Day 18 & 19- Berlin

Hello from Berlin! I'm happy to say that my second venture into Germany this time around has been much more rewarding. Better city, better food, and an awesome and adorable host!

Yesterday I got up at 5am after talking and drinking with Ditte until 1. Fun times! Thankfully, after a bit of a wait, the bus to Berlin showed up and I was able to sleep in grand style- holy smokes, that was a nice bus! Not only was it from the Larsen bus company, but it was double-decker with fully reclining seats. Score one for Denmark! I snoozed comfortably until we got back on the ferry, which was gross. The inside stank of perfume from the duty-free shop and when I went outside for some fresh ocean air, the decks were packed with people smoking like there was no tomorrow. When I finally found a comfy seat far away from the perfume store, I sat down and it stunk of dirty dog. Bleah! Naturally, I was thrilled that we took a different route and were on the ferry four times longer than the trip to Copenhagen from Hamburg.

A few hours later I was in Berlin and received a warm welcome from Marijke, an awesome vegan who used to work as an au pair in San Francisco! We never got to meet over there because she was there during the time I was working at No on 8, and we all know how my social life disappeared between September and November last year! We did realize we were both at the Sarah Kramer book signing, although we didn't know each other then.

Marijke promptly took me to a shop where we had vegan sorbet (I had lime) and then walked around the corner to Veni, Vidi, Veggie, a vegan grocery store, where I loaded up on cheezly, tartex, gravy powder, patches... you get the idea. Then we went back to hers in the former DDR! That's right, Marijke lives five minutes from the wall, which we passed on the way.

After freshening up, we took a short trip to the neighborhood which boasts a lot of vegan eateries, such as hot dog soup, yoyo cafe, and cupcake, as well as some cute little shops featuring goods made by local designers. After a bit of shopping, we pigged out at Yoyo Cafe- I had some sort of faux chicken-cheeseburger thing with what seemed like ten kilos of french fries. Oh my god was it good, and only 5 euros! Of course we needed dessert, so we headed around the corner to Cupcake, a bakery that offers several vegan options. I went for the blueberry pie with soya whipped cream, and Marijke had apple. We both had milschkaffe, which I probably spelled wrong, but it's the first time I've ever had it, so hey!

Marijke had plans to visit her boyfriend and attend a rock festival, so I had the apartment to myself! I threw a wild party (watched a movie and passed out).

This morning, I slept in blissfully. After fixing a little breakfast of raspberries and bananas in soy yogurt, I headed back to the Yoyo cafe-area to visit the Sunday flea market! It was very cool. If you live in Berlin, it's probably nothing special, but like the first time I visited the Temple Street market in Hong Kong, I was entertained by the sight of Communist trinkets and funky, blocky, functional designs. I was tempted by a lot of things- old Braun coffee grinders, German army gas masks, and an original ALF* soundtrack cassette tape, to name a few- but ended up getting a few small things to remember Berlin by, including original 1980s Adam Ant patches!

I grabbed a quick bite at Hot Dog Soup, a Brazilian hot dog. I forget what made it especially Brazilian, but it was good! Then I finished up with some coffee and the apple pie at Cupcake. Their crust is to die for. Oh yeah, but that didn't stop me from having some berry sorbet in a cone from a local ice cream shop.

I decided to take a walk to the wall, and ended up at the East Side gallery, a 1.5k-long stretch of the wall that is actually under preservation orders from the government. In 1990, artists from over 100 countries were invited to come and paint the wall in celebration of the reunification of Germany. It was restored in 2000, and by the looks of some of the scaffolding and one artist I saw, it's being restored again today. The reason is that every jackass tourist who manages to schlep their ass onto a plane thinks that this monumental feat of human ingenuity is as historically relevant as the day the wall fell, and have proceeded to scrawl names, dates, and twee slogans ("united we stand, divided we fall" - oh, really? How original) all over the work of far superior artists. All this despite signs asking people to respect the art. In some areas the original art has all but disappeared under signatures from Tina Magruder of Palestine, Texas ("I made it!"), "ENGLAND," and entreaties not to drink and drive but "smoke marijuana and fly!" People are morons.

I walked back along the West side, then collapsed in the apartment for a couple of hours. Then I mustered the strength to return to Vöner, a vegan doner shop! Not only is their logo and artwork totally awesome, but they actually make a seitan-mix "meat" in the shape of a traditional doner and put it on a rotating spit! The novelty of it blew my mind. I ate in a nearby park where folks were outside, enjoying the fact that the 60% chance of rain hadn't really materialized beyond a few weak sprinkles. Yum!

