his girlfriend Kate, had only just moved into this apartment a few weeks earlier) and they certainly went the extra kilometer to make me feel welcome and at home. They even vacated their bedroom and gave me the luxurious king-size bed! After one night in that bed, I stopped protesting!
I liken Berlin to New York City. The similarities are: the are both really big cities, they have a mixture of old and new very large buildings (although in NYC they are certainly much, much taller), there are tons of museums in each city, and while NYC has a large and prominent Latino population, Berlin has a huge Turkish population. (Good thing, too, because without the readily available, wonderfully delicious Turkish food, a person could easily go hungry looking for something decent to eat in Berlin - unless you really, really like wieners, that is. And dislike vegetables. And love desserts.) Both cities sport an abundance of graffiti, and have a certain grittiness about them that allows/encourages/tolerates self expression in fashion and body adornment. There are some crazy hair styles and colours out there and lots of pierced people with tattoos. The music scene is strong in all genres, not the least of which is the Opera, of course.
I did make it to a performance at the Deutsch Oper Berlin (there are 4 opera venues in Berlin). I was able to get a ticket for La Traviata, and it was a wonderful production. Unfortunately, the production at the Volksoper was completely sold out. The Volksoper is housed in a gorgeous old building so it would have been very grand to see a performance there. One more opera disappointment was that the HD broadcast of Carmen from the Metropolitan Opera in NYC was also sold out. Such are the woes of a traveller... Another performance that I scored a ticket for was a recital with soprano Danielle de Niese with Il Giardino Armonico. The small orchestra plays on period instruments, with a lot of vigour and precision, while Ms. de Niese sings with great style and expression. She is very beautiful, and her gorgeous gowns show off her full figure with flair. I'm sure every male in the audience was completely smitten by her physical beauty, if not by her vocal prowess. She cuts quite a swath, when exiting the stage! Great performance all around, except for her encore rendering of Handel's Ombra Mai Fu, which was dreadful. But she quickly made up for it with a barn burner for closing.
Berlin Cathedral is perhaps the largest cathedral I have been in. It is so massive that in order to fit the whole thing into the camera viewfinder, you must be across the broad avenue and go 'way down the block. I believe that the interior height of the dome is 85 meters. Exterior is much higher still. But it isn't just it's size that makes it impressive - it is truly a gorgeous monument.
I wouldn't say that Berlin is a beautiful city. It isn't. It's big and sprawling, but there are some very handsome and striking buildings and museums of which many are situated on Museum Island. In the spring, summer, and fall the city must be quite lovely though, on account of the large number of parks.
It was very cold in Berlin, and I was really getting sick of Euro winter. Since I had the luxury of being able to take it easy, staying with Jarrod and Kate, it gave me mental space to get serious about getting out of the dreary cold and heading to somewhere warmer for a month or two. I had been thinking about Morocco quite a bit, so I checked out the flight options, and headed to the book store to check out what the Lonely Planet guide could tell me. I read enough to assure myself that this would be a good option, so I booked the flight. But first I needed to get back to Prague for a few days, as I promised myself I would, and then on to Krakow via Olomouc, Czech Republic.
Two nights before heading back to Prague, Jarrod's brother Ben arrived in Berlin as well. He now lives and works in China, teaching business. I cleared out to a hostel, to free up that great bed for Ben, but we were able to rendezvous before I caught my bus back to Prague. Very nice to catch up with him over a delicious Turkish lunch, just up the street from Jarrods' flat. Then I said my farewells to my most excellent hosts in Berlin and headed back to the subway station, with my slightly lightened suitcase and my e-ticket for Tangier.
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