Bilious Blog…Around Europe in 80 days#50

Half century.Hold my bat up to acknowledge the crowd but if I go on to make a hundred it’s gonna mean I’m in hospital or prison…

On that note sitting on the train to Hamburg at Berlin HBF waiting for the starting pistol.Already been booted out of a reserved seat which the fella may well regret cos‘ as I strolled up the train to find a seat a family sat down behind him with a screeching nipper.Sometimes I’m glad possession is only nine tenths of the law.I got away with one there…still AirPods are a must and I have a Clash mind today…

Had a bit of a “tut tut cough cough” from two Americans at a riverside bar when I sat at their table outside in the blazing sun and lit up a smoke.This is Europe people,we smoke,we drink,we get paid holidays,lots of paid holidays,we have affordable health care.Get over it…cough cough.

Very sad to be leaving Berlin,it’s my kind of town,but also very happy to be going to Hamburg,which is also my kind of town.I’m a bit flighty like that…Got five days there anyway.Gives me lots of time to suss out parts I’ve not seen before…Oh Spanish Bombs just came on.Probably my favourite Clash tune…Last time I was in Hamburg I was down St Pauli way just off Reeperbahn but this time I’m in the south which looks a bit more staid.We will see…

The boat I stayed in was good.Well worth staying if you don’t mind things a wee bit rough & ready.It certainly wasn’t a luxury cruise liner.It was cool though and just a short walk from the U-Bahn….

I ended the night in Madonna…let me rephrase that…I ended the night in the Madonna Bar.That lack of apostrophe can be confusing.Chatting to the landlord before it got busy about the area where it is,Kreuzberg,…it’s my favourite part of town and has always had a reputation as a part of town with an alternative,hedonistic party party party atmosphere.I always assumed it was partly a legacy of the Wall to show the guards how much fun they could have in West.A sort of “ Bullseye” Let’s see what you could have won vibe…

Kalle ( the landlord) explained I was partly right but it was by accident rather that design….Kreuzberg was one of the closest residential areas in West Berlin to the Wall,nobody wanted to live there and the place was falling apart and apartments we’re getting cheaper & cheaper.It was essentially a slum neighbourhood and so they plonked any migrant worker in there.Mostly Turkish,Greek & Italian and of course they began to settle,open cafes,social meeting spots etc

Meanwhile Germany still had conscription except if you lived in Berlin where you were exempt so of course more & more young Germans began moving to West Berlin to escape military service.Where do young people with no money move to? The cheapest area,which of course was Kreuzberg…

Over a short time the combo of young people & a vibrant immigrant community coalesced into a lively,cool,party town…more & more Young Germans & migrants moved in once the reputation grew.Squats grew up as essentially the Berlin authorities let them get on with it and just ignored what was going on.Maybe they saw the propaganda advances of letting  some GDR citizens see how much fun capitalism can be even if you’re poor.That was probably the idea…

Here ends the history lesson about one of my favourite spots…

See you later…

Ps Really happy to say a little bar next to one of the many Berliner Tor station exists is still open.It’s called Treff Bei Tassos and it’s run by the same landlady too.I thought Covid would kill it dead…Hamburg was my first ever stop when I toured Germany on my own for the first time in 2017.I couldn’t even order a beer properly but they all made me very welcome for the week I was here and even gave me a few free shots on my first night.Respect…prices still mad cheap.Three bottles of Astra €6-90.