Thursday, September 24, 2009
Ben's European Adventure: Week 2 Update
Guten tag von Berlin, meine Freunde! Yes, I am here in Germany's capital having survived my second conference on the history of science museums. I am now in something of a holding pattern until the researcher I am traveled here to interview returns from his Sommerurlaub. (That's summer vacation for those of you who are less Teutonically inclined.) My accommodations during this leg of the trip are relatively comfortable. I'm staying in the Dahlem neighborhood which is a half hour or so outside the center of town via S-Bahn. Fortunately the train station is a mere 5 minute walk away and this being Berlin, you'd better believe things run on time. The hotel also provides both free breakfast and free wireless access, two things that the dorm room I wound up staying during the second half of my stay in London could not claim.
Also, unlike London, I do not have to travel through a complicated labyrinth up 5 flights of stairs and through no less than, I kid you not, 8 fire doors. Seriously, London? 8 fire doors? I realize that big blaze back in the 17th century was a bit of a downer, but do you really need that much fire protection in a college dormitory? Especially since my room's walls were filled with asbestos. Again, I kid you not. There was a label saying so on the door. I'm glad I got out of there when I did. Any more time in that room and I would have probably received a kindly note that the sheets were covered in Agent Orange and that the towels would release toxic fumes upon getting wet. For my safety of course.
In any event, enough ranting about my crappy conference-provided accommodations. The conference itself was fine and London was great, especially seeing the Sleeper and his wife. (Mrs. Sleeper...?) I really wish that I knew some more people in Berlin. Not because I would want a place to crash per se (though as a grad student, that wouldn't hurt...) but also because there's only so much one can do by oneself in a new city. Yesterday I tried to alleviate this boredom with a walking tour run by a veteran of the British diplomatic service. He advertised it as an all day affair, and he wasn't kidding. We left from near Friedrichstrasse (in the middle of town) around 10:30 and only finished touring after dark around 19:30. In between, we basically saw all of the major sights in Berlin...at least from the outside.
Brandenburg Gate? Check.
Checkpoint Charlie? Check.
Reichstag building? Check.
The only downside was that as the only American on the tour (along with another Brit, two Australians, a pair of Colombians, and a trio of Portuguese girls), I was the subject of constant razzing about our illogical use of language (billion vs. milliard, for example), driving patterns (though I still think that the right-side/left-side split is not as lopsided as he'd have you believe), and shoddy efforts making sure that all the Nazis got their comeuppance after WWII (...paging Dr. Braun, Dr. Werner von Braun...) Still, once I figured out that I could snipe back, things became a little more tolerable, though my feet were incredibly sore and I was surprisingly exhausted by the end. I even slept in today...all the way until 8 AM, which actually may have made my life a little easier considering that the S-Bahn is INCREDIBLY CROWDED during rush hour.
When I finally woke up, I wandered over to a small cemetery a little north of the city center where apparently every famous German who ever lived is buried. Bertolt Brecht is there. So is Hegel. And Emil Du Bois Reymond. What do you mean you don't know about that last guy? He's a famous physiologist. If this grad school thing falls through I may start a company that gives history of science themed tours in major cities around the world. Seriously, there has to be a market!
After visiting the graves of famous Germans and pondering whether or not people would leave rocks on my tombstone two centuries after I died (Answer: Almost certainly not. Tombstones will be replaced with some sort of holographic imaging system in the year 2136. Also, I don't plan to die.) I walked to the natural history museum and saw the world's tallest mounted dinosaur skeleton. My inner six year old was squealing with glee throughout the visit, even as I had to dodge some actual six year olds who were there on a field trip. Sadly, not one seemed to know how to pronounce Archeopteryx...despite the fact that the first specimen of that bird-like dinosaur resides in the museum. I would expect such things back in the States, but not on the Continent.
Then it was off to Museuminsel for lunch (vegetarian Thai green curry...yup, I'm in Germany! I ate a buttered pretzel and a doner kabob yesterday. Hope to have more soon.) and some high culture. Stopped by the Bode Museum to see the fine Byzantine art collection, then strolled over to the Pergamon to gawk at the Ishtar gate and channel my inner 8 year old's love of Greek mythology. (They had a whole exhibit dedicated to the Olympian pantheon with separate rooms for each deity!) Then it was over to the Altes Museum for...more classical sculpture before moving on to the Altes Nationalgallerie for some 19th century works.
By that point, I was so tired I didn't really want to scrounge for food. I would have to pick up something quick (which didn't sound appetizing) or go to a restaurant (which, as mentioned earlier, is no fun to do alone), and since neither option was particularly appealing, I went home. Which is where I am now. The Internet does not work in my room due to distance from the router, but I can just walk down a flight of stairs, which is a big improvement on some of my other Internet options this trip. (Looking at you, Bretagne!) On the other hand, the TV in my room works, so I get to practice my German with dubbed versions of South Park, Law and Order, and Crossing Jordan I doubt that a week in Berlin will severely alter my mastery of German, which I have reconfirmed is embarassingly limited but passable, but it is still fun to practice.
So with that in mind, I think it's time for a quick snack before "Alle lieben Raymond."
Wiedersehen!
