Donald Duck

One of the speeches at K and C's wedding dinner by C's uncle was incredibly difficult for me to understand, although his enunciation was clear. It turns out that what I understood (his humorous, overstated tone and the audience laughter in response) was a Donald Duck speech--full of word play, alliteration, arcane references to high culture, etc. Luckily, one of our table-mates, a wonderful friend of K's mother explained that in Germany, a Donald Duck fascination has long been part of a subculture of people, some of whom have organized themselves into clubs and the like. R told me that C seems to be a fan of the American Disney character, because he had noticed several Donald Duck books on Christian's bookshelves.

But most of Germany does not read the same Donald Duck we could read. They read a German version that provides much more than a translation. In fact, Donald Duck becomes something new. For a better sense of what I mean, I recommend this great article in the Wall Street Journal.

Sanssouci and yesterday's dinner with friends

Today we started a bit late, making a trip out of Berlin to the city of Potsdam, where we headed directly to the grounds of Sanssouci, Frederick the Great's palace, which has been designated "a World Heritage Centre of Culture by UNESCO" according to our guidebook. The whole thing was large and full of statues and gardens and palaces. We looked at everything from the outside so as to make it a free day (aside from the two Euros we spent on a more detailed map, the cost of a quick lunch of Wurst and Pommes Frites and round trip transportation via Regional Bahn and U-Bahn and Bus). We walked until my feet ached.

It was a lovely, overcast day with a few sprinkles of rain here and there. We both took tons of photos, Ryan trotting around with his beloved Holga and tripod, me with my digital camera, which Ryan steals every few minutes to check his light settings or whatever.

The digital camera, which Miki and Claudia gave me a couple of Christmases ago, continues to be one of the best things I own. It was very useful today. The park is 709 acres, and we probably didn't see half of it. We did, however, see the Schloss Sanssouci, the Neues Palais, the Chinesisches Haus (Chinese house), the Römische Bäder (Roman baths), the Orangerie, the Schloss Charlottenhof (a small Neo-Classical palace), and much of the grounds between these various places. While Ryan takes pictures with the Holga, I wander around, look at things, talk to security guards, and get directions from old ladies. (I love old German ladies! I need to get one. Do you think I could take one home as a souvenir?) I even had a conversation with an older man about die Artischocken. Seriously. In German. He was a little shocked because when he commented about them to me, he didn't know I was American, so when I replied in my halting German, he tried a word of English, but then I continued in German, so he reverted to his Muttersprache, and we had a nice little chat about how beautiful they are and at what stage they flower and at what stage you eat them. Then I took some pictures of them to remind myself of the encounter.

Lots of people seem to use the grounds of Sanssouci for their daily exercise, since it is freely open to the public. I saw one guy sprinting the big stairs in front of the Schloss Sanssouci and then running back down the sloping side hill; he looked tough and very fit. Another couple women were running around at various points throughout the day. And then many people seemed to just be on their daily bike rides to and from work. The campus of the University of Potsdam is actually on the park grounds, so there were lots of professor-types and college students going to and fro. It must be amazing to go to college there, if only for the scenery.

I'm pretty worn out at this point in the trip. I guess I'm feeling my age? Luckily, Ryan seems to have enough energy for both of us, so I'm just going along with it, enjoying the ride as much as possible. It's hard not to get overwhelmed. I'm getting much less anxious about my German, but making travel plans, catching buses, trains, subway trains, following maps, buying tickets, reading signs, asking for directions, well, it's getting tiresome. I'm ready to come home. I've been very pleased to feel less anxious about speaking and listening to and reading German since the last time I was here eight years ago, but it's hard, and at times I still feel like I'm lost. I can understand about half to three-quarters of any given conversation; still, it's frustrating not to have better command of the language. Luckily, my restaurant and cafe skills are awesome, so Ryan and I have no problem getting fed at the end of a long day. We had pizza and pasta tonight as a quick and filling dinner. It was our second time getting pizza, since it's so cheap and easy.

