60 Days in Europe…#51/52 Berlin—Leipzig.

Many apologies for yesterday’s non appearance on here.I could claim something grandiose like writers block,or more accurately,Bloggers bollocks,but the truth is after a good few days of Berlin living I was knackered and frankly couldn’t be arsed…

Most of you are probably aware I write this on the hoof during the day then post it on social media the next day and as I didn’t knock anything out during the day yesterday I couldn’t do one this morning and also another later on the same day.That would be slightly dishonest,very time consuming and also I didn’t wake up till way past 8am this morning! 

Anyway it’s my last full day in Berlin and of course it’s been a blast.Spent a fair bit of the nights drinking in Kreuzberg in my favourite bars…managed to be allowed into the Wild at Heart last night.Couple of bands on,they were ok,it’s live music by bands I have never heard of so it’s a case of pays yer money and takes yer chance…had a bit of a chat with the landlady as i always do when I visit.To be honest i have no idea if she remembers me as she probably gets hundreds of strangers wanting to chat to her and us old un‘s tend to look the same after a while…but she’s always open to chat if she’s not serving or bollocking her DJ.Quite a character…

Waiting for the bus with a couple of Turkish blokes,one of whom was falling over pissed(a big lad too) and his mate who told me he’d arranged to meet his pal but when he got there he was already rawing drunk so he stayed on the soft drinks to look after him…must admit I was touched by his actions.Giving up his Saturday night(this was about 1-30am) for his mate…true friendship.

The hotel I’m in has something I’ve never seen before,along with the “do not disturb “ sign is a “ my room doesn’t need cleaning “ sign and I think that’s a really good idea.Let’s be honest unless you do something unspeakable in the room it shouldn’t need cleaning daily.All most people do is sleep & shower.Really how much attention does it need? I have had it cleaned twice in a week and that’s plenty in my book…

Every Berliner I have spoken to and mentioned I’m off to Leipzig next (tomorrow) has wrinkled their nose a wee bit at the mention of the city.Personally i think it’s a good place but my thinking is it’s like many Londoners dislike other parts of their own country simply because it’s not London (except Bristol.They all love Bristol and don’t the Bristolians hate that!) I imagine it’s the same in every capital the world over.If you’re not there then you’re not anywhere…

Been trawling around Berlin today taking some pics which i’ll post to Facebook & Instagram later( plus making good use of my weekly transport ticket) but there’s one pic I really wanted but was too scared to take as there were some rough looking geezers outside I doubt they’d take kindly to strangers taking pictures of their shop called “Spätify“ much like we have “ Singhbury’s “ back in Wolves I don’t think the big companies take kindly to having the piss taken out of them…

In a while crocodile…

60 Days in Europe…#50 Berlin

Got my fry up a day later than expected…wasn’t looking for one but thought I’d visit a bar/restaurant I used when I stayed in Moabit a few years ago.It’s called Lichtblick  next to Birkenstrasse U-Bahn (U9).Looked at the menu and “London” stood out as a fry up…it wasn’t exactly as you’d expect but very passable.They did put some salad on it in a crafty underhanded attempt to make us Brits healthier but I soon saw through that and ignored it…I dare not as for brown sauce as I don’t think that’s a concept over here.All in all very nice,it satisfied an itch and not a jolly fake leprechaun in sight…

Went along to Bowie’s old house in Schöneberg.Not much there to be honest except a bust & plaque.I would think Bowie would hate it being too big & too much…my one slight moan is the likeness is from his Alladin Sane period before moving to Berlin whereas making it from his time here would have been more appropriate but maybe less recognisable…ah well it is what it is…

Had a nice conversation with a few middle aged ladies in the bar last night.Naturally one lived in London in the 90‘s around Clapham Common.There was four of them and they all lived on the same floor of one of big blocks you see everywhere in this city.One asked if I was French cos‘ she said when I tried some German I sounded like I was doing a bad French impression of a German! Hahaha…

