Maria has an app that tells us our train numbers and times to board so she said we had to get on a train at 7:45. She didn't know what platform our train was on so she wanted to get to the station early. I've got to be lugging around 40 pounds in my suitcase. Her's must weight over 60 (I am not exaggerating). ALSO, my suitcase wheel is absolutely destroyed. Just destroyed to bits.
How am I gonna be an optimist about this?
AND I have very little upper body strength. What I'm getting at is I don't have the energy to lug around a giant suitcase with a broken wheel through Copenhagen. I physically can't.
So we went to the train station (me dragging my suitcase and hoping by some struck of luck my second wheel doesn't do what its brother did) which is a 10 minute walk. We get there and look for our platform and can't find it and Maria is freaking out just like yesterday. So we leave the train station and go back to the place where the train dropped us off yesterday. We're walking down the streets and it is just nasty. I hope to god I was in a bad part of Copenhagen because this town smells like piss. There were bums and homeless people, sure, but no more than any other country I've been in. But oh my god the smell of urine was strong.
"Something is rotten in the state of Denmark." I told Maria, hoping she would get my quote. She either didn't get it or didn't hear me because she was still freaking out and we had to pay attention where we stepped. There was broken glass everywhere. Oh Copenhagen....
We got to where we were dropped off and there was nothing there. Just a platform. So we went back to the train station. At this point I'm dying. I can't keep carrying my bag and Maria was freaking out. I know I keep saying freaking out but I don't know what else to call it. The information desk wasn't open and she couldn't communicate to me what she was trying to do.
We get back to the train station at 7 and waited in front of a monitor that tells you when trains are leaving. I have never been on a train before this trip. This is all brand spanking new to me. Maria is the "expert" in that area. While she was sending me into an internal anxiety attack, I saw that they only had trains displayed until 7:30. So we waited 15 minutes. Maria got a coffee (although homegirl didn't need it, damn) and I couldn't get anything because I have no Danish krones even though I was hungry and it was all very sad and pathetic for me.
Around 7:20 our train showed up on the menu! Hallelujah amen. We got to our station and it was crowded. Apparently today is a holiday in Denmark (I looked it up and it's Constitution Day). It was a 3 day weekend. And it was crowded. At 7:50 we all tried to get on the train.
Since we have big old bags of luggage, we have to get on the train and find a spot to put them. That's hard to do because a lot of other people are doing the same thing and there is limited space for luggage. There is also limited space for walking. There isn't room for two people to walk down a train aisle. It sucks and I hate it.
Long story short, we couldn't find a seat. So we stood in the corner near this little coffee and snacks kiosk looking all sad and pathetic. A very nice guy offered us his seat at this little tiny table meant for people to stop at to put cream in their coffee before leaving to go to their actual seat. There's room for 1.5 people. A small-ish person could tuck their suitcase under the table and sit on the seat. Cramped but it worked for me. Maria took the other seat.
I love trains.
A guy came over. He was our age and had curly dark, shaggy hair and a giant backpack on. He kinda laughed at our situation and we laughed at his because despite our seats sucking at least we had seats. This dude didn't. Maria got uncomfortable sitting so she sat on her suitcase and this dude took her seat next to me.
Then we made friends with him. He was from Finland but born in Russia and was hopping around Europe like us. We talked and made lots of jokes. I guess Maria and I were very entertaining to him. He kept saying how he had never met "real Americans" like us and that she and I were like a cartoon show. I thought he was being stupid but when we were talking about the Berlin wall Maria recalled "Yeah, I remember when that came down..."
I cast her some side eye. Maria is several months younger than me and I was born three years after the wall came down.
It made me think. Maria and I are kind of funny. We laugh a lot. Maybe I should start putting our conversations into the blog. Anyways, our new buddy was cool.
"Look, it's those big air things!" His English was A+
A train employee came around and checked our tickets. All three of us had a eurail pass and not one of us had filled ours out (they'e a bit excessive and pointless to fill out at a certain point). The train employee said we were going to be fined 100 euros for not filling it out. I grabbed a pen from my bag and started writing like mad. Maria didn't have a pen so she asked the guy "Do you take credit cards?" The guy paused. Then he said "Fill it out before I get back." Obviously they did not take credit cards.
It was scary because I only have 20 euros and no one had asked us to fill it out before. These eurails make us feel like hobos hopping onto a train when we shouldn't be. We don't have assigned seats, we use our luggage as chairs, and we have to sit next to a coffee kiosk where we're out of everyone's way. It makes you feel like you don't belong even though you do and everything is fine.
