The countdown begins

It is now Dec 31st and just 9 days until I leave for Berlin again. I think this will be an important stay, as was the last one. That aside, I hope 2007 will be a good year for all of those people I know and love. I think it will be a good year. Best to all.

lazy

So I've been lazy to update this blog since I have left Berlin and returned to Seattle. I will be back in Berlin in January and will continue this blog then!

Until then, here is a picture of the snow in Seattle:

cold and sneezy

Guess what. It is F*CKING COLD in Berlin now!!

I have a cold so I've been sneezing a lot and going through a lot of tissues. But I don't feel that bad, and for now, it's all in my nose.

I think I've taken care of most of the important things that will be needed for the apartment. Everything's been ordered and I am hoping it will all be ready and assembled by January which is when we are planning to return to Berlin.

I got my hair cut and roots done the other day, and I must say it is the BEST job anyone has done to my hair. The color is perfect and the cut is great, much better than anything I had done in Seattle. AND less expensive!

I know I'm overdue to post some pics here. I will try to do this over the weekend.

bad me

Ok I admit I am a bad bad blogger because I haven't updated my Berlin blog in a while. Ever since I returned from London, I've been somewhat stressed and depressed. It seems that the London trip was my last bit of amazing fun until returning home to Seattle. This past week it has hit me that I don't have much time left here, which really sucks... and I have so many things to do before I go. I wanted to make the apartment I bought liveable so we can move right in when we come back to Berlin, but there is still much to do. And the asshole T-Com idiots are not making it any easier. I wasted 4 hours on Friday waiting for them to show up and they never did. What the hell. I thought Germans were supposed to be punctual and reliable. ;-)

My irrational side just wants to toss my return ticket and stay in Berlin. I so do not want to go back to Seattle. It's ok and all, but I'm only happy in Berlin.

*big sigh*

Yay

I picked up the keys yesterday. Then I pretty much spent the rest of the day out and about instead of at home working. We went to the apartment and checked it out and took several pictures. I will post the pics soon when I have a chance, hopefully tomorrow sometime. Later Klaus met us and we went to the "kitchen place" to look at (you guessed it) .... kitchens. The unfortunate thing is that it may not be until after we leave Berlin that the kitchen is installed. Luckily Klaus will be here to take care of it if that is the case. Today I'm taking off from here early so we can go to Ikea. Kent's mom keeps saying how much she likes yellow because it is the color of "intelligence". Regardless of that, there is no way I will buy anything that is yellow. I mean... no. way.

anxious

I should be hearing from them any day now telling me I can come pick up the keys. I am hoping for today but it's already noon. I hate waiting.

the big signing and other things

Well, I signed the contract for the purchase of the apartment a week ago today. I felt a little intimidated when I first entered the conference room because I was greeted by several different people in "business" attire all seated around a big conference table. And there I was in jeans. Wow. However, everyone turned out to be very nice and it all went very well. One person was the owner of the property management company I bought the apartment from, another was the real estate agent who works for that company, another was the Notar (attorney) and the other was the interpreter. Then there was Kent, his mom, and me. The whole thing took two hours. The Notar had to read the entire 12-page document and the interpreter translated it to English for me every couple of paragraphs.

After a nice celebratory lunch (dinner for me), we headed back to Hackescher Markt area and sat outside at Caras, a cafe that is great to sit at and people-watch. And in this spot where we tend to see a lot of the same people, we saw all the usual suspects. Karin (the photographer) and her husband sat with us, and the guy with the anteannas passed by. I did not have the nerve to approach him, so I made Kent do it. Kent asked if he could take a photo of him and jokingly he said it would cost one Euro. He came over and talked to us for a bit... very melodramatic guy... he complained of a broken heart over someone he'd met just a few days ago. Because of this, I wasn't sure if his sobs were real or not and we all sort of giggled when he'd go into this sobbing fit. But he turned out to be very nice and ended up buying us all wine. He gladly gave me his permission to post his photo here. And he does have a name but I suck at remembering such things, all I know is that it starts with a J.

