Berlin
Sometimes even the most mundane seeming sxperiences are actually opportunities for cultural learning. Yesterday we saw Harry potter (in English) and discovered that the movie theatre had assigned seats... as well as a 15 minute intermission during the movie. Almost every part I remember got left out.
It's my last day overseas and it's been a good trip overall. Russell's in Leipzig right now and I opted to stay behind. For some totally arcane reason that he was never able to articulate properly, it sounded like a cool place to him. Of course with Russell's love of photography, buildings and history he really has it made as far as travelling. For me it's not so clear.
The current exchange rate has put a kibosh on my once-favorite downtime activity of shopping. H&Ms are becoming plentiful in the US and I've really gotten too cheap to buy designer even if the exchange rate was good. Plus I find I have little interest in buying things in general-- I've thrown enough souveniers away to know better.
So I most of the money I spent was picking up dinners and such. This has been a record expense for both of us. While the wine lists are voluptuous we've had to scale back because even over here the really good ones are prohibitively expensive. And if you're wondering if it is possible to spoil the magic of eating at top rated restaurants by having them 14 days in a row, well I can say it kind of is. Last night at Vau for instance was pleasant (save for the uninspiring desserts) but at this point I can't honestly bring myself to write about it.
Russell's also had some personal stuff going on and has been distant at times which makes things hard on me (and him as well). The last few days have been fine but sometimes I've felt like I was here by myself. Plus if you spend enough time with anybody they start to annoy the crap out of you and I'm sure we both have our mutual irritations.
It's also hard not having friends who live here. Interaction makes all the difference and while I would probably love to just go up and talk to strangers, I am not that kind of person. Neither is Russell. So walking through the cities can feel lonely at times especially where the language barrier exists.
I know I said it's been a pretty good trip and proceeded to list all the ways it wasn't. The good parts for me have been the clubs and the food. They have been the best of nearly any trip so far. The hard question I have to start asking myself is: if the two biggest things I like about travelling are food and partying , is it really worth the effort and cost it takes to travel 5,000 miles?
I get reflective about this because I clearly don't like to travel as much as Russell and wonder if I'm missing something because I'm too absorbed in my own universe to have any interest in the one around me. Or am I just really really lucky that I can have an equally good time anywhere as long as my imagination is being stimulated?
It's my last day overseas and it's been a good trip overall. Russell's in Leipzig right now and I opted to stay behind. For some totally arcane reason that he was never able to articulate properly, it sounded like a cool place to him. Of course with Russell's love of photography, buildings and history he really has it made as far as travelling. For me it's not so clear.
The current exchange rate has put a kibosh on my once-favorite downtime activity of shopping. H&Ms are becoming plentiful in the US and I've really gotten too cheap to buy designer even if the exchange rate was good. Plus I find I have little interest in buying things in general-- I've thrown enough souveniers away to know better.
So I most of the money I spent was picking up dinners and such. This has been a record expense for both of us. While the wine lists are voluptuous we've had to scale back because even over here the really good ones are prohibitively expensive. And if you're wondering if it is possible to spoil the magic of eating at top rated restaurants by having them 14 days in a row, well I can say it kind of is. Last night at Vau for instance was pleasant (save for the uninspiring desserts) but at this point I can't honestly bring myself to write about it.
Russell's also had some personal stuff going on and has been distant at times which makes things hard on me (and him as well). The last few days have been fine but sometimes I've felt like I was here by myself. Plus if you spend enough time with anybody they start to annoy the crap out of you and I'm sure we both have our mutual irritations.
It's also hard not having friends who live here. Interaction makes all the difference and while I would probably love to just go up and talk to strangers, I am not that kind of person. Neither is Russell. So walking through the cities can feel lonely at times especially where the language barrier exists.
I know I said it's been a pretty good trip and proceeded to list all the ways it wasn't. The good parts for me have been the clubs and the food. They have been the best of nearly any trip so far. The hard question I have to start asking myself is: if the two biggest things I like about travelling are food and partying , is it really worth the effort and cost it takes to travel 5,000 miles?
I get reflective about this because I clearly don't like to travel as much as Russell and wonder if I'm missing something because I'm too absorbed in my own universe to have any interest in the one around me. Or am I just really really lucky that I can have an equally good time anywhere as long as my imagination is being stimulated?