Let's summarizes the key experiences, by city:
London: I spent my only day in London after two hours of sleep in a hostel. When I left the hostel, someone working there told me I need to see the British National Museum because it's where the Brits house "all of the cool shit we've stolen from other countries." I did go, and I saw the Rosetta Stone and mummies, among other artifacts. Perhaps more important than the museum, was the Fish 'n Chips place I went to near the museum. I ordered a large, to-go. The flakey fish-fry covered in vinegar was deliciously unhealthy.
I had to catch a bus to sleep in the airport for my flight to Germany; the bus left late, so to kill my time, I just settled into a seat at a very standard/traditional British pub. After a few beers and some reading, I noticed the place was really filling up, and I gestured to a pair of men that they could share their table with me. When they sat down, I realized that they were deaf because they were signing to each other. Soon after they sat down, a group of six or so other deaf people came in and sat at a table next to ours. They seemed really friendly, so I wrote one of them a note and passed it to him; thus began an hour long conversation. My first question related to my only experience with sign language: "I like poetry. Have you ever seen poetry in sign language before?" They had seen this, and they were very surprised that I had. Through notes, we talked about their families, politics, my travels, etc. I remember them telling me the key difference between the American and European sign language system is that the American alphabet can be signed with one hand, but the European system requires two. In Ireland they use the American system, so the deaf Irishman at the table told me he can drive and talk, but if the Europeans try to it leads to an accident. I also noticed that when they try to read someone signing from behind, it's like reading everything backwards or trying to read upside down.
Berlin: I stayed in a hostel that is now tied for first as my favorite: East Seven Hostel, not far from Alexanderplatz. (In case you are curious, the other first place hostel is Oasis Backpackers' Hostel in Granada, Spain.) The rooms were very clean, the staff was super friendly; they even prepared a complimentary dinner for guests. Further, the hostel pays for a daily walking tour that guests can join for free. This was exactly what I needed for my one day in Berlin. The four hour tour, with guide Espin (he was English, living in Berlin), ran me past the many vital sights: Museum Island, Checkpoint Charlie, The Wall, the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, and several universities and modern buildings of importance. I've never been in a city so ripe with history--at least tragic history. And Berlin in beautiful; the people are friendly, and the streets are very clean and quiet. I was lucky enough to meet some Berliners at the hostel, and they took me to a rock club, where I tried German beers and listened to a blues vocalist's clunky singing in English.
The most important aspect of my trip to Berlin was the kebab I ate--the best kebab of my life. An amazing saint whom I met on the plane to Berlin told me all of the cheap places to eat, in the Turkish neighborhoods. This woman even insisted on buying my two day public transportation pass for the city, and I told her that travel karma would be good to her next time she was in a new place. At the least, I'll be sure when I'm an older man to buy young travelers transportation passes. Anyway, back to the kebab. I bought it at Schlemmer, directly across from the Rosenthalerplatz metro station. I bought the Chicken Spejial. A picture of it is below. I thought I enjoyed kebabs in the past--rotating meat is a constant in life--but this meat was quality: not very fatty, and full of spices. I got the yogurt sauce, and the vinegar covered fresh vegetables were crisp and flavorful. After the kebab, when I was near tears, I shook the maker's hand.
Bergen: I came to Bergen to stay with my good friend, Thomas. Thomas and I met when I was studying in Glasgow a few years ago; we studied at separate universities, but we randomly met on my first morning in Glasgow because we were sharing a bunk bed in the same hostel. Since this was my first time away from home, I was looking for a friend, and I was lucky to meet Thomas that first day. We became close friends over our time in Glasgow and promised to meet again some day. Well, Thomas visited the States last year; he stayed with my family, which allowed him to see DC, and he even stayed with me a few nights in Blacksburg. This year, it was my turn to visit him in Norway.
Norway is by far the most expensive place I've ever visited (and I couldn't have done it without a native putting me up). Despite this hiccup, during my stay in Bergen, I realized I've never visited a more peaceful and beautiful city. It's a quiet place, and the silence is often only broken by the sounds of ships in the port or seabirds. Thomas always comments on the relatively care-free/perfect lives that Norwegians lead. At first I thought he was exaggerating, but now that I've been here, it really seems like something of a utopia.
Anyway, thankfully Thomas and his very kind and beautiful girlfriend, Meri, let me stay with them in their awesome apartment. Seeing them share this little home filled me with envy; they are leading exactly the life I've been wanting to have with Mallary for years now--it has to come eventually, right? It was nice to be in a home and rest plenty after my crazy days of little sleep in London and Germany. I brought my hosts gin and whiskey from the duty free shop at the airport; many people told me that it's insane to go to Norway without buying alcohol in the airports because it is so expensive here.
Thomas was a good host. He fed me very well: blue cheese, bacon wrapped chicken breast, served with marinated fingerling potatoes and a salad of greens with tomatoes and avocado; Norwegian sour-cream porridge (made by boiling sour-cream and adding flour and a bit of salt), with buttered flat bread and sliced meats, including a delicious piece of smoked trout Thomas bought at the farmer's market and a sausage made with cow and sheep hearts; we even grilled outside in the garden one night with many of Thomas' friends.
We also made good use of the landscape surrounding Bergen. Bergen rests in a valley, right on the waterfront. Surrounding the city are seven mountain peaks--the seven sisters--and I looked down upon Bergen from two of them. One day we rode the funicular up to Floien to take pictures of the city. I've never looked at a port-town from such a vantage; it was really nice to see the boats chugging around the harbor. We walked down from this peak back to Bergen. Another day, Thomas and I rode a cable car to Ulriken, the highest of the sisters, and from there we hiked and climbed most of the afternoon over to Floien, the adjoining peak and the first we visited. It was good to be active again and climb my way through the very dramatic Norwegian landscape: broken rocks, sharp cliffs, and running water. In fact, the landscape reminded me of the scenes of "the sublime" sought after by the Romantic poets in places like the Scottish highlands and the Swiss alps. The next day, and perhaps it was too soon after my first exercise in some time, we biked to Salhus, a town close to Bergen where Meri works at an old textile factory turned museum. Salhus was about 20 km away, I think. The landscape was hilly as we biked along the shoreline, and it was some workout for me. Thomas was nice enough to stick with me, though he was obviously antsy to take off; every time someone passed us, he whimpered like a dog who was forbidden to chase rabbits. The museum was pretty cool; I've been to different industrial museums, but never one for textiles. The machines still operate, and I watched them card wool, spin yarn, and make socks. Meri gave her first tour in English for me, and it was excellent. Perhaps most importantly, after the tour, Thomas and I ate the carrot cake that they make in the museum cafeteria; it was still warm and melted in my mouth. I didn't think I would be able to bike back, but I made it, and even enjoyed the trip more. Yesterday, we visited the Bergen aquarium, and we watched a seal show and walked through the new shark tunnel. Thomas did a great job balancing my vacation with sights and relaxation. I am in his debt, and I hope I can host him in the States again someday.
For now, that's it friends. I will write again about Prague, and my stops in Austria, Italy, and France. Today I'm going to Mallary!!
--Alex
Notes:
JAG--Lithuania
Rick and Steve, show
Max and Mary, film
Hot Rod, with Sandberg, film
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