German and English do not sound anything alike and I don´t care that they share the same roots...

I get along better speaking to my Italian friends with their awful Spanish and no English than I did following conversations in German.  Not that I don´t like it... I would actually love to study the language... but my good greif is it difficult!

It was very strange being in a country where (a) they didn´t speak English or Spanish and (b) everyone assumed I spoke German because of how I looked.  I usually have to convince people to speak to me in Spanish because I don´t look like I would speak it... and in Berlin I had to be one of those idiots with a confused look and just say ¨English? Spanish? No Deutch Bitte... Danke¨ I mean how embarrassing!

I did enjoy myself, though... ran on delirium and caffinated tea but it was wonderful.

I stayed with a friend, Sebastian, who had just moved into a new apartment in a largely Turkish part of town (Falafels at my fingertips can be dangerous to the waistline).  The penthouse apartment appeared to have been previously inhabited by a group of communal-living-hippie-artists.  A great living/dining room/ kitchen set up with incredible tall ceilings and giant windows that we sat in to watch the bundled up people scurry through the streets below.  Five bedrooms with a kind of bunk set up... like I said the ceilings had to have been about 15 feet tall so there was a semi-second floor in each of the rooms where the beds were so everyone has their own mini-living area.  The bathroom area, and I say area because it was just as large as the dining/kitchen area and included another living area... complete with the couch next to the claw-footed bathtub.  Open the door and to get to the living/bathing area you have to go up about 5 stairs... cleanliness on a pedestal... so that there is no hiding.  We love our bodies! The sinks were the old-fashioned dorm or locker room style type... cement with the trough below and the three-spicket double sided faucets above.  The decor was enviable... left behind bongos hanging from the ceiling, old posters from rallys and exhibitions, a homemade throne (oversized just like Edith Ann/Lily Tomlin would have liked it), inspiring quotes scribbled on the walls... and so much more. Makes my brand-spankin-new flat look cold and boring and in need of a love/hate relationship... that or some hallucinogenic substances.

My main reason for going to Berlin... other than to buy a €5 postcard with a microscopic piece of the Berlin Wall (which I did NOT do, don´t fret)... was to see the Manu Chao concert. I got to the arena... just an enormous warehouse, basically, with a stage set up at one end, at about 19:15 and it was basically empty so I plopped myself down on the floor just in front of the stage.  Some mediocre guys opened, who are apparently really big in Berlin, and I was enjoying my spot just in front of the police barricades... then Manu started to play and the barrier soon became wedged between my ribcage and my lungs while everyone else who was behind me... now a huge amount of people... all tried at once to get into my spot. I took some photos, some videos, got spit on, sweat on and then made my way to the people who wanted to actually see the entertainment and not just swap body oder with others. So glad that I went... not the highlight of the trip because all of it was great... but worth it.

I went with Sebastian to one of his friends party and it turned out to be a costume party... there were grocery carts loaded with random items and everyone had to put something on... if you loved your costume you could pay €1 for each item and then wear it around the city when you left.  The best part is someone was wearing a Tennessee flag! I took a picture with her and then we took the flag to add to the decor of Sebastian´s apartment...

So much more to say but now I have to get some things in order before I head out tomorrow evening for Portugal... there is a long break for All Saint´s Day and Katie, Luis, his roommates and I are all going to Lisbon and Porto for a few days... more on that later...

Love from here... a birthday hug to Lucy and a big kiss to Jennie and Chad... CONGRATS NEWLYWEDS! (<--to be read on Saturday, October 3)

missing you and the Tennessee Autumn...

xox