We laughed and hung out more and then the train pulled into a dark warehouse. The three of us had no idea what was going on so a lady (she must have noticed we were confused) explained that we had to exit the train and leave our luggage. Everyone left the train and we had to walk in this weird warehouse building and it felt like I was walking to the gas chambers. It was just so strange. The lady explained to us we have to remember what section of the train we got off was and what door we were going through now. I took pictures and then we went through this door that led up a long flights of stairs. It was so confusing.
When we got to the top we saw that we were on a boat. A boat! We were on a train and that train pulled onto a boat and that boat took sail! What a crazy time to be alive.
Us three went outside and to the top to look at the water and feel the wind.
I'm on a boat!
We hung out up there before getting bored and Maria and I left. She and I went downstairs to find a bathroom. While I was in the bathroom I noticed how the ferry sways. It's not hardcore and rocky or anything. It just catches you off balance a little, shifts your weight side to side.
It's important I note that because when we left the bathroom we saw a man lying on the ground covered in blood. He had probably fallen and hit his head. A few people were with him, holding a cloth to his head. The cloth was soaked in blood and the ground had a puddle of blood around him. The guy wasn't moaning or crying out. He was quiet and still. Everyone was being very calm and a crowd hadn't really formed. I had to force myself to walk away. I hate people who just stand around and watch like some good show is on and I can't be a hypocrite.
The bleeding man was eventually wheeled away by the ferry staff. I had to walk by where he was and there was pinkish smears on the ground where blood had been hastily wiped off.
At 10:30 we got back on the train. Maria and I went back to our little spot and our Finland friend joined us. We got to land and the train pulled out of the ferry and we left.
Eventually we made it to Germany. Guards came on the bus and didn't say or do anything but did some walk through. We spent hours with our new friend. We talked about everything from Bob's Burgers to the magic of numbers (calculus and physics). It was all very fun and wasn't sexual or uncomfortable. Maria asked for his name at one point, long after the point of when you should ask someone's name. He gave us some bullshit answer and I did the same for when he asked ours.
We were talking about music and Bruno Mars and Uptown Funk and how great that song is. Maria wouldn't joined in, but there was an impromptu singing of Uptown Funk in our little hobo section of the train. Our new buddy was doing the music and dancing while I only knew the lyrics. It was kind of a blast. I was worried we were pissing off our section of the train but they were all smiling at us because we're cute.
No clapping when we were done. Guess we weren't that cute. After a good 4 hours of hanging out with this guy, he had to leave. He said he had a blog and asked if we would take a picture with him. We took a goofy picture. I said nothing about my blog (I'm a private person). It was kind of sad. He mentioned how he wanted to go to Berlin but didn't know anyone there and asked if we wanted to meet up tomorrow. I said yes and then he and Maria exchanged numbers (I'm a private person. My digits are not free). For his contact info he put his name as The Doctor and Maria put her's in as Maria because she is a silly. We shook hands and before he left he said he goes by Vitali. I don't think it's his real name. I didn't say what I go by. I did say "See you at the wall," and that was that.
Maria and I played 21 questions to pass the time. Around 3 pm we finally got to our destination: Berlin!
We stepped off the train and immediately felt the heat. I was told there was a heat wave in Germany before I packed. I'm so happy! I've been sick of my green jacket being in every single photo because it's too cold to take it off.
In Berlin we are staying with an old friend of Maria's. After we were already in Europe a couple weeks ago, Maria admitted to not having heard from said girl in months. We started making alternative plans when the girl got in touch and was still cool with us staying with her. I have not spoken to this girl once and I'm staying with her for 2 days.
Her name is Christin and she is very pretty. We found her and she and Maria got caught up on the lives of people they went to highschool with while I stood around being a third wheel. Meanwhile my suitcase is still 1 wheel short of functioning. Why can't I get my math right in life.
We left the train station and Christin made us get a currywurst. They had chicken so I got a chicken dog.
Smile like you mean it.
It was sprinkled with curry and some sauce and it was insanely delicious. Like, super good. I'm not a huge curry fan and maybe I was just really hungry but it was good. 10/10 would recommend.
A currywurst
Then we had to walk to a tram stop. We passed some TV tower and Christin said if you are ever lost, look up and find the tower and go there. You can get anywhere from there.
The north star of Berlin
We had to take the tram to one place then get off and get back on another tram then get off and walk to her apartment. She lives on the fourth floor, no elevator. In Europe the first floor is not the ground floor. So technically she lived on the fifth floor. It was brutal.