Just after 6pm sitting outside Madonna Bar in Kreuzberg with a nice pint watching the world go by and it’s a beautiful day( don’t worry I’m in the shade) this is why I do this thing,Just sitting back relaxing.The weird thing is being in bars on my own in the UK I occasionally feel a bit self conscious but whilst abroad it’s never a concern…this is nearly the fifth month out of the last twelve I have spent out of the UK and apart from one or two rare occasions I have loved every minute of it and I’m so glad I took the decision to do it,if anyone else reading this is wondering if to give it a go then I’d say bloody hell yea.Sorry getting very reflective all of a sudden…anyway there’s a fella with a slight Black Country/ possibly Brummie accent and I’m bound to talk to him soon…

Turns out he was a guitar maker from Birmingham living in Berlin with his Dutch missus.Gary & Barbara( which does sound like a failed 80‘s sitcom) sound couple but we were getting more Midlands as the drinks kicked in…to be fair they were mid 70‘s and looked about 50! 

Chatted to an auld fella after G & B had left.Mostly about the old Berlin Wall.He was what they call a “Wessie”  meaning born west of the wall.Was telling me on the night he & his mates wanted to see the east so fought their way through thousands of people going the other way! Brilliant stuff…had a great night chatting…the only fly in the ointment is Wild at Heart won’t let me in as they’re sold out but the fella did say it’s far too crowded,hot & sweaty in there and to come back tomorrow when it’s gonna be much more acceptable…

In a while crocodile..,

60 Days in Europe…#49 Berlin…

Well I never got my English fry up but I did have scrambled eggs & onion ( which shouldn’t work but does) around the corner…it seems the best place to get a full English is in an Irish bar,which of course would make it a full Irish and I would imagine that’s pretty much the same… 

Getting to the end of my trip and one thing struck me today as I strolled behind a British couple down a typical Kreuzberg street between Oranienplatz & Görlitzer Bahnoff and they were remaking how dirty it was,but here’s the thing,it’s not dirty at all,yes there’s graffiti almost everywhere & most other spaces have some sort of billboard or stickers on them but that’s not dirt…the streets & pavements are remarkably clean of waste paper,food wrappers & discarded bottles/cans ( because of the Pfand I discussed previously) Where I am sitting outside a run of the mill cafe I can see four rubbish bins that are emptied at least once a day,usually more,all with compartments for smokers butt ends too,go down most streets in the UK and you might see one bin that’s usually overflowing cos‘ it’s never emptied,it’s embarrassing…

Where I stayed in St Pauli every property,that’s no exaggeration either,was plastered with graffiti,now that might look unsightly to many but once again the streets were clean of normal rubbish.Sometimes in my road in the UK it looks like someone has taken a paperboy‘s full bag and thrown all the newspapers in the air allowing the wind to take care of it.Really if these so called rough & dirty & very busy areas of German cities can stay clean so can ours…maybe we don’t have the same civic pride and also don’t take as much responsibility for our own actions…

There’s also any green spaces in the urban parts that are allowed to grow unhindered.I don’t know if this is deliberate for environmental reasons of lack of funding but once again to our UK eyes if we see an uncut verge in the street it causes offence but here it’s just a patch of grass so where’s the harm? 

One last thing, a bit more personal based.The bars & cafes I tend to use all look unkept,a bit rough & ready and not the type of place to take your grannie( honestly your grannie was probably a free love hippie in the 60‘s,she‘d love it) but for one they’re usually the friendliest places you’ll visit,two they look dirty but are far from it especially the toilets.Normally they‘re covered in graffiti & stickers and a bit dark & dingy looking but crucially they always smell fine and they always have everything you need in a public toilets…in every sense with these areas of these cities looks can be very deceiving.Trust your senses  not your perceptions…

Of course these places are far from perfect and I would advise against eating off the floor anywhere I have described but no matter how dirty they do get,especially on a market day they’re always spotless 7am next day…anyway change of subject,just popped to Schlesische Tor ( nope,still can’t say it) to visit another favourite bar Zur Fetten Eck and it’s closed till September and not even my Patience goes that far…

