Sun 7 July

I went over to Susi's house for a nice breakfast in her garden (with her newly installed goldfish pond). I met her son Mathias for the first time, and her friend also named Mathias, who came back from walking her dog, the very lovable, headstrong, and smart golden retriever Denny.

After breakfast, Susi, the elder Mathias, and I went touring Hamburg. Our first stop were the biological gardens with greenhouses of tropical plants, and one greenhouse of plants very similar to those of California. We strolled the grounds of the house where someone famous once lived and had a great veiw of the Elbe. Mathias and I found sticks to throw for Denny.

Then we decided to make a walking tour of Blankanese. This is a wonderful hillside of old houses on the banks of the Elbe. It is a large area full of steep stepways and the houses and gardens are very charming. We walked along admiring