We got to her place and I was ready to die. She gave us ice water which was very nice. I'm a little dizzy from all the train travel. Not nauceous or sick. Just dizzy.
We hung out and I changed into some cooler clothes. Then we left. Maria wanted to see the Berlin wall tonight instead of tomorrow like we planned with the guy from the train. We got on a tram and went to the subway. We got on the subway and went to who knows where but we were still in Berlin. After I got off the subway I realized that might have been my first time on a subway. This vacation is odd.
We walked past a place called Checkpoint Charlie. There were American flags there and also three men in uniforms taking pictures with people. One of the uniformed guys had a squirt bottle and was squirtting people's feet as they waked by. They had Russian hats to put on and were making funny faces and being goofy. I didn't understand what was going on.
Are you real soldiers or not because I don't think you are.
We went to a museum called Checkpoint Charlie Blackbox exhibit and it cost 5 euro I think. I felt rushed and didn't get to spend as much time as I would have liked to linger. But it was still really cool! There was lots to read and there were videos too. It would have been really great to be alive when the Berlin wall came down and I'll have to ask my parents what it was like and live through their reactions.
They had some items to look at, like a radiation dosimeter for measuring X-ray exposure of soldiers.
I don't believe I learned anything new but I would go back all the same. When we were leaving I got a text from my dad. I told him I was in Berlin and he said to get a picture at Checkpoint Charlie because he was there 48 years ago! I waited to get my picture with those guards. When I got to the front I found out there was a fee to take your picture. Are you kidding me? I don't believe in paying to be allowed to take my own damn photo. I took a selfie and got out of there quick before anyone was like "Bad American!"
Rebel
We left. While we were walking we passed some old cars called trabi I believe. Christin's parents and grandparents were from the east side of the wall (Russian side) and she said you had to wait several years to get this car and her parents were so proud when they got one.
Her parents had one in blue.
We went to an outdoor viewing area of German history. We started at the wrong end and had to go back in time.
They had old piers from the Gestapo headquarters, which was a building where people were tortured and executed.
Gestapo piers
This viewing area was really long and it was very hot and bright outside. We got halfway through or around the late 1930's and left.
I'm too hot (hot damn)
We went to a shopping center and bought water and fruit. I bought mine and Maria's and it cost me around 5.60 euros. We ate the fruit (watermellon, soo delicious) then had to catch another tram to meet Christin's mom. She said her mom really wanted to meet us.
Christin's mom is a doll. She didn't speak english and Christin kept getting embaressed by her when her mom was acting cool. It was adorable. They took us to a place called Pirates Berlin where they had sand on the ground and drinks everywhere. They ordered us a green beer, I don't know what it was or what the name of the plant was that made it green. But it was alright for a beer. We also ordered pizza! Maria and I shared a scampi pizza and it was really good. Only problem was they didn't cut the pizza for us so we just tore it in half and ate that way.
Pizza and beer dinner, a Berlin special.
It was fun! Christin is lovely and I enjoyed hanging out with everyone. It's nice to have another person in the mix instead of just Maria and I.
At Pirates Berlin someone was flying a drone thing. I thought that was neat and took a picture.
Leave us alone Obama
Christin's mom payed for our meal which was so sweet. I was a bit dizzy earlier and the one beer really didn't help. When we left Maria had me take her picture and I fell over. WHY? I wasn't even tipsy. The train makes me really motion sick, but without the sickness.
We walked along part of the Berlin wall, called the "east side gallery". It had tons of graffiti and some of it was very nice.
There was a metal gate at one point and I saw something that made my blood go through the roof: lovelocks.
Absoutely disgusted.
And we walked on and got back to the subway, took a subway somewhere, got on a tram, took the tram to Christin's neighborhood, then said goodbye to her mom. She was such a sweet lady and I was sad we couldn't communicate. Maybe it's for the best. If we could talk I would have asked about growing up on the east side of the wall and what it was like when it came down. Christin said it doesn't matter that we can't communicate because her mom is going to tell everyone how international she is and how she had drinks with her daughter's American friends. That's adorable!
Back at Christin's apartment, I got somewhat caught up on journaling. But I was so dizzy. I was sitting at her table and I felt like I was on the ferry again, everything was swaying. I ended up giving up on the journaling since my photos weren't sending properly and I went to bed around 1. Maria and I are sharing a couch type bed. It's a queen size. But I don't share well so I kind of hate it.
No comments:
Post a Comment