Krumme Lanke

This has been a great week. I have really enjoyed the weather outside, as it has been bright but brisk. Emails from home tell me of a light chill that came through the air on the 21st, which I think was the official beginning of autumn. I have been seeing some leaves turning yellow around here, but plain and simple, it just doesn't feel the same as New England. That's not a bad thing at all, but it leads me to a point about our Northern German latitude. I hadn't taken the time before to ponder about how much further south the continent of North America is than Europe. Apparently, we'll be having evenings in December when the sun will set around 3.30pm and it will be dark by 4. Note to self: buy more wool sweaters! When it gets as cold as can be expected with that little sunlight, I would be looking forward to a location for skiing or winter hiking. I brought my boots, so why not? Well, as the land in the vicinity of Berlin is so incredibly flat, I might want to take advantage and savor a trip out of the city, provided I have that chance to travel independently. I do know of one hill over on the Western side of town, not far from where I live, called 'Teufelsberg,' or devil's mountain. Following the second world war, during which much of the city had been destroyed by bombs from the allies, much of the rubble was collected and transported into a heap, which resulted in an enormous amount of waste. Now, it is positioned near the Southwest region of the city, and if it snows, it can become slick enough for a ride down on a sled. Sounds like fun!

But I want to enjoy the sun and herbst (autumn) 2008 as it passes. The other night, fireworks were going off just around Alexanderplatz, surrounding the TV-tower. I wasn't close enough to get a good photo, but as the tower is quite massive and in the central, downtown portion of the city, the bright lights achieved their goal of gaining everyone's attention. I think it was their task to mark the beginning of Oktoberfest, an expensive tourist trap, located down in the Southern portion of Germany (Munich). Hopefully I will be able to visit the town at an opportunity that might be less crowded for passers by. November looks good to me. But we here in Berlin have our own Oktoberfest, as well. Each individual town has its own brauerei (brewery) and so this helps to define cultural boundaries, as well.

To continue, we were walking in range of the cracks from the fireworks while searching out a burrito restaurant. This location is one of the few burrito stops in the city, fighting against the grain of Turkish dominance on nearly every street-corner. This is by no means a negative aspect of the city, but I wonder if a greater diversity of cuisine might enthrall more visiters. Who am I kidding, I love food. I'm surprised I'm not eating right now.

On friday evening I was invited to attend dinner with a family that was indirectly introduced to me while I was still in America, preparing to leave. After taking the U-Bahn down to Krumme Lanke, located very much to the Southwest extreme of the city before suburbia is approached, I eventually found myself in a wonderful, pristine looking neughborhood and standing nearby a home enclosed by a security fence. All homes in this neighborhood -- as a matter of fact, in all of Berlin -- are especially concerned with security. I suppose such a pattern can be expected of any urban environment.

Inside, I found waiting for me the stepmother of a friend who had given me some additional foresight from back home. Also, a musician from Romania was very much engaged in conversation, following the arrival of another young lady who works at a Krankenhaus (hospital). As we were fully engaged in German speech rhythms with which I had been brushing up in class, only at a moderate speed of practice, I remained quiet for the majority of the evening. I could understand the better amount of what transpired, such as a discussion about a demonstration by thousands of medical practitioners in front of the Brandenburg Gate on Thursday, demanding more sufficient support from the German government.


I mentioned that I had traveled to Tempelhof in an attempt to see the classical performance earlier in the week, but was unsuccessful due to a lack of tickets. The mother mentioned that later in the semester, I would be invited to a separate performance put on by the Romanian lady, which I am very much looking forward to. We enjoyed a delicious dinner of green beans, potatoes and steak from a slow-cooker.

On the way back into the city, I made a call to another student and asked where we would be watching the debate. I didn't know at this point whether or not it would take place, but it was still early. When our group met up, we checked out an American-style tavern, which was playing music and suiting its guests. It was able to play the program, but would not accept American customers who wanted to disrupt the facade of popular culture, turn down the music, turn on the TV and become involved with politics.

By the wee hours of the morning, we resolved to set up camp in an apartment where a couple other students were staying. I was happy to embody the ideals of my generation, now that my role-playing identity has come around to the fore. I am not proud about the research I have done in my life thus far in politics or social history. However I do know there is no better time than a voting year to begin thinking on your feet and taking action.

To conclude, I want to thank everybody for your replies and feedback. It has given me a great incentive to continue writing this blog on a regular basis. Be well!


"Daring ideas are like Chessmen moved forward; they may be beaten, but they may start a winning game."
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe