Number Eight. (Berlin).

Wednesday at noon in Copenhagen. It is a bright and sunny day and it is flooding through the windows of the old and rustic train station. This is the first time either of us have taken a train in Europe and so at first we are a bit confused as to where to go and where to be, but quickly figured it out. As the train pulls out of Copenhagen I feel a slight ping in my heart, hoping that one day I will be lucky enough to come back. 

We chug-a-lug through the picturesque winter countryside, the sun bright in our eyes. I listen to music and Corey pulls out his laptop to try and get at least SOME work done. An older Danish woman sits across from us eating a yogurt and cucumber sandwich that leaves a little white mustache on her upper lip. Soon a younger Danish woman comes into the cart and sits next to the elder. A contrast not only in age but in being as well. This woman and her orange-skin, rhinestone-nails, painted-eyebrows, thigh-high-boots is listening to Jon Bon Jovi as loud as it is humanly possible to on tiny headphones and sharing it with the 'less-than-thrilled' company around. Without implying too much of my personal opinion, I was strongly ashamed of my generation at that moment. I believe I could say the same for Corey too.

Our train was supposed to arrive in Berlin around 8:30 p.m. but because of the cold, rerouting and therefore missing connections, we pulled into the extensively massive Hauptbahnhof station at about 10 p.m. instead. It was weird because it was almost completely empty, however I guess that is to be expected at that time of night on a Wednesday. We try to figure out where the hell we are on a crappy little map in a book about traveling in Europe that I have. After deliberating, walking in the wrong direction and then coming back to 'point A' again, we finally grab our bearings and end up at our hotel, where I had myself a 'swank-attack' when entering the room as I had never been inside of something quite that luxurious before. Another world I'll tell 'ya (and I'll tell you all about it if you ask).

Hotel Tryp in Berlin. The swankiest of the swank (note how Corey 'demonstrates' the heated towel rack).

Berlin is HUGE. Someone once told me that I should have someone I know there, or someone to guide me around, and now I know why. It's not that it's easy to get lost but it is impossible to get everywhere you want to go. Especially in a condensed 3 day format. There are gems everywhere but they are so spaced out from one another that you can't possibly just 'walk around' for the day and think that you will see what you want to. You need to have a plan and a relative destination. At least that's what I think. However we did manage to see a lot and go many places. I just know that I am not satisfied and must go back to experience more, because there is always more in this city. More more more...

New Year's Eve in Berlin. I have never seen so many fireworks in my whole entire life. They started around 6 p.m. and lasted all throughout the night and into the morning. I feel it safe to say that 90% of the people out on the street had bought some kind of firework or cracker and so everywhere you turned something was popping or exploding. At first I thought it was annoying, but after a while became accustomed to it and actually wished I had some of my own. 

Corey and I made it to east Berlin around 11 or so. We bought wine and beer at the gas station and wandered around the streets looking for the perfect place to be at midnight. About 5 minutes before that special time, people came out from everywhere and perched themselves over the canals setting up  fireworks and beginning the countdown. It started with the boom from where I assume was Brandenburg Gates and then the sky was lit up in every direction with more booms and crackles than anyone could ever imagine. From bridge to bridge, balcony, rooftop and everywhere in between there were at least 10 people shooting fire into the night sky. Everyone was so happy and everyone was drunk. Happy New Year. 2011.

Fireworks on a bridge in East Berlin. NYE 2010.

I am slighty awkward talking about Berlin. There is too much to see and as I said earlier, I need to see more. I have that yearning to know what it feels like and right now I only know what it looks like. Which is amazing and incredible and large and intense and full of so much history and art and beautiful people. How can I possibly write about what it's like? So, here you receive a small depiction of my first impression and the forever-memorable new year's eve spent there. And, I hope (for my sake) that in the months to come I will be able to write about my return, and all the little details I discovered while within this world-of-its-own.

But wait, I haven't told you about Amsterdam yet.

Number Seven.(København).

I have been putting off this moment. When I come to my blog and write about the incredible trip I have recently returned from. A trip that I documented extensively in writing - filling up half a Moleskine in a mere 11 day trek. My plan was to go through each day and give a summary of the best moments...a person we met or something we saw that made it's way in to my journal because it was worth remembering. And, I still fully intend on going through with this plan, but it's hard to rewrite something that has come and gone, when all you want is for it to continue. However, as defeated as that may sound, I remind myself that I AM IN SWEDEN and that is very far away from anything that I would qualify as 'normal' about my life. So, in actuality, the vacation is only half over.

BRING IT ON, EUROPE

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So we'll start from Copenhagen, where I met Corey on my twenty-sixth birthday (a champagne birthday, at that). I took the bus from Gothenburg early that day and arrived at the København aiport just in time to wait the longest 3 hours of my life until Corey's flight got in. I sat at the Burger King (there are millions of them in Scandinavia) and wrote my Grandmother a 'thank you' letter that I can honestly say was from the bottom of my heart. I recommend writing letters to Grandparents when you are emotional, anxious and in an airport; the gratitude really comes across. Anyway, Corey's flight arrived on time but it took him another HOUR to get his bags and walk through the arrival gate, at which point I thought I was going to piss my pants from both anticipation and too much coffee. It was almost too much to bear, but I did it, and when we finally got to that long awaited hug, nothing in the world could have felt better. For months I had been far from the arms of comfort, familiarity, love and home. I knew I missed it but I didn't realize how good it would feel to have it back, and Corey brought it all in 2 one meter long appendages.

The next two-and-a-half days were filled with wandering, meandering, perusing and cruising. We met Jamal, an Algerian who ran a small cafe in Christiania called Cafe CoCo and took a special liking to us Canadians. Corey and I laughed as Jamal stressed over the concept of having over 2 customers in his establishment. Within only a couple minutes he had Corey running dishes to the sink and once done with his clientele, gave me the remote to the TV and told me to stand guard has he went to take a 10 minute hash break. We spoke French with him, and learned that he moved to Copenhagen for its liberal mentality and fleet of beautiful Danish women. And it's true - they are beautiful.

Basically, if you're going to Copenhagen you need to make sure that you spend at least half your time in this area I have already mentioned: Christiania. This area also harbors a small utopic 'shanty-town' community known as Freetown. There are beautiful homes made from bits and pieces of everything, horses, fires in garbage cans, graffiti, cheap food, cheap beer, 'vendors', music, laughter and the faint yet constant aroma of hash floating in the air. It is a car free zone that is full of bikes, art and cafes. There is also 'Nemoland'. Here Corey and I found the best food in all of town. So good we even tried going back the next day, from way on the other side of the city, only to find it was closed. This is the sole reason why I need to go back.

 

Me drinking 'Probably The Best Beer In Town' at Nemoland.

 

  

Some graffiti and a philosophy in Freetown.

Our last night there we bunked with a courier guy named Martin whom I met through CouchSurfing. He was so sweet, and although quite shy at first, warmed up after a couple of 'beers'. He even gave up his bed for us and opted to sleep on a cot. It was kinda interesting to notice that Corey and him shared similar features: square dark-framed glasses, dark hair, pointy nose, tall... and a total music nerd. In fact, Martin had a 'copy&paste' checklist of his musical recommendations ready for us, which he promptly sent to Corey after hearing that they shared this mutual love. And, as I write this I am only now realizing the name thing - Corey&Martin (if there is a chance that anyone reads this blog, and a chance that person doesn't know Corey, FYI his last name is Martin). Yeah. Whoa.

Anyway, after more wandering and cruising, Corey and I end up at the neighborhood bar where there are old drunk men lining the counter and a group of twenty-sumthin's in the back corner, too drunk for their age (but we always are). Best of all, there's a FREE JUKEBOX with tons of 80s and 90s classics. An old man sipping on a pint puts on Aneka's, 'Japanese Boy', which is unfortunately followed by the young drunk-girl's pick of Aqua's 'Barbie Girl' (sorry, providing a link just ain't worth it). I believe Corey and I managed to slip Dolly Parton's 'Jolene' in there at some point, which seemed to satisfy the whole entire bar equally. Well done (pat on the back) guys. 4 whiskeys and 4 pints later we are feeling good enough to believe we can actually sleep. Plus, Berlin is awaiting us so it's best to get rested up for another one of those cities that never sleep.

 On the Jukebox behind Corey: Aneka's biggest fan in Denmark.

More storytelling to come.