I chose a bad time to visit Berlin- although I managed to have a pretty kick-ass kick-aß day, most shops are still closed on Sundays- it's actually in the German constitution that Sundays should be a day of rest! And tomorrow is a holiday. So if I do any shopping, it will have to be before my flight on Tuesday. Tomorrow there is a cultural diversity festival, though, and that looks to be fun. There's always plain old walking around and seeing the sights- that's free and never closes.

*the Alien Life Form who eats cats, not the masked anarchists who free cats.

Day 17- Copenhagen

I had no idea what to expect from Copenhagen- last time I was here was in 1993, and I was 13. My parents and I had taken the ferry from Sweden over on our way to Spain on Eurorail. All I really saw was a bunch of drunk dudes in front of the ferry terminal. 

Sixteen years later, the drunk dudes are still plentiful, but I was totally flabberghasted by how completely beautiful and awesome Copenhagen was! I owe major thanks to Ditte, my most awesome host and fellow vegan, who showed me around her beautiful city in grand style. 

We started with a walk towards the downtown from her new apartment, near the legendary old Ungdomshuset, a long-lasting squat, punk house, political education center for young people, and venue for punk shows that was sadly evicted a few years ago. Ditte used to live there and was actively involved in the fight to save it! Sadly, the government sold the house to a Christian sect. The new Ungdomshuset it outside of the city in an isolated area, but Ditte predicts that at the rate of Copenhagen's expansion, it will be central within ten years, just like the old Ungdomshuset.

Ditte is still involved in worthy causes, such as the plight of some 70-odd Iraqi asylum seekers who are facing deportation. They have taken shelter in the basement of a nearby church and Ditte volunteers with them. With the upcoming EU elections, I have seen a couple of ads from the train and the bus of some guy and the slogan "Give us Denmark back." Ditte confirmed my suspicions that it is the slogan of the ultra-right wing party with racist intentions. In retaliation, the supporters of these Iraqi asylum seekers have posted look-alike posters of some of the asylum seekers and the same slogan- "give us Denmark back." It's great! Here is one of them, featuring Bisian, who is only 14 years old and has spent ten years of her life in an asylum-seekers camp in Denmark. I got to meet her later on.

Copenhagen, like the parts of The Netherlands that I've seen, is filled with beautiful canals and bays!

Denmark has very strict food laws! As a result, you see a lot more healthy snacks around, such as these fruit cups delivered by bicycle!

The old stock exchange, which features a very cool tower made up of the tails of four dragons.

We took a boat tour for only DEK 30! Here's Ditte enjoying the beautiful sunshine:

The "new harbor," which is actually quite old. Hans Christian Andersen used to live on this street, but his old house was under renovation and covered with plastic. But here's another pretty photo, you get the idea!

Copenhagen's new Opera House, which looks remarkably like the Hong Kong Convention Centre.

These were built in the early 19th century to hide the Danish fleet from the British, who stole the previous fleet. Those dastardly limeys! Now they are fancy schmancy apartments.

The royal yacht! Ooh la la. There are two sailors whose job it is to just stand around on the yacht and wave to tourists.

Havfruen, aka The Little Mermaid! The real story is much more dark and depressing than the Disney version- she dies of a broken heart, for example. The sculptor was inspired by the lead dancer of the ballet by the same name, with whom he fell in love. She refused to be his model, however, so he had to settle for his wife instead. Life's tough.

According to the tour guide, Havfruen has had a tough life- she's been decapitated twice, blown up into the air, and had a bikini painted on her. She's taking a year-long vacation to China next year as part of a cultural exchange. 

Lots of cool houseboats in Copenhagen- like this one!

The spire of a church- the architect envisioned the staircase going counter-clockwise so you could hold the railing with your left hand and hold your sword with your right. The builders did it the other way around, however. A rumor started that he was so distraught that he climbed to the top and jumped to his death, but this is a legend only- he went on to build later buildings in Copenhagen.

Some of the bridges we passed under were quite low!

Another cute little street.

the "Black Diamond," a new addition to the library.

This is a hotel! I want to stay there! The boat behind it is a famous restaurant.

Check out my new home! This boat is for sale. 

BLAAAARGH!

Woo Scandinavia!

Look at this cute old house! It no longer has any right angles!

After the boat tour, we walked through Christiania, the most awesome neighborhood in the world. It used to be a naval compound, which fell into disuse, until 1971, when a bunch of hippies squatted the land and built their own houses. Today, Christiania boasts 900 people, its own flag, and a long waiting list of would-be residents. It is a totally autonomous entity with collective decision-making and DIY housing. It's beautiful and awesome, and a wonderful example of what our societies could be! Sadly, Christiania just lost a court decision and evictions have been ordered. They won't go without a fight, though!

