The Dude...In Berlin

Still hanging out in B-Town, still hot and still loving it! I'm trying to condition myself to sleep in so I can stay up all night for the Love Parade festivities, so it's around noon on Thursday and I just got up. Still groggy from yesterday...well which morphed from the night before. I guess it was Tuesday when I went to the Open Air, which is a concert and movie series by the Berlin Cathedral and Museum. They were showing The Big Labowski outdoors on a giant screen for 7 Euro. So funny, I was rolling, but not after a made a complete dork of myself trying to set up my lounge chair. These German guys became so annoyed with my sad display of stupidity that they just came over and did it for me.

Oh lord, I just sat there babbling in English, saying I was sorry and a complete retard. After that, I made it around to the Ost Zone, which is one of the only Eastern Block bars still left in it's original form. There are all these posters of Marx, Lenin, Trotsky...etc...and it's cold and metal and kind of dirty. My kind of place! Had a beer and just started wandering around for a while when I discovered a little bar called CCCP. It was all red lighting inside and red chairs, decor, etc. Sat there and had a beer, while Rob Zombie's horror flick "The Devil's Rejects" played on a loop in the background and Vlad the owner/barman spun techno and house. Next thing I know, these people walk in, very tattoed, dancing and smiling. There were 2 guys and a girl and then the girl Janet, tells me to join them and the next thing I know there is Vodka sitting in front of me and she tells me that her boyfriend Oscar and his friend Drago and she would like me to join them at her house. Hmmmmmmmmmmm, well, I assure you the idea was not about playing Monopoly, so right about then, Anton the Russian born barman from Cypress sort of rescues me and I just say, "Oh, right, I was here to meet my friend Anton!" and dodged that bullet. We ended up watching the sunrise, eating kebabs and watching SouthPark reruns at the bar.

I ended up walking home around 9 a.m. and took about 5 hours all over the city. Bought some much needed supplies, and then sat and stared at the old Eastern-style apartment buildings. So drab and dreary. What a concept to know that less than 20 years ago this city was divided and a wall separated half the populus. Wow.

Off to CheckPoint Charlie Museum today and then I'm going to see Damian Marley with Fritz. Love Parade starts tomorrow, Michelle "Spikey" from the Scotland trip is joining me tomorrow, with her Kiwi boyfriend Pug. Hope to post soon, but I may get lost for a couple of days...love parade and all! LATERS!