Chatting to the barman here from Chile.The third Chilean  have met inside a week.Sewer rat Farage never warned us of the European invasion from a long country in South America bringing their Chilean things like…er, well you know…nice lad,learning German to become a citizen but as he said working here it’s all bloody tourists and he’s not learning anything.Mind you he is working in a Spanish bar!  Now I have met yet another Chilean albeit working in the same bar.This time a bright eyed barmaid…they come over here being intelligent,interesting,attractive & hard working.Bastards…

In a while crocodile…

60 Days in Europe.. #48 Berlin…

Ok I’m in Bar Madonna so can confirm it’s still an ongoing event,got the bus from the hotel so all is good with the world except up the road are a ton of Polizei so either something is about to happen or it already has…had a bit of a stroll round Museum Island earlier but didn’t go in to any of the museums.I think I have become spoiled by some of the best museums in the world being free in the UK that I bridle at paying to get in…was surprising how few people were around and this was early afternoon too.In general there seems less people around now than I have ever seen( or not seen) before…

If I have done my calculations correctly I’m ok on the laundry front until Monday or Tuesday when I will be in Leipzig.Staying at a hotel I was in last year and over the road is a laundrette with a bar etc.It’s very nifty.That should be my last mainland European laundry experience for this trip unless something disastrous happens and then Düsseldorf is my back up…if anyone needs a rough guide type thing on Euro Laundromats I’m yer man…

My one big problem with the German bar tab thing is as I’m British I feel honour bound to have at least two drinks on the tab and usually more.Now I realise that as problems go it’s not the worst and neither is it a very difficult one to negotiate my way out of,it’s just I think my innate Britishness won’t allow me to wig out at one drink.Let’s be honest one drink is not a tab,to be fair two drinks barely covers the description either.A tab only starts at three in my book and nothing will convince me otherwise…

Had to tell a young girl to fuck off earlier today.I went to Gesundbrunnen ( the original home of Hertha Berlin) to grab some food and was eating it on a bench by the station.Outside eating & drinking not uncommon here.There were a couple of teenage girls with a teenage lad having a bevvy about 20 yards away egging each other on in some sort of dare game.This was about 10am so they’d probably been out all night.I could see what was going on as they approached various bemused people and I saw the fella side eye me and whisper to the girl,she got up to come over so I just said loudly and very English “ Whatever you’re gonna do don’t,fuck off,I’m not in the mood” Don’t know if she understand but they got the message and also bust out laughing…but they didn’t bother me after that…

The trouble with having a bus route from pub to hotel is you have to sit down and the trouble with sitting down after a lengthy session is sleep inevitably follows…my inner guidance isn’t in the zone on this bus route yet so obviously I missed my stop by a fair few but luckily stayed awake for the return.I just hope my Zzzzzz decibels weren’t too high on the bus…inevitably woke up fully clothed on top of the bed and now I need coffee and I also want a fry up… there must be a cafe in Berlin that does English breakfast,the hunt has begun…

In a while crocodile…

60 Days in Europe…#47 Berlin…

Normally beggars don’t get to me too much,as a smoker I get my fair share of people asking for a tab & money.Sometimes I give,sometimes not,depending on my mood and also sometimes on the mood of those asking.It’s arbitrary as I can’t give to everyone but everyone knows the score…having a beer outside the Italian restaurant yesterday I was’nt taking much notice of things and suddenly there was a kid of about 7 years old standing at my table,hand out and clearly fake crying.I have to admit I gave out a loud “ what the fuck is this bullshit” to nobody in particular (the table next door were amused but also incredulous) I looked around and sure enough mom was about 30 feet away,another kid was working the other tables and she was directing…I didn’t want to be rude to the nipper but when her mom looked over I gave her two fingers which,on reflection,probably didn’t translate…but man using your kids is fucking cynical.At least when someone is bumming a smoke it’s fucking honest…

Anyway enough of that.Although I like to think I know my way around Berlin (I do a little) I still took one of those maps from reception as a failsafe even though I never look at them they do also have a decent U-Bahn map attached which is always handy.It’s a bit like someone going to London a couple of times thinking they‘re a pearly king taxi driver with the knowledge when really they’re Dick Van Dyke trying to get it on with Mary Poppins…cor lummee.

