As is common with many exchanges, I walked out of it with a smile on my face and sick the day after. I was glad to get out of London, quick trip to Paris and then off to Berlin. Berlin is a beautiful city that has worked very hard to remove the dark scar of Wars long past. And it’s done a fantastic job.
I hobbled my way to a bike tour around Berlin in the morning only to find out that our guide was sick and hospitalized. Most of us waiting around went our separate ways, but me and this guy from S. Korea walked around and chatted. He used to be in the Korean Military and after some discussion about my favorite Korean movie (Attack the Gas Station), he actually has done PAGOOO!!!
It’s been validated! This actually does happen! He had to stick his hands behind his back, and then balance himself using only his head and the tips of his toes with his butt in the air, making a perfect upside-down V. Try this at home. I’m sure you’ll be amazed at how difficult it really is.
Afterwards, we parted as I went back to the hostel, crawled into my top bunk and crashed for about 12 hours. When I crawled down, I woke up the person below me, I apologized and realized, it was the same Korean guy from yesterday. Crazy! We laughed about this and then headed back out to the bike tour area again for another chance.
It was lead by a spunky Sweed who told us the story of the Berlin Wall collapse and how (if the story is true. I’ll have to Wikipedia it) it was all 100% unintentional. There was a plan to remove travel restrictions between East & West Berlin; however, it was part of a long plan with practically impossible hoops to follow, years worth of paper filing, and an outstanding cost to the process. But during the press conference, the leader of East Berlin only read some part of his news notes and permanently removed travel restrictions. And thus the wall collapsed. Le oops!
I’m now heading to Amsterdam where I’m going to spend a night with the other guest I met from LLX. Gotta love the Lindy housing network. Tomorrow, I meet up with my mom who’s visiting the Netherlands for the Budding of the Tulips.
One interesting note of national profiling I’ve learned is that our Swedish tour guide would get scowls and rougher service when she’d talk in English with a slight American accent. But when she told them that she was from Sweden, they immediate apologized. It’s amazing how much Bush is really hated outside of America. It makes me sad that America has created such disdain. (Many of which have currencies stronger than ours. Sorry guys, but the almighty American dollar isn’t worth much out here.) I hope that we can mend this international relationship soon.
I also found out that the Germans really don’t love David Hasselhoff. It was just that one song. Riiiiiight.
April 19th, on a train from Berlin to Amsterdam