Without any cars, it's difficult to believe that Chrisitiania is pretty much in the center of Denmark's biggest city.

We stopped at a vegetarian restaurant where Ditte used to work and loaded up on fuel! It has a beautiful garden and the sun was shining. Yum yum!

OMG! Baby horses! In the middle of the city! There were two mamas and two babies. This is just so damn awesome I can't believe it.

There's a beautiful canal that ends in a pond. A few of Christiania's luckiest residents have built unique but subtle homes on the shore. 

The tower of the Radisson and the sight of cars rushing by in the distance is the only reminder that you're in the middle of Copenhagen.

A common garden snail in Denmark- but unique to me!

I was sad to leave Christiania and re-enter normal society! But there is some cool stuff in central Copenhagen too, I GUESS.

On the way back we swung by Ditte's work, a vocational and alternative high school for at-risk youth. She occasionally fills in for the cooking teacher and gets the kids interested in vegan food! Here she is in her 'office.'

The school, which also hosts a hostel and teaches hospitality industry skills to the kids, has an ecological focus. Here the kids have come up with slogans to promote environmentalism. It's so cool!

The art students have been allowed to decorate the staircase- some of them are really talented!

Sadly, this is the sight that greeted us in Ditte's neighborhood when we got back. There are a lot of middle-eastern immigrants in her neighborhood, and the local Hell's Angels members often come to this street and randomly shoot anyone middle-eastern looking, the stupid assholes. This time they shot two men in an internet cafe- the third time they've struck at that business. Bunch of stupid fuckwads!

I can't believe what a fantastic day it's been- I definitely want to come back again and spend more than a day here! Ditte's been a remarkable host and it's been really fun to finally meet her! Tomorrow I head to Berlin, and on to the last leg of my journey. I'm excited to see Berlin, and also happy that my travels are nearly over- it's been a great couple of weeks, but I'm ready to be at home with my boyfriend and my dog again!

Day 16- Helsingborg and Crazy Beach

Today was awesome! Maria and I started the day by going to Framtiden ('the future'), an epic flea market five minutes outside of Helsingborg. I bought way too much amazing crap, but that's ok, because I bought a second suitcase, too! I very much look forward to getting home and listening to my 45 of Swedish men singing Hank Williams' "Jambalaya" in my fuschia dress with silver trim. Oh, and I got one of those awesome nut grinders, yay!

Afterwards we met up with Kalle again and took our American soccer mom-mobile (a Chrysler station wagon, awesome!) way up north to Mölle, where there is a nature preserve and a very special beach, for a picnic.

The flag of the Skåne region of Sweden is a combination of the Danish and Swedish flags, because at various times it has been a part of either country and also an independent nation in its own right.

We took about a twenty-minute hike out to the beach.

Along the way we passed these traditional farm houses:

I took a Swedish metal picture in the woods for Pranjal:

Maria and Kalle on the trail:

Some totem poles! OK, maybe not authentic but fun all the same:

A little beetle that has a beautiful blue belly (don't worry, this one was alive!):

Here's our destination! This incredible maze of tunnels, pathways, and towers was built entirely out of driftwood by this crazy artist named Lars Viljks. He also has his own country where you can apply for citizenship and choose your own title (ie Lord, Empress, Grand Inquisitor). Oh, and he made a dog sculpture in the image of Mohammed in a roundabout in Helsingborg. The Muslim community was not amused (not only are dogs considered unclean in Islam, but it is forbidden to create a 'graven image' of the prophet) and a price of his body weight in gold was placed on his head. 

Check out this crazy cloud!

Viljks also made this smaller structure out of bricks and mortar on the same beach:

He placed a lot of random things in the mortar, such as a pitchfork:

He also placed some personal items in the mortar in little secret alcoves. It forces you to really be present and look at the work, it's incredible! Kalle says his wedding ring is in there somewhere, but I didn't see it. Here's what I did see: a watch...

some keys...

a bobby pin...

and the jawbone of a horse!

We were flabberghasted when Lars himself popped up with his toolbelt to maintain the driftwood structure. He's your standard-issue aloof Swede, with some crazy thrown in. 

In one of the driftwood tunnels, he's nailed some books to the walls. It's a cool little place to sit and read if you so desire.

Mom, look away now! I decided to climb one of the towers, undeterred by the howling winds that were creating spectacular waves. Like the brick structure, the driftwood sculptures enforce a sense of being in the moment- there is no one 'path' to take, and no clear markings where one should step. In that sense, you truly forge your own path. I really liked it!

Your father stinks of elberberries! I fart in your general direction!

Neee!

Tomorrow I leave my beloved Sweden to go to Copenhagen for the day! Then on to Berlin, the last leg of my journey.