So I’m currently strolling down the Spree,not actually on it of course as that would be showing off and bringing attention to myself…having a drink next to the East Side Gallery by the Oberbaumbrüke.I stayed on the boat moored up beside it last year and it’s a cool area especially up the road around Warschauer Straße.The later it gets the livelier in that area…not really for us old types.Although it was this area where I got my first introduction to Berlin at the Punk and Disorderly festival at the sprightly age of 58 with a few Wolves mates…

Right I am officially pissed off.My three favourite bars are next to each other on Wienerstrasse Kreuzberg.The Wild at Heart,Bar 11 and Madonna but unfortunately Madonna has closed down for business ( no sniggering at the back) what a shame…had some good sessions in there,the last of which was last summer with the Forest Gate crew.The bar is just shuttered up at the moment so I live in hope( more than expectation)

Well like supporting Wolves my ire was short lived about the Madonna bar.The barman at Bar 11 thought I meant closed at the moment whereas I meant closed for good…so it is an ongoing concern just opens at 5pm now…neither of us look like Bill Murray or Scarlett Johansson but you know “Lost in Translation “ etc My chuff is fully chuffed.Gives me more of an excuse to come to this part of Kreuzberg…

Was chatting to a fella about football,he’s HSV from Hamburg.He smoked a shit load of skunk whilst I have been here,offered me a few tokes but I declined as the stuff now makes me ill very quickly…anyway they seem a good crowd.There was also a couple of Cologne fans there too,a heavy storm came so obviously I stayed for another beer ( at €3 for a bottle of Czech Bud I’d be a fool not to) so in conversation it turns out the bus I kept seeing stop outside the bars goes to within one street of my hotel and they are in service all night…could be a blessing & a curse.

In a while crocodile…

60 Days in Europe…#46 Berlin…

On the train from Altona-Hamburg to Berlin and definitely made the correct decision to start from here.Plenty of seats available but it would have been an unseemly scramble at Hamburg HBF,at least here there’s no rushing about.One to log for future trips…

The modern world introduced itself to my phone again last night by the hotel in Berlin sending me an email with a checking in thingy ( see I even have the jargon down) did it this morning and also downloaded the app as I can see it being very beneficial in the future as I hate the pantomime of checking in questionnaires.”do I fill this bit in? What about that part? Ah yes I see…sorry I think I filled in the wrong bit” all been there i imagine…the app is called “Hotelbird”

We have left on time! Sorry for dissing you Deutsche Bahn in the past,you are wonderful and can do no wrong…have done the Hamburg to Berlin trip a few times and once out of Hamburg there’s really nothing to see except hundreds of miles of flat farmland.In a dull way it’s quite awesome…personally I’d be happy to add an hour and run along the Baltic coast.That would be something but I’m probably in a minority of one on that idea…

Haha in the space of two stops within the same city we have lost five minutes.Never change DB…

Nice trip in,DB made up the time which it can do on these longish runs,after Hamburg the next stop was Berlin Spandau (stop that! We’ll have no singing in the back) Found the hotel pretty easily as did everyone else it seems as the reception was packed and my room wasn’t ready so in time honoured fashion I dumped my bags and went for a beer…which is where I find myself now.

I’m in an Italian restaurant just having a beer opposite my favourite U-Bahn station,Wittenbergplatz.A two minute walk from the hotel,it’s a great little building both inside & out but crucially also has a cracking Currywurst stand over in one corner of the street and I’m sure i’ll be making use of it during the week…

I find Berlin immensely fascinating.The place seems to have a hold on me like no other.I’m sure most people find their own place in the world like that and mine is Berlin.There’s nothing particularly outstanding about the architecture either the modern or the little that’s left of the old,in truth it looks pretty ordinary & dull in parts but it holds a grip…I imagine the recent history has a lot to do with it,from the decedent 1920’s to the Nazi era right through to the split Soviet city from the 50’s to the 80’s…I still find myself walking about wondering what side of the wall I would be on…

