Random Explosions: September 2006

lazing on a sunny afternoon

Hello again, dear listeners! Apologies for my random blogging absence, I shall try and make amends with some backlog-updating asap. Unfortunately, these sunny photos are not recent - Berlin is no longer quite so bright and warm. I took these happy-snappers about a month ago, when I went to the Mauer Park fleamarket with my french flatmate Marie and her french friend Silvan. It was a glorious day, and after wandering around hundreds of stalls, buying Asterix & Obelix comics, we grabbed a couple of half-litres and settled down on the grass for some lazy people-watching.

Above: Marie and Silvan soaking up the rays.

Above: Silvan reclines, and the peeps at Mauer Park. Mauer (Wall) Park was actually part of the infamous death strip between the two concrete barriers of the Berlin Wall. It's still quite bald and grey, but it's historical richness makes up for it's aesthetic shortcomings.

Below: Sunset on the hill (note the cool swings at the top - talk about 'power fun'!).

sunsets and amber ale

This, dear listeners, is the gorgeous industrial sunset I saw from the Ostkreuz Bahnhof (train station) a few weeks back. I was standing on the raised walkway between the platforms, looking out over the former East Berlin.

And here are some totally unrelated beer portraits of Fran and I, when we were out on the town:

mein blaues fahrrad

I've got a bike. You can ride it if you like.

It's got a basket, a bell that rings and

Things to make it look good.

I'd give it to you if I could, but I borrowed it.

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You're the kind of girl that fits in with my world.

I'll give you anything, ev'rything if you want things.

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I've got a cloak. It's a bit of a joke.

There's a tear up the front. It's red and black.

I've had it for months.

If you think it could look good, then I guess it should.

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You're the kind of girl ...

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I know a mouse, and he hasn't got a house.

I don't know why. I call him Gerald.

He's getting rather old, but he's a good mouse.

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You're the kind of girl ...

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I've got a clan of gingerbread men.

Here a man, there a man, lots of gingerbread men.

Take a couple if you wish. They're on the dish.

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You're the kind of girl ...

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I know a room of musical tunes.

Some rhyme, some ching. Most of them are clockwork.

Let's go into the other room and make them work.

*

Bike - Pink Floyd

kiki blofeld

Although it sounds like the name of a pornstar, or a rare exotic disease, Kiki Blofeld is in fact a super trendy Berlin bar. Situated on the banks of the river Spree (and opposite the infamous Bar Fünfundzwanzig), KB sports a unique water feature. The Spree actually merges with the club, creating a rectangular paddling pool of sorts, around which the patrons shake their money-makers, or are seen being seen lounging around the bar. In the photo above you can see Samuel, Fransiska, Fran and Marie undertaking the former, and behind them is the flimsy fence that prevents boozed patrons from taking an unwanted dip.

Above: More rump-shaking action.

Above: Fran and I 'feel the love', whilst 'Mr. Hawaii' looks on.

Above: The spooky marsh-like entrance to Kiki Blofeld. Cool lights though - the way they catch on that person in the foreground is highly reminiscent of the closing sequence of Peter Gabriel's 'Sledgehammer' videoclip. Although maybe only Arwen and Ry will agree with me here, as we were all weened on the same VHS collection of 80s videoclips, and thus share a similar collection of bizaare (but highly entertaining!) cultural reference points.

gastric goodness

Well, it doesn't get much more traditionally German than this. This is photographic evidence of the Bavarian feast that Samuel and I cooked up a couple of weeks ago. Note: Bratwurst, Kartoffeln (potatoes) and vast quantities of Sauerkraut. Oh and we made a little salad too, which unfortunately bucks the Deutsch theme.

The first time I tasted Sauerkraut, I hated it in a kinda of German-person-tries-vegemite-for-the-first-time kind of way. It was during my exchange with Karina's family, when I was 15. We'd gone on a Autobahn trip south along the Rhein and had ended up in Frankfurt, where Karina's Aunt and Uncle live. They took me to the most barn-like, traditional beer hall / restaurant they cook find. A little bit like The Cuckoo back in Victoria, only much larger and filled with Germans. My scrunched-face reaction to the sour cabbage was exactly what they had been anticipating, braced for belly-laughs as they were. But then I guess I orchestrated a similar cultural exchange when I insisted Vegemite be included in the Lange Family breakfast spread.

Above: gastric goodness, and Samuel pulls a silly face (complete with skewered Wurst).

meet my flatmates

Yes, they really do exist! Please allow me to introduce meine wunderschöne Mitbewohner:

First up, we have Samuel. Samuel is one kerazy party-lovin' mofo (see picture above). On that particular evening, he instigated the dance action - grooving away by himself on the dancefloor until the rest of us swallowed our collective self-consciousness and followed suit. Samuel studies politics and sociology and helps to produce a political website called e-politik.de (check it out, y'all). At the moment he's organising a panel discussion at Humbolt Uni on the topic of 'free will'.

Next up is Marie (pictured left with aforementioned party monkey, Samuel). Marie is French (and is subsequently very petite and has a goregous accent) and is currently doing a Praktikum (internship) at an art gallery in Prenzlauer Berg. She's a 'top shelia', has a real cheeky sense of humour and is, like me, in love with Berlin.

Last but not least, there's Rolf. Rolf recently finished studying Business Management and now works at a giant gas and electricity conglomo in the centre of town. When not spending time with his Spanish beau, Laia (pictured above right), he enjoys boxing and just returned from a cycling holiday in Poland. Perhaps as a result of the boxing (and the subsequent expulsion of stress), he is the most chilled out, laid back, easy guy to live with.