28 Days later...a month in Germany Day 12

After moaning about not having my mobile ticket checked of course I got into it with a bus driver when he banged his glass at as I walked past him.I have never seen a driver check tickets before...he was doing everyone‘s so it was‘nt against me specifically.Of course he got more irate when I took time opening the app by which time people on the bus were hurling abuse at him or maybe at both of us...all good fun.

Just come back from Teufelsberg.Basically it’s a massive hill in the middle of Grunewald which in itself is a huge forest to the south west of the city...it was built specifically at the start of the Cold War to spy on the GDR and by default the Soviet Union.They didn’t just build a fancy dan spying facility though they actually built the hill it stands on out of the rubble of Berlin left over from the war. 

I had no idea where it was in relation to Grunewald S-Bahn but as the forest is over the road from there it seemed the best place to start and there were directions but they didn’t specify it was about half hour then a climb up dodgy tracks to the top...eventually got to the main gate after traipsing all round the double perimeter fence only to find it all locked up.Shit! Hadn’t even occurred to me it would be shut,It hadn’t occurred to me what to expect really.Fuck it have a smoke and think it though...just then a coach pulled up and about 25 people piled out.As a woman began unlocking the gate I asked what the crack was,Turns out the place is closed on Tuesday and this was a private viewing...“can I join?“ she said it’s all in German and I wouldn’t learn much...counterpunch...“if I was here on my own I wouldn’t learn much more“ nailed on the ropes she conceded.

Fair play to her she could has easily told me to ditch my freeloading arse but she allowed me to join on the proviso I stay with the group otherwise I may get locked in...now that would be a story.

It’s a cool place though,over the years since closing down the graffiti artists have been hard at work with some inspired pieces and there’s a pop up bar thing going on(closed today naturally) The only sod is the tower is closed for health & safety .I dunno s‘pose they don’t want people dying or something...i‘d recommend going but it’s a bugger to get to and a bugger to get out of too.I have walked about ten miles today so have a justified beer for once...

Whenever i‘m in Berlin i‘m always wondering which side of the wall any particular area i‘m in was...it’s a big part of the city‘s identity and one thing that makes it unique.Sometimes it’s easy to tell other times not so much.Obviously Grunewald was the West cos‘,well,they had a huge bloody USA spy tower there! 

As a big storm was coming I finished my drink in Savignyplatz and headed out to Kreuzburg...currently in Bar 11 next to Wild at Heart.They seem to have branched out to incorporate next door as a burger bar.I may check it out later.There‘s also Madonna‘s the other side.Another bar if only for the reason when there two years ago they were blasting out classic alternative 80‘s tunes and I jokingly asked if they had any Madonna.“no,can’t stand her“

These three bars are what may be classed as shitholes but for once a year they’re my shitholes and I love them..I love the fact that the barmaid in Bar 11 always has a spliff on the go or that the landlady of Wild at Heart tells me tales of Lemmy propping up the bar...they remind me a little bit of the shitholes i used to go to in Wolverhampton from the age of fourteen.Es ist was es ist...also Bar 11 do homemade Mexicana shots and if you‘ve never tried it well it‘s like a very very spicy alcoholic tomato juice and it’s fucking beautiful...when you have a shot you can still taste an hour later you know it’s good.

Laters.