Think I’m gonna be staying local tonight anyway,normally do even after a relatively short journey.There’s not a great deal round here per se but enough for one person to be getting along with,I actually want to find a proper bar as I always feel a bit conspicuous being in a restaurant with only a drink,something I’d never dream of doing in the UK ( probably wouldn’t be allowed to) but here it’s accepted.I always ask though just to make sure.Occasionally places won’t allow it,I suppose it depends how busy they are or will be…

Not seen many English fans around,only one or two with their partners( wearing England tops.That’s how I guessed Sherlock) most will have been on a plane back this morning I guess…obviously there’s gonna also be a sizeable quantity that live here too or some like me who’re just bumming around…

Must have journeyed into the huge Berlin HBF almost ten times now and every time it floors me and I get lost in there.Whilst here I use it fairly regularly too and it does get easier to negotiate,so much so I’m almost a local by the end of the week but then I forget,come back a few months later and get totally flummoxed again so any attempt to look cool are rendered null & void…

In a while crocodile…

60 Days in Europe…#45 Hamburg—Berlin…

Last day in Hamburg and normally I’d be having a bevvy by now(12-40) but because the game kicks off a lot later tonight I’m holding back a bit and just on the coffee…

Popped into Altona earlier to check out where exactly the mainline station is for tomorrow.My train starts there and as it’s the Munich train I expect it to get packed at Hamburg HBF.I don’t have a seat reserved so figured it would be easier to find one at the relatively small Altona station…glad I did cos’s it not very easy to find being tucked away in a corner and not particularly well sign posted.Preparation an’ all that…luckily not in a rush tomorrow.

Went to the Feldstrasse Bunker earlier to see about going up and once there I realised I wouldn’t be able to make the climb,asked about a lift and explained why and they pointed me to one but it was only going five floors( which would have been fine) however there was not access to the viewing decks, the only way to them would be through offices which were all shut as it’s Sunday.There was a service lift outside round the corner but I chickened out as there were a few people already eyeing me with suspicion…

There’s not a lot to say about Hamburg that I haven’t already said in blogs on previous visits.If you’ve been you already know what a cool & exciting city it is,if you haven’t been then it’s certainly worth a long weekend break and if you’re a Brit you can fit in straight away by moaning about the weather… 

Found out from Rikky that the hotel next to the laundromat is where the Beatles first stayed when they lived here for a time in the early 60’s.It’s the Hotel Pacific…I love little details like that about places.

The street next to the hotel was having a clear up this morning after yesterday’s party.Didn’t look too bad Infact,the Pfand boys & girls had already been round taking away any empty bottles for “Pfand(deposit) “which is basically half the battle,everyone wins,the street gets cleared & there’s 25cents back on each bottle…that’s why you see people going through bins everywhere in Germany,they’re after the bottles to get some money back…some people will deliberately leave their empty bottles at the sides of the bin to save an undignified delve into the wastebin itself…once saw a lad outside the Union Berlin ground with a big shopping trolly full of empty bottles,maybe 150.Fair play to him…

One good thing about returning to cities I like on these trips is I slowly find out the areas of that particular city I like to stay in or if that’s not possible then at least the parts I want to spend most quality time( ie drinking time) all of this is trial an error but in Paris it’s gonna be Ménilmontant,in Berlin it’s Kreuztburg and here it’s gonna be the area of St Pauli I’m currently in…they all suit me down to the ground.Vibrant,diverse neighbourhoods with a distinct left leaning politically…

I decided to do the sensible old man thing and went for an afternoon nap for about three hours.It’s now 7-15pm and I’m back in the cafe bar where I watched the semi final…

Ho hum.Can’t really complain about the result.Spain were by far the better team and I was the only one who made a noise when we scored…said my goodbyes to the fellas who ran the bar,they were Iranians helping to destroy Europe by serving great food & drink.Walking back to the hotel at 11pm and saw a bloke cleaning his teeth in the street so I hope his date went well…on to Berlin tomorrow…goodnight.

In a while crocodile…