More Travels

View from one of the lab rooms

This marks the third week that I have been in Germany, with two weeks in Stuttgart. I can’t believe that it’s already been that long! I feel like I was just home, but at the same time I feel like I have been here forever. So I guess I am just confused. But not confused enough to want anything to change. I like everything just the way it is. So let me tell you how things are.

Opera House

Tuesday we went back to work after the long weekend. On Wednesday night, Marissa and I went to the Opera. I get to say that my first opera was in Germany. Which is pretty nifty, really. The most impressive part of the whole night was that I wore heels the entire time. I mean, the singing and the opera house were alright I guess. Actually, the performers were incredible. The pipes on the lead singer were incredibly impressive. Everything was sung in Italian of course and the subtitles were in German. So I really had no idea what was going down. Fortunately, this allowed me to focus on the music that was being played as well as the music produced by the powerful voices on stage. The opera house was old and the seats were made out of wood. It was a little toasty up in the highest row, but Marissa and I quite enjoyed ourselves. It was a beautiful night with beautiful music and a beautiful friend. I swear I’m not trying to suck up to anyone!

Next to the Opera House

Inside the Opera House

Selfie!

Thursday began the World Cup of soccer. For us Americans, it doesn’t really mean much. But for the rest of the world, it is a very fun, very drunk, very anticipated time of the year. We went wandering around the city center for a place that was showing the game as well as serving alcohol. We found such a place and parked our butts for a few hours. The game didn’t end too late, which was good, because we had big plans for Friday.

Varun, Marissa, and I left work early to ensure that we would make it on time to catch our 8 hour bus to Berlin. During those hours, we talked, read, slept, and stared out the windows. We got to Berlin at 1 am, and my friend Erik picked us up. He was kind enough to let us stay with him for the weekend. Let me tell you, it was the strangest sleeping arrangement I have ever been in. The three of us squished onto a pull out couch thing meant for two small people. If we weren’t already such good friends, we would be after this weekend! In the room with us was Erik, his Mastiff-lab mix Theo, two birds, and six guinea pigs. It was an interesting mix of characters, but hey, it was free!

Olympic Stadium

Inside the stadium

All the audience entrances are made out of granite. Your favorite Dad!

What an awesome street name!

Saturday morning, the three of us ventured to the Olympic park. We were all incredibly excited to be there. The stadium was massive and shielded us well from the downpour that followed. We walked around the stadium and saw the pool and a big field. Unfortunately, we were only allowed to stay or a half hour because a car show was being set up. We walked around the outside of the park until we decided to pay a visit to the Berlin Wall. Instead of the memorial I had gone to two weeks earlier, we went to the East Side Gallery. This is where artists have painted a long chunk of the wall with different, colorful murals. I was super excited to have been able to see this part of the wall as well as the historical part. We bought pieces of the Wall, hoping that they are real and not purely a money making vehicle. From the Gallery, we went back to the same pizza place Camille, Megan, and I went to. Again, it was raining, and again, the pizza was superb. We waited for the fourth member of our group to join us. This fourth member’s name is Binja. I had ever actually met Binja before our pizza meal. She became close friends with my friend Amy while they both studied abroad in Australia last year. I had met her over Skye and through the things Amy told me about her. But meeting her in real life was so much better! She is a firm believer in making weird faces in pictures, she understands my sarcasm, and she is incredibly funny. A girl after my own heart. She fit in perfectly with our little group of three, and we happily expanded to four.

Wall mural

Marissa and me at the East Side Gallery

Another mural

After eating, we made our way to the Brandenburg Gate, stopping at all the touristy spots along the way. We walked and talked, talked and walked. As we made our way, I learned something very important: Germans love their soccer. Most of the stretch from the Brandenburg Gate to the Victory Tower was blocked off. Half the Tiergarten was also blocked off. Why was all this blocked off, you might ask me. And what does it have to do with soccer? Everything. It has everything to do with soccer, my fellow Americans. We don’t do anything similar to this in the US, but they were preparing for a public viewing of the first German game. They were setting up a fair to go along with the game. There was actually a Ferris Wheel! They were preparing for the public viewing at least on Saturday and probably earlier for a game on Monday. More details about public viewings in the next post. Once we discovered that everything was blocked, we took a train to meet Erik at another festival on the other side of town. We walked around this one for about an hour, just taking in the sights. From there, we found a beer garden to watch the nights’ soccer games. When Italy played England, the large group of Italians sitting in front of us were very vocal. They were also quite drunk, as per usual.

The next morning, Sunday, we all got ready and then set out to find a bakery, our group of three had expanded to five to include Erik and Binja. We ate and then wandered around.    The main event of the day, and the purpose of the trip, was a concert put on by the Phoenix Youth Symphony. Yes, the very same Phoenix Youth Symphony I played with for 7 years. When we got to the church they were rehearsing. I did a quick scan and only recognized the conductors I’d had. All the kids were too young for me to remember. I talked with both the conductors I knew, two of my favorites really, and then we listened to the music. I, of course, enjoyed it immensely. I’m always surprised when my friends like my concerts. So thanks Varun and Marissa for either being stellar liars or actually appreciating the music.

Two of my most favorite conductors!

After getting nostalgic with PYS, we said goodbye to Erik. We still had almost five hours until our bus left. We just walked wherever we wanted to go. It was super relaxing. We made our way to the Victory Tower in the middle of the Tiergarten. We climbed the spiral staircase to the top and got a terrific view of the city. A note though: climbing up a small, tall suitcase with luggage is not advisable. From the Victory Tower, which we successfully conquered, we walked through the open part of the Tiergarten all the way back to the Brandenburg Gate. Here, we got hungry. We found some currywurst and then some fro yo. Then we walked a bit to Potsdamer Platz, a shopping and eating center. We roamed around and then decided that we were on vacation and needed more gelato. So for the second time in an hour and a half, we said a resounding SCREW YOU to health and diets and whatnot. We sat in the middle of the courtyard, enjoying the yummy gelato and the beautiful weather. We people watched and talked about Spongebob. It was a very enjoyable way to spend our last few hours in Berlin.

View from the top of the Victory Tower

When we decided we had been lazy enough, we made our way to the bus station. Where we sat and talked more. Our bus left at 9:45 at night and got us back to Stuttgart at 6:20 am. The bus was packed, so sleeping wasn’t easy. After making it to the bus station as regular people were headed to work, we stumbled back to the university. Once in my room, I put my things down and was out for another hour and a half. And that was the conclusion to a fun, exciting, happy weekend in Berlin. 

For an expansion on the public viewing phenomenon, check in at the next post. There will be plenty of information for us ignorant Americans. Until then, Happy Late Father's Day to all the wonderful dudes out there, and to all a good night. 

Forever and always, 

Taryn