Later we went to the biggest Depeche Mode party ever. It was held at a large arena and they played everything! Of course, we ran into Crazy Depeche Mode guy, who also does have a name - he is Andreas. He's pretty crazy and both Kent and I wonder what he's like when he's NOT at a Depeche Mode party. Is he just as crazy? Unfortunately, he, among others, stepped on my foot at some point that night and I have a very colorful bruise now. It's really kind of gross. I don't have any pictures of him (or of the bruise) because I don't like taking my camera to crazy nightclubs.

Some pictures:


J the guy with antennas and Kent


the restaurant we ate at after the contract signing


what the hell is this, it looks like a ghost





I want to post some more about Frankfurt but I'll do that next time.

various things

I will be signing the contract to purchase the apartment on Monday. Very much looking forward to that. The process of buying seems simpler here than back home. Maybe part of that is because in my case, I do not have to be financed by a bank here. I can't wait to start furnishing it. I want it to look all post-modern. And thankfully I am having them remove the crappy kitchen that came with it so I can put a new one in. Apparently you can buy kitchens at this place called Innova, they are all ready to go, and you just hook everything up. Our friend Klaus is a real handyman and can do all of this for me.

On other subjects. These are some silly things I notice around Berlin:

Scarves
Scarves are very popular here, even when it isn't really cold. It's contagious, too because I have bought 4 of them since I got here. I read an article somewhere that said Germans wear scarves a lot to keep from catching a cold. Not sure how true this is.

Prenzlauer Berg and babies
If there is any place to procreate in Berlin, it's in Prenzlauer Berg. On one particular day, we were having brunch, and over the course of an hour or so, I noticed at least 6 different pregnant women in the same restaurant. And nearly every other person walking down the street is pushing a stroller.

Characters
When going to the same general areas on a regular basis, you sometimes realize you see a lot of the same people. Both this time and last time we were in Berlin, we have noticed some interesting characters, whom we've never met, but see often. Kent and I are of course curious about these folks and have fun guessing what they are all about. I'll start with two. Maybe I can add to this list in later blogs.

1. Crazy Depeche Mode Guy - we have seen this guy every time we went to a "Depeche Mode Party" at different nightclubs in Berlin. He's tall and very hyper and outgoing. He seems to like both the boys and the girls. Kent told me one time he asked him to come into the bathroom with him... but of course Kent bailed.. haha. He's got his hair shaved into a shape so that he appears to have little devil horns on each side of the top of his head. The first time we saw him, he was yelling to the DJ to make the music "louder! louder!" He also likes to mimic Dave Gahan (DM singer) pretending to sing along into an invisible microphone.

2. Guy with Antenneas - recently noticed around town is a guy that is frequently seen around the Hackescher Markt area, particularly near the coffee place called Caras who has a rather interesting hairdo. It's shaved real short, but he's got these two long braided pieces of hair sticking straight up that look just like two annteneas. We think it's so strange that it's ultimately cool. I mean, this guy takes the time out every day to assemble these things. Why? Who knows... but... it's cool. We're hoping to catch a photo of him sometime soon.

another week has gone by

Time just flies when you are busy and/or having fun.

Sometime last week we met a photographer and her husband who is friends with Ella (Kent's mom). Nice people. Pic below is Kent and I at the "Hotel Bar" that we always go to from that night.



Pic taken on another day with Ella and above mentioned photographer - I think her name is Karin. I'm really terrible at remembering people's names.



On Saturday, we met up with some Bowie fan friends in Kreuzberg. I was going to post a picture of this here but... I seem to have misplaced the pictures. What the ...?

On Sunday, we went to the part of Berlin called Friedrichshain. We've been hearing about Simon-Dach Str. so we had to check that out. There are lots of restaurants and cafes around there and it seems to be mostly young students. It looks a more bohemian than Prenzl-berg but somewhat run-down. I've come to the conclusion that it's a fun area to hang out in, but I don't think I would live there.

Couple of pictures from there:









Last night we met up with some fellow English-speaking folks. I found out about them on my many searches on the Internet for things related to Berlin. I came across this site http://www.toytowngermany.com which has a section specifically for Berlin. It was a fun time and there should be another meetup in a few weeks.

