If at first you don't succeed

You know the rest of that statement. I've had a little bit of trouble making my way around the big city over the past few days. Some of my clumsiness I suppose comes from a lack of foresight, and I suppose the rest comes from the way business here is run on a 24-hour, 6-day per week enterprise. On sundays, you may see a car headed down a busy street, but picture if you will, everyone in the city sleeping from saturday evening through monday morning. I think it's pretty crazy, but I suppose each country has their own customs. I know that some churches open up their doors in other parts of town, and I've been giving some consideration to making a visit to one of those. But late nights have really been catching up with me, and I have been finding it difficult to wake before noon or so.

Anyways, in terms of other fumbles I've made along the way, last night on the U-Bahn home I dozed off and ended up at the end of the line. I had just been patting myself on the back earlier that evening for holding off from taxis ever since I needed a ride from the airport. Unfortunately, as I shook myself awake a few kilometers west of my intentional destination, I looked at the clock. It was 3:15am, early Sunday morning. The stores were closing, and electricity was powering down all over the city. Luckily, I managed to hail a graveyard-shift cab and explain my address to the driver. The fee wasn't as exorbitant as I had expected.

Another thing that disappoints me here is the prevalence of American fast-food chains, like Burger King, McDonalds and even Wendy's. It makes it all the more difficult to live up to my initial goal of avoiding meals at said locations and really finding a taste of authentic German cuisine.

Actually, I did enjoy some of this much-proclaimed food while on a bike tour through Potsdam on Friday. I think it may be in the undiscovered locations, outside of popular tourist attractions, where the pristine German culture remains. That gives me all the more incentive to think outside the box and begin some traveling, even if it's only as far as a suburb like Potsdam.

On another note, if you ever travel to someplace outside the States, take very good care of your passport. I am very fortunate in that I live so close to the American Embassy which, provided I have any trouble with security, will hopefully be open to assistance. Your passport, however, is more important to you than your credit card, your driver's license and your cell phone combined. Even here, in an industrialized nation, you can't be careful enough.

On a closing note, I'm wondering if it wouldn't be a bad idea to take a break from alcohol for a little while. This would be primarily so that I could save for future travels. I suspect I might also be able to wake at an earlier hour and achieve more here in Berlin while the temperature remains above 10 degrees Celsius (about 50 degrees Fahrenheit). On the other hand, becoming a 'crafty consumer' is another piece of the complex problem that a student tourist growing up in a foreign land should try and figure out. Take time for your school, for your friends, keep in touch with your family, and be sure to take care of your self.

I'll be sure to report back with more photos next time, as I have heard a few requests for those.

Until then, tchuss! (bye)
[pronounced: ch-OOO-ss]


"It isn't the mountains ahead to climb that wear you out; it's the pebble in your shoe."
Muhammad Ali