Springtime for Germany!

I don't know when the transition happened, but today was the most beautifully warm sunny day yet.  Good thing I had to stay in all day to prepare two presentations.  However, in the evening I went to the opera and saw Macbeth! (and saw happy outdoor children EVERYWHERE on the train ride there) Turns out I don't remember as much from high school as I thought I did, and the German subtitled Italian singing as well as the strange but cool modern adaptation wasn't exactly conducive to a better understanding of why exactly the portrait could suddenly bleed and zoom in.
It was great though!

Ori!

Written on Friday, March 16th... (this is the first time I've had internet in a while)

I just had the most fantastic week with Ori, who made the wonderful decision to come visit me that I am incredibly appreciative of.  Aside from the various delicious eateries, historical attractions, and markets we visited, it was incredibly nice to simply wander around aimlessly with my best friend who I know is enjoying the wandering just as much as me (apart from the cold that he was inexcusably unappreciative of…)

One of the restaurants that stood out was a café called Anna Blume, named after the Kurt Schwitters poem, (the initial reason I wanted to go there) which turned out to be incredible.  We ordered this three-tiered plate of fruit, vegetables, lox, bread, cheese, wonderful things, and more.  All the components were prepared with so much individual delicious care and it was therefore the most beautifully satisfying thing. 

It was a pretty sucky goodbye, but I had to leave Berlin on Friday morning for Nuremberg, so that’s where my current whereabouts are.  In a few days we go to Prague! (I am actually currently in Prague.  More on Nuremberg and Prague at a later date).

So I uploaded these pictures kind of backwardsly, and I don't trust the computer or my computer skills to work together to fix the problem.  They will stay in this order. 

On the second to last day Ori was here I had an excursion with my German class that he joined us on.  We took a tour of the street art in East Berlin, and even though I've been in the general area where a lot of the art was, I still hadn't seen a bunch of it.  It was pretty cool. 

Tacheles is this coool kind of abandoned building, covered in graffiti, that a bunch of artists squat in and display their art.  I've been there a bunch of times and there is always something very interesting and weird on display.  I founds this sticker outside a vegetarian döner place.  I was excited.  

The East Side Gallery... Take two!

Anna Blume and the three tiered plates of wonder

Ori loving the crisp Berlin air

A strange choice on my part- for Ori's first meal in Berlin I took him to a Vegetarian döner place called Vöner.  It was delicious, but consisted of modified Turkish food.  

A random park with nice graffiti in East Berlin

Taking a break from tomatocheesecrackers

All in all, a productive Sunday in Berlin, minus any profound cultural experiences.  I did watch an American movie with Dutch subtitles though.  I even read them occasionally (Dutch=German plus random Js).  In addition, last night I went with some friends to get really delicious Korean food, at a restaurant mostly staffed by non-Koreans. The day before I went to a music festival at which I saw Italian, English, and French bands.  Earlier this week I went salsa dancing and visited a semi-abandoned building filled with artists, so I don't always stay inside and avoid profundity while trying to produce strange concoctions consisting of the various random ingredients I happen to have.  My friend who usually helps me destroy my kitchen is especially talented in the destruction portion of the projects, as well as the creativity. 

I also spent four hours at the Sachsenhausen concentration camp in Oranienburg on Friday.  It was an interesting experience to walk around and learn about a concentration camp filled with devastating Jewish history with friends who aren't Jewish, instead of my family members who probably have similar feelings when they walk through places like these.  Strange, but interesting.

Possibly Tilapia with potatoes, sauteed onions, and mushrooms 

 As well as...

Apples covered in Nutella, caramelized sugar, and berry müsli