Back in the saddle...

So here we are on the road to Krakow, Poland in our massive nine seat passenger van (with a sleeping bunk!) We arrived in Berlin three days ago and according to Manfred, couldn't have picked a better time for weather as there were sheets of ice covering the streets of Berlin just weeks previous. Flying out of Vancouver we took a red eye which we've never done before but worked out perfectly with the flight arriving at six thirty Berlin time, so, a few hours of socializing and then off to bed. It was so good to see Manfred and Amanda after so many months. I didn't realize how much I missed them and though I was tired on the plane, the joy of seeing friends rejuvenated me and after some catch up we walked over to the cheap Italian place on the corner of Bergmannstrasse and Mehringdamm for a late dinner. It is truly fantastic to be back in the hood, the streets familiar and comforting, the night skies clear, the air brisk.

So good.

Back at the flat I went to sleep immediately and for the first night in weeks didn't wake up until morning.

After breakfast we walked around the neighbourhood, stopping for drinks at the cafe on the corner of Möckernstrasse and Kreuzbergstrasse. While sitting there my former neighbour Rona walked by and the look on her face when she saw me was priceless, hopefully she and Josh can come to the show on the thirteenth.

Afterwards we headed over to Mitte and window shopped all afternoon which usually would be draining but was fun. Manfred was pushing for this veggie burger place for dinner but instead we headed over to east Kreuzberg to have dinner at Rocco und seine Brüder on Lausitzplatz. I ordered the truffle oil and arugula pizza and it was as good as I remember, maybe better...

The next day, after another deep sleep and breakfast of croissants and coffee we hopped on the train and headed to Treptower park. I think the gang was impressed with the over the top majesty of the Soviet memorial which is amazing still even without the greenery in bloom. Then we walked to Falckensteinstrasse and had lunch at the Spanish place Veda and I went to regularly. We ordered a platter of kartoffeln, chorizo, chips and avocado. Nick even ate a piece of chorizo! Conveniently, the Puschen office is located on Schlesischesstrasse across from Die Fabrik so we headed over and met with Andreas and Phil, Nicholas and Paul of Mount Eerie, who had just arrived. We picked up the van, loaded the rental gear and merch then ditched Mount Eerie (who wants to hang out with jet lagged people right...) and headed to Tiergarten.

The woods were really quiet and it was great to be out in the evening with the lights of the nearby buildings peeking through early spring branches. We walked to the Reichstag and then circled around to the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe which is ominous at night. As I was walking through the monoliths shadows loomed around me, as well as the tail end of others making their way through the memorial. Just before I reached the other side a little boy burst out from behind one of the stones, scaring the shit out of me.

After that we met up with Manfred and his friends David and Will at a restaurant just off of Kottbusserdamm where I had the most amazing walnut and gorgonzola stuffed figs washed down with shots of grappa. We were talking about pet peeves and I was complaining about people who leave food on plates and then Marissa said it bugs her when people leave wine on their table as the couple at the table behind us did. David urged her to reach over and grab the leftover wine so she did but then a few minutes later the couple returned! It seems they had just stepped out for a smoke. Needless to say Marissa was very red faced when she found out and we finished up quickly in order to avoid a scene, but not before David bought a replacement glass of wine to be served after we left. It was very funny...

Fast forward and now we are driving to Budapest, Hungary after a good first show of the tour in Krakow. A few mistakes by all but nothing tragic and despite all the drinking, no hangovers. Besides ourselves and Mount Eerie there was also a band from the U.S. called Chain and the Gang featuring Ian Svenonius formerly of the Make Up. Veda's friend Reimar will be jealous, he's a fan of theirs. They were all really nice and the drummer was pretty good...

Later, Marissa and I stayed backstage to watch Mount Eerie who were awesome. Two drummers make for good visuals as well as loud, loud, loud and we had a good view of Paul and Nicholas flailing away. After the show we headed back to the hotel Alef where Phil accidentally scraped the side of the van trying to fit into a very persnickety space. It's a small scrape but noticeable and he's bummed about it. I guess he's thinking about how much it cost us for the last vehicle we rented in Europe. Perhaps we should have rented a fleet of Austin minis...