Guten tag von Berlin, meine Freunde! Yes, I am here in Germany's capital having survived my second conference on the history of science museums. I am now in something of a holding pattern until the researcher I am traveled here to interview returns from his Sommerurlaub. (That's summer vacation for those of you who are less Teutonically inclined.) My accommodations during this leg of the trip are relatively comfortable. I'm staying in the Dahlem neighborhood which is a half hour or so outside the center of town via S-Bahn. Fortunately the train station is a mere 5 minute walk away and this being Berlin, you'd better believe things run on time. The hotel also provides both free breakfast and free wireless access, two things that the dorm room I wound up staying during the second half of my stay in London could not claim.
Also, unlike London, I do not have to travel through a complicated labyrinth up 5 flights of stairs and through no less than, I kid you not, 8 fire doors. Seriously, London? 8 fire doors? I realize that big blaze back in the 17th century was a bit of a downer, but do you really need that much fire protection in a college dormitory? Especially since my room's walls were filled with asbestos. Again, I kid you not. There was a label saying so on the door. I'm glad I got out of there when I did. Any more time in that room and I would have probably received a kindly note that the sheets were covered in Agent Orange and that the towels would release toxic fumes upon getting wet. For my safety of course.
In any event, enough ranting about my crappy conference-provided accommodations. The conference itself was fine and London was great, especially seeing the Sleeper and his wife. (Mrs. Sleeper...?) I really wish that I knew some more people in Berlin. Not because I would want a place to crash per se (though as a grad student, that wouldn't hurt...) but also because there's only so much one can do by oneself in a new city. Yesterday I tried to alleviate this boredom with a walking tour run by a veteran of the British diplomatic service. He advertised it as an all day affair, and he wasn't kidding. We left from near Friedrichstrasse (in the middle of town) around 10:30 and only finished touring after dark around 19:30. In between, we basically saw all of the major sights in Berlin...at least from the outside.
Brandenburg Gate? Check.
Checkpoint Charlie? Check.
Reichstag building? Check.
The only downside was that as the only American on the tour (along with another Brit, two Australians, a pair of Colombians, and a trio of Portuguese girls), I was the subject of constant razzing about our illogical use of language (billion vs. milliard, for example), driving patterns (though I still think that the right-side/left-side split is not as lopsided as he'd have you believe), and shoddy efforts making sure that all the Nazis got their comeuppance after WWII (...paging Dr. Braun, Dr. Werner von Braun...) Still, once I figured out that I could snipe back, things became a little more tolerable, though my feet were incredibly sore and I was surprisingly exhausted by the end. I even slept in today...all the way until 8 AM, which actually may have made my life a little easier considering that the S-Bahn is INCREDIBLY CROWDED during rush hour.
When I finally woke up, I wandered over to a small cemetery a little north of the city center where apparently every famous German who ever lived is buried. Bertolt Brecht is there. So is Hegel. And Emil Du Bois Reymond. What do you mean you don't know about that last guy? He's a famous physiologist. If this grad school thing falls through I may start a company that gives history of science themed tours in major cities around the world. Seriously, there has to be a market!
After visiting the graves of famous Germans and pondering whether or not people would leave rocks on my tombstone two centuries after I died (Answer: Almost certainly not. Tombstones will be replaced with some sort of holographic imaging system in the year 2136. Also, I don't plan to die.) I walked to the natural history museum and saw the world's tallest mounted dinosaur skeleton. My inner six year old was squealing with glee throughout the visit, even as I had to dodge some actual six year olds who were there on a field trip. Sadly, not one seemed to know how to pronounce Archeopteryx...despite the fact that the first specimen of that bird-like dinosaur resides in the museum. I would expect such things back in the States, but not on the Continent.
Then it was off to Museuminsel for lunch (vegetarian Thai green curry...yup, I'm in Germany! I ate a buttered pretzel and a doner kabob yesterday. Hope to have more soon.) and some high culture. Stopped by the Bode Museum to see the fine Byzantine art collection, then strolled over to the Pergamon to gawk at the Ishtar gate and channel my inner 8 year old's love of Greek mythology. (They had a whole exhibit dedicated to the Olympian pantheon with separate rooms for each deity!) Then it was over to the Altes Museum for...more classical sculpture before moving on to the Altes Nationalgallerie for some 19th century works.
By that point, I was so tired I didn't really want to scrounge for food. I would have to pick up something quick (which didn't sound appetizing) or go to a restaurant (which, as mentioned earlier, is no fun to do alone), and since neither option was particularly appealing, I went home. Which is where I am now. The Internet does not work in my room due to distance from the router, but I can just walk down a flight of stairs, which is a big improvement on some of my other Internet options this trip. (Looking at you, Bretagne!) On the other hand, the TV in my room works, so I get to practice my German with dubbed versions of South Park, Law and Order, and Crossing Jordan I doubt that a week in Berlin will severely alter my mastery of German, which I have reconfirmed is embarassingly limited but passable, but it is still fun to practice.
So with that in mind, I think it's time for a quick snack before "Alle lieben Raymond."
Wiedersehen!
Comments:
Living in Europe, you learn to snipe back at all the little silly things people from other countries have to say about America and Americans. But "milliard"? the fuck is that?
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