Almost-Sunny Berlin

It is a wonderful day in Berlin, everyone. The weather is like Goldilocks, and the all-around mood is lazy contentment. I myself am sitting on a low cement wall encircling a patch of grass in front of the Berlin Dom. Across the river to my right is a flea/art market which I strolled through before sitting down at this lovely location to type a little bit.


There are so many upsides to Spring that I never even noticed before; changing seasons is something new to this California girl. People go out just to be outside, they relax and meander through the steadily blooming parks and green places in the city.

Okay, side-note here. This is the third time that someone has come up to me asking for money, and in the same manner, too. I gave a little to the first woman who asked me just to be charitable, but this is really getting out of hand. The second and third human beings who asked me for money were both children. The indignity of the whole thing is beginning to get on my nerves. I mean, it is altogether too obvious that they are working together, and I’m not sure if I believe that story of theirs either. Well, I just hope that they haven’t resorted to pick-pocketing.

Okay, fourth person, a woman again, just came up to me! Gosh dang it, can a writer have no peace? Must we always be forced to think of world hunger, and the suffering of others, and whether or not someone is trying to con you? I do recognize that helping others is an important piece to being a complete person, but if a group of people are going to go around asking for money, could they not, oh, I don’t know, give me a sign to put on my forehead saying, “I gave your group a euro”?

Well, due to these circumstances, I think I shall save and make the trek to Starbucks. Besides, the sun is a bit bright (God, third child asking for money!!) for my laptop anyway. Okay, I need to get out of here before I go on a weird guilt trip or something. See you in a bit!

A little later: Hello! I'm back! I have made it to Starbucks without getting trampled by tourists or sidetracked by sweets! Although I may just have to get a crepe later, hehehe. ;)
 
Speaking of tourists, guess what!! It's TOURIST SEASON!!! This is both a good and a not-so-good thing. On thee one hand, tourists mean that there is suddenly a lot more to do in Berlin. People open shop, Spring carnivals are starting, and the city bustle is just that much more apparent. The down side is that prices do go up a bit, and sometimes you can be mistaken for a tourist if you speak a language other than German.
 
Sometimes being a tourist is fun, especially when one does so in one's own city. ;) Then it's REALLY fun! I have every intention of speaking German whenever possible when I get back to the US. Washington, DC, and Disneyland should be especially interesting places for my little experiment. The question is this: Could I pass myself off as a German tourist in America?? And here is a special notice for everyone who hangs out with me: If you blow my cover, I will shout at you in German. It is not a pleasant experience, trust me. So just don't blow it please.
 
Well the plan for the rest of this afternoon is to go with a friend to a large swap meet. (Remember, this is Berlin. Not everything is smaller here. Except the cars... Yeap, the cars will never reach big ol' American truck status, lol.) And then tomorrow is a Berlin Zoo day. I am going to get there relatively early, walk around a lot, and have a blast reminiscing on my childhood. I may have to buy a hat, just so that I can look like a silly zoo enthusiast.
 
This has been a very relaxing first Sunday of my Easter Break. Thanks to everyone who reads this blog. It's nice to know that this blog isn't wasting away on the outskirts of the world wide web, never to be read. (Sorry if that image brought you down any!) Anyway, I'm off to have a lovely rest of my Sunday! Tschuss!! TGWTC
 
(P.S. Happy belated Birthday to my brother back home! Love you, dude!)