Germany, part 1 of 2, maybe

Getting to Berlin...I had a connection in Utrecht, Netherlands, and I had about 6 hours to kill before my overnight train to Berlin. i stashed my bags in a locker at the train station that cost 7 euro! wow, yikes, gasp, so i promptly went to the closest casino and won eight Euro betting on Roulette. Albert Einstein once said, "you can only win at roulette if you steel the money when the dealer isn't looking" proving i was smarter than Einstein and feeling like my work was done for the day, I went to see the town. Had a great day, great city, made it to the train, got on but in the wrong car. I noticed, left it, went to numbered car,176, mine was 174, thinking I will walk two cars forward or backward (inside) you know? I get through one car and I meet this guy, works on the train apparently, real official looking wiseguy. This screw tells me to get off and find the right number, 174. Of course Stalin decides not to tell me in which direction, "look on the door" he says. Thanks. such a dick, I step off the train the door closes and the train starts moving, hahaha what just happened?! i just stood and watched. i walked back to the reservations desk and they go right ahead and give me my money back and book me on a train tomorrow, 15 euro cheaper. So I get 15 euro out of the deal, sweet, but there isn't a train that night, not so sweet. I would have to stay in the city. So there i was heading back into the rain, without a place to stay at 8 pm, not the best thing, not the worst, i really tried to stay positive. i kept thinking about how i was going to find that guy that worked on the train again and have a¨talk¨ with him. i kept walking and before i got to the bend i thought "there is going to be a hostel right around the corner", it took a lot of corners but I ended up at a great hostel costing 24 euros with as much beer and or wine as i can drink?! What?! Free food all day and a bank of free computers with WiFi everywhere?! I'm thinking jackpot right? There were 16 beds in my room, I'm thinking I was lucky, half the beds are empty, BUT, then this guy comes in and he was clearly having a ruff day. He kept alternating between a workout (lifting up the single dorm bed in the middle of the room) and martial arts training ( he breaks out in a little burst of karate attack randomly chopping at the air and grunting) he was sweating profusely and wheezing really badly from the three flights of stairs you have to walk up to get to our room and he wouldn't stop rubbing a raw potato over his forehead, as he walked a non stop lap around the room. Truth. that night i slept with my eyes open. All in all i had a great extra night in Holland at a really cool place right down the street from a great local coffee shop.

I made it to Berlin the next day and checked in to the biggest hostel i have ever stayed in. Room after room and impersonal service, over charging and general crappyness. But i stuck it out and in the end really enjoyed Berlin. The gods gave me great weather and i walked all over the place for two days and rented a bike for my last full day and reached all the places my feet convinced me were to far to walk to the days before. I finally saw Germany, the country that tried to kill my Grandfather! i wasn't sure what my reaction would be to being in former Nazi country. I mean i had some German friends, Erich and Wes, Dan. but where they the norm? All the movies i have seen to the contrary, i found Germans largely without uniforms, very pleasant and helpful. I saw some really famous stuff,

 

The Berliner Dom and the Fernsehturm in the back ground

 The Reichstag

Brandenburger gate

 the best of the wurst, eat your heart out Erich

 i decided not to enter the German history museum the first time i was there, it was Sunday and the lines of school groups were huge and it paid off, the next day was far less busy and...free?! yeah boy. Lucked out again. After a few soccer games and a lot of sight seeing some great German beer and spreading the word of Kobe, i was ready to leave Berlin. Four solid days, i was off again. Back on the train to the Netherlands. i wanted to return to that hostel and wait out the remaining days i had till i met Carol again. i booked for six more nights and after my second i was hanging in the lounge and sprung a job. Seems i was in the right place at the right time, showering that morning might have given me the edge i needed. so i will be working here for the next few days, in Utrecht, maybe longer. Then due to a little thing called "immigration control", practically the Hitler youth, i might be leaving Europe earlier than first planned. do stay tuned, it might get bumpy and illegal.