Aside from these activities, my main focus has been on work and apartment hunting. I had decided on a place (the one I mentioned before) but then changed my mind. The next day we found a place that was in a better location, which had 2 rooms instead of just one. Overall it was definitely a better choice. This one will only be a couple blocks from where Kent's mom lives, very near the Hackescher Markt, one of our favorite spots.

this week

Well, it's been just over a week since I got here and the apartment hunting is in full swing. I have already looked at about 6 different apartments in 3 different buildings, all in Prenzlauer Berg. There is one unit I am particularly interested in at this point. The first ones were nice but a little far away from where I'd like to be. The last ones I looked at were in a great area but had crappy kitchens (no oven! what the... ?), but in the second building I looked at, just a 5 minute walk from here, the bottom unit is really super nice. It's all brand new inside and the building itself is also newly renovated. It looks like I am only going to be able to afford a studio type apartment in the area that I want to be in. Of course, I just had to pick one of the most expensive parts of Berlin! (though it's still cheap compared to Seattle or Los Angeles!). The unit I like is well within my price range and will leave plenty left over to furnish it and take care of other things that will be needed to make it liveable. I admit, I am a very over-eager and hasty person and really want to buy this unit now.... but I promised to look in the paper tomorrow and Sunday to see if anything better shows up.

Aside from all this apartment hunting business, I have been thoroughly enjoying the beautiful weather we are having here. It's been sunny and warm (but not TOO warm) every day. It's so nice to go outside and have a walk around. There are a few places we are becoming regular customers at... There is Anna Bluma a couple blocks away and I think another block from there is Maibach, which has the best salads.

Going to meet up with some Bowie-fan friends on Saturday in Kreuzberg. I've never been there, so I'm looking forward to seeing something new.


me at Starbucks in the Hackescher Markt area

pictures

Some pictures Kent took yesterday of the area around where we are staying. There are so many trees!

arrival

My travel and arrival seemed to go pretty smoothly except for the fact that half of our luggage was missing on arrival. I had major stress-time for the next 24 hrs or so after that, but much to my relief, all missing luggage was delivered to us this afternoon.

I am more than impressed with the apartment I booked online for our stay here this time (in Prenzlauer Berg). It is a beautiful large place with high ceilings, hardwood floors and modern appliances. Plus it's in an area that is great - lots of bars, restaurants, etc all on the same street and within walking distance. Very VERY happy with this. There is a great Italian restaurant across the street that we've been to twice already.

I desperately need to catch up on so much lost sleep, so I think I will call it a night now.

leaving tomorrow

I leave tomorrow and I think I'm almost ready. I can't believe how much crap I've stuffed into my suitcases. I bought a bigger suitcase thinking I'd have room to spare... but no. It's overstuffed just like the other one. I have a clothing issue. I must have many choices. Yes, I can buy stuff there too... but I don't want to be stuck if I can't find anything I like or anything that fits me. I'm hoping that if I buy a flat, I can just leave some things there and come home not so overloaded.

Though I've been to Berlin 3 other times, I feel that this time will be different and more profound for me. Maybe I'm just hoping. It will also be the longest time away from home. 2 months seems like a really long time!

pre-travel

I'm going to try to find the time to keep an updated blog of my time in Berlin. I leave next week and will be there until November. Right now, I'm just busy with work and all those little details involved in preparing for a long trip, such as what to do about my mail, banking and finance, copying files from the main computer to the laptop, etc etc, the list goes on.

I have spent a lot of time in Berlin over the past year, and like it better than any other city I have visited, even my current place of residence, which is Seattle. I barely know how to speak German (however, my boyfriend does, thankfully), but even so, I still feel at home there. I have this unusual attachment to Berlin. If you're into somewhat whacky mystical stuff, maybe this could mean I may have lived there in a past life. Or not. Who knows.

On this upcoming trip, I am going to hopefully buy a flat. This will serve as a "vacation home" so I don't have to pay high rent for a vacation flat each time I go. I've mustered together what I hope is enough money to just pay cash for it and not have to deal with being financed by a bank over there.

On this trip, I will be staying in a flat in Prenzlauer Berg. Last time, we stayed near the Hackescher Markt, but weren't able to find anything near there that wasn't ridiculously expensive this time.

Until then, here are some pictures from when I was there in June.

Neue Schoenhauser Str.





around the corner from there







Neue Schoenhauser Str.



Front of the building we stayed in



I think this is Rosenthaler Str.









Hackescher Markt