Walking and random Mozart

[feuervogel]

So I got up after sleeping for close to 11 hours, and I had some muesli for breakfast. Then I poked around on the internet a bit before wandering over to the Goethe Institut for my placement test. Andrea, my flatmate, said it would be just as easy to walk from Alex to the Institut as to change trains, because the U-bhf is so big, it would take me the same amount of time to walk to the other line.

So I left, map in hand, and belatedly realized I hadn't actually looked at the damned thing to figure out which way I was supposed to go. So I wandered around the wrong way, went left when I should have gone right, turned where I didn't need to, but I eventually made it there. Then I took a written test (multiple choice and essay) and did a short oral exam/interview. Tomorrow I'll find out which class I'm in.

There's a culture program, which has daily outings - often two per day, one around 10 AM, the other around 6 pm. And there's a Stammtisch! It sounds like fun, and I've always wanted to go to one. It should be a fun way to get to know the people in my class. (A Stammtisch is a regular, often weekly, gathering of people of a like-minded nature, frequently in a bar or coffee house. The only equivalent I can think of in the US is Drinking Liberally.)

They've got a wide variety of outings, from a riverboat city tour to tours of various districts (P'ler Berg and Kreuzberg) to history tours (the wall and a tour with the theme "fall '89." Sign me up!) and day trips to Potsdam and Sachsenhausen, I also want to fit in a trip to Dresden and one to Leipzig. There are also guided tours of Underground Berlin. There are two I want to take: one goes into the Cold War history and discusses the ghost stations, and the other tours the places where people tunneled under the wall. It may be difficult to work them in, since they run not exactly conveniently to class or the day trips.

Anyway. So I decided to walk back to Alex, better map and directions in hand, and I was walking through the passage next to Galeria Kaufhof when I heard the opening chord of Eine Kleine Nachtmusik. I joined the smallish crowd gathered there to watch 4 guys with string instruments playing Mozart. They looked like they were having fun, despite it being ass cold (and windy, and rainy), and I tossed a Euro into their basket. Er, cello case. Whatever.

The way back was much easier and took only 5 minutes.

Then I picked up some groceries and some lunch and headed back, then went back out to see about some house shoes, since I neglected to shove my ballet-style slippers in my suitcase. Fortunately, Woolworth over on the corner sells them for 5E. I also looked at some shoes, since the shoes I brought for wearing in rain are less than comfortable. They're tight across the ball. I keep forgetting that. The Woolworth shoes were cheap, in both senses of the word.

Then I came back again, because it was raining harder and gross out. After a while, I decided to go get dinner at the recommended-by-Lonely-Planet restaurant Maultaschen Manufaktur, which serves mostly Maultaschen, but also Spaetzle. Maultaschen and spatezle are Swabian specialties. I had 2 Maultaschen filled with spinach and mozzarella, with well-browned onions on top, a German potato salad (made with mustard), and a green salad. And a small (0,3L) Hefeweizen. I was rather full.

I didn't feel like whiling away the hours until I went to bed back in the apartment, so I took a bus up to Potsdamer Platz and wandered through the Arkaden, a big shopping mall. I looked at many pairs of shoes, almost bought one, but ultimately did not. Though if it gets warm and stops raining any time soon, I might be tempted by the grey and purple ones.

So now I'm back and getting ready to head to bed. Tomorrow morning I wanted to go check out the book and CD shop by Alexanderplatz, or possibly Galeria Kaufhof (I need some DFB apparel!) before class, which meets at 1:15 (that's 7:15 RDU time.) Though the book shop is open later, and I could go after class.

I should also go sign up for the boat trip, since it's Wednesday, and you have to sign up by the day before. I hope that doesn't mean you have to sign up before 10 am tomorrow; that would be sad.

Right. Time to get some sleep. I wonder if I'll need the benadryl again.

Comments

[acari]

If you're looking for shopping, try the Alexa. It's the huge reddish building near the Alex. You can find pretty much anything there.

Definitely do a riverboot tour. The Prenzelberg is way way overrated (I lived there for seven years). Kreuzberg is okay. Pankow and Friedrichshain are much more interesting people-wise.

[feuervogel]

I'll try the Alexa next! I wandered around in the Galeria this morning (and found some cute reduzierte Schuhe, but not in my size, of course), so the next day I have free in the morning, I'll wander over there.

I'm not sure exactly what will go on in the Kiezführung, but it's probably going to be some sort of history thing? I've heard that the interesting people keep moving further east as the middle Bezirke become gentrified.

I plan to go sign up for the boat tour as soon as I can get up to the office!

[amakarie.livejournal.com]

Sounds like there's more than plenty to do and eat! Thanks for the footnotes, have no clue about what some of these German things are. xD;