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February 13, 2006
Hip in Berlin
After an excruciating 8 hour train ride, I met up with Roya in Berlin on Thursday night. We were staying in the very fashionable Prenzlauer Berg district, an up and coming section of East Berlin that houses the very hip and artistic Aurora Hostel, definitely one of the nicest hostels I've ever stayed at (except for the very unfortunate lack of hot water in the late morning hours).
Our extended weekend was jam-packed with activities, which could be generalized as "The Weekend in Which Roya and Jen Looked for Jazz, Failed Miserably, and Yet Managed to Have a Great Time". These adventures included:
Friday
On Friday we did our major sightseeing, (after a quick but yummy lunch at Malzcafe), with a visit to Checkpoint Charlie and its associated musuem. We also strolled by Brandenburg Gate, and looked at one of the spots where the Berlin Wall once stood.
We heard that Berlin was a great place to hear jazz, so we used the Tip Berlin Magazine to track down multiple places to hear some live music. Friday night, after a decadent meal at Olivia, we set off to explore.
First we hit the Firebar, which turned out to be WAY too young for us, in addition to playing 30-second bits of remixed music that certainly did not qualify as jazz, unless Britney Spears has suddenly changed genres. Saddened, but thoroughly enjoying my caipirinha, we moved on to the Yorckschlösschen, where we JUST missed the end of the set (but didn't have to pay the cover charge, so it worked out ok). Instead, we got another round of drinks and sat down to plan our next move--made easier when we got acquainted with the jazz pianist who accompanied us to the next place on our list, Tango Vivo Salsa Viva. In what was beginning to be a trend, it was closed. Undeterred, our new friend took us to a local hangout, HotelBar where we found our groove and danced until 4 a.m.
Saturday
After a period of recovery, we embarked on another adventure Satruday afternoon. We started with a long walk around East Berlin, stopping at the local open air market and an English secondhand bookstore (as well as at least 2 coffees--every few steps we felt the need to come in from the cold). Nevertheless, by evening we were game to try another round of "find the live jazz". We began with Scotch and Sofa, a forgettable place where we were told that "the music man sleeps long" as the reason the advertised music hadn't started an hour and a half after we got there. We moved on to Red Rooster, which also showed no signs of live music. We decided to call it quits, and headed back to the hostel, making a quick stop at Sharazad, a shisha place next door. In bed by 2 a.m., we were determined to make the most of Sunday jazz opportunities.
Sunday
Apparently, Sunday brunch with live jazz is a common event in Berlin and we had three places to choose from. We opted for Harlem, wandering about starving until we located its locked doors. Apparently, they had cancelled their Sunday brunched, but failed to inform the Tip Berlin Magazine. Fortunately, Roya and I were saved from cannabalism by finding a charming cafe (whose name I can't remember) down a few blocks, where we indulged in a scrumptious repast.
The goal of the day was to see a movie, and we successfully bought tickets (two hours early!) to see Memoirs of a Geisha. After sipping away the intervening hours with yet another latte, we found ourselves sitting in the theatre with 10 minutes to spare when suddenly it occurred to us to ask if the movie was in English (with German subtitles). No luck--the move was dubbed. The movie theatre people were very nice, gave us a full refund, and sent us off to Potsdamer Platz where the movies retain their original language.
Little did we know that Berlin was in the violent throes of the 56th Annual Berlin Film Festival--taking place in the very same Potzdamer Platz we arrived at a mere 30 minutes later in search of a Hollywood epic. We opted instead for an independent film from Singapore called 4:30. I even managed to ask the director a question, in my mind the most important question of the film.
QUESTION: WHAT DOES THE MAN SAY TO THE BOY WHEN THEY ARE SITTING ON THE STEPS?
Answer: When the person you love dies, where do they go?
It made so many things clear, while still leaving the film ambiguous enough to allow the audience to create its own meaning and interpretation. Of course, the director immediately regretted telling the answer, and vowed that it would be the only time he did so. I felt quite smug! Anyway, I liked it, and highly recommend it, even if it was a little sad and depressing.
From the movies, Roya was insistent on trying to conquer our jazz demons one more time, so we headed off to Unique Music Lounge--arriving after nearly an hour to find that it is closed on Sunday nights. Our last shot was the A-Trane, a place the jazz piano player from Friday had recommended for its improv jam sessions on Friday night. All we knew was that it was at the same subway stop as the Unique Music Lounge, so we ended up asking half a dozen people before getting proper directions. Of course, when we got there (surprised, dear reader?), we found that--although there was indeed live music coming from inside the club--the set had only 10 minutes left. We shelled out the 3 Euros to get in, only to discover that the band, called Interplay, really was shilling a brand of "funk bossa jazz" that was, ahem, not to my liking. Thankfully it was over quite quickly, and although it ended our search for live jazz in Berlin on a low note, Roya and I managed to have an interesting conversation about American foreign policy (well, it left her pretty depressed, but I thought it was interesting).
Our dawdling over bad jazz meant that we had missed the last subway train (by 2 hours) and ended up taking a taxi home, with only 3 hours to sleep until we packed our things and headed our separate ways.
Monday
There were no real adventures today (except for the trials and tribulations of trying to pay the bill when the hostel reception wasn't open on time and I was late in getting to the airport, only to have the flight delayed), and I'm now sitting back in Budapest, where I started this grand adventure. The late-night activities have left me sleepy, so I'm off to take a nap before enjoying a nice hot shower. And before I know it, I'll be back on the plane to D.C., with dreams of my next trip dancing in my head.
I've missed you all, dear readers, and I'm looking forward to blogging from the comfort of my own room in just a few short hours!