Last night our food was much more exciting. I finally got to meet up with my former housemate A and meet her new girlfriend, D, who is great--very warm and hospitable and so nice to speak English with us, even though it seems like she is a bit uncomfortable with her English. It is remarkable how many times people go out of their way for us, especially since we're the ones who don't speak enough German to converse easily. We met them at their apartment in Mitte (near Kreuzberg), where A showed off her guinea pigs. A and D lent us their extra bikes for the night, so we could quickly bike to dinner at what A called an "Arabic" restaurant, what the sign described as "oriental," and what their menu described as Moroccan and Egyptian. It was mostly like a mixture of North African and Lebanese food: tabouli, baba ganoush, hummus, pita, red beans, rice with chicken and meatballs, spinach, and some other vegetables. It was great. Then after dinner we went to get beer at a nearby bar because the restaurant was run by Muslims, so no alcohol available there. The bike ride was fantastic. I love riding city-style on cruiser bikes. It feels very civilized.

We're going back to A and D's tomorrow for dinner, which they are cooking. I'm so looking forward to it. It's been much too long since I'd seen my old housemate, and we had a great time reminiscing last night.

Things the Germans do better than Americans

Strap-ons, originally uploaded by skee zix.

7. Strap-ons.

We got off the U-Bahn (the subway) at Alexanderplatz to go find the 100 Bus to the Zoo and found these two gentlemen, selling their wares, Berlin-style.

Gay and Lesbian Memorial

Gay and Lesbian Memorial, originally uploaded by skee zix.

We almost didn't visit this interesting memorial, located just across the street from the Holocaust Memorial. There is no large marker telling what it is, and the memorial doesn't show up on any of our tourist guides. The small description sign located just in front of it is in German and English and describes how gays and lesbians were targeted and murdered by the Third Reich and how important it is that we remember their particular sufferings.

As we approached the memorial itself, three German teenagers were looking at it, giggling and commenting on how funny it was. It clearly made them uncomfortable, just as it would make many American teenagers (and adults) uncomfortable. Inside the large metal structure, which looks like a chunk of stone cut into an angular boxy shape, is a moving picture projected on the back wall. It is silent. Two men embrace, then kiss. The kiss is intimate and involves their mouths and lips entirely. It is sexual, sensual, perhaps even provocative. Then the man on the left leans over to the other man's right ear and whispers something which we cannot hear. Then he touches the man on the right's arm, they embrace, and again begin kissing. The film loops again and again. Endlessly.

Things the Germans do better than Americans

Outdoor seating, originally uploaded by skee zix.

6. Outdoor seating

Things the Germans do better than Americans

Little cars, originally uploaded by skee zix.

5. Live economically. Plus, little bitty cars are very cute.

Dixie Attack

Dixie Attack, originally uploaded by skee zix.

Christian has been playing music with a group of male friends from his school days since they were in maybe fourth or fifth grade. After high school they formed Dixie Attack and played 1920s and 30s-era Dixie music for 50th and 60th birthday parties and anniversaries, making obscene amounts of money for playing what Christian called easy, mindless music for the enjoyment people of all ages, but especially the older crowd. After three years of not playing together, they reunited for a special Hochzeit (wedding) performance. It was such joyful music for the pre-dinner hour and everyone got a kick out of the stories they band told, especially one about how Christian's band teacher marveled--on stage and in front of an audience--that Christian's little fifth-grade fingers could play such beautiful music on his bass guitar. His friends have apparently mocked him for this embarrassing experience ever since. Luckily for his friends, who clearly love him, he is a man of tolerance and wisdom and takes all the gentle ribbing with good humor.

I have now decided that all weddings should involve some amount of live music. It makes people so happy to be able to sing along and even just dance in their seats. More to come about the incredible wedding events. It's going to take quite a blog post to share all of the amazing events of the day. Just one quick preview: it involved a four-and-a-half-hour dinner, balloons, and torches.