Tuesday, May 4, 2010

First Day in Berlin!!





Flying in to Berlin. Rainy, cloudy, but oh so exciting! Janet pointed out several of the districts we were passing over, which was great, because four of us on this trip just spent the last 4 months in German Readings, learning all about Berlin. In fact, Janet and I were passing over a bridge, and I recognized it as the one pictured in Wolf Biermann's 'Ballade vom preussichen Ikarus'. In that moment I felt like all of the work I put into the readings course was worth it.

Our first night in Berlin, Janet & I saw Dea Loher's 'Das letzte Feuer'. INCREDIBLE!! First of all, we had 5th row seats! Second of all, the stage revolved in a circle throughout the entire production, w/ doors in each wall connecting the rooms to each other. The scenes would progress in the direction of the moving stage. Have you ever or could you ever see such a production in the US? I think not. And the acting! HOLY COW!! Also phenomenal. The ending surprised me--I think it would have even if I could have understood all of the german. It was also cool to recognize the patterns in Loher's writing. I mean, I could definitely tell I was watching a Dea Loher piece. As Janet said, "Even if you can't understand all of the german, I know you'll be able to follow the play!" Following the play we visited Brandenburger Tor, and the Holocaust Memorial site--how eerie that late at night!
So, neither Janet nor myself had eaten a true meal all day--only snacks. At 11:30 pm we grabbed dinner at Don Antonio, a FABULOUS italian restaurant. I ate a gigantic plate of Spaghetti Carbonara! So worth the not-eating-all-day thing :)

And today, Janet and I are simply sitting in a Cafe, taking care of business/trip-related things. This evening we'll be having dinner w/ friends, which I am looking forward to. It's very chilly out today, but by friday it's supposed to be 60 and sunny-ish.
All in all I am looking forward to my classmates' arrivals! I predict that our trip will be very fulfilling and memorable.

P.S. Other than the photo of Sir Brecht and myself, the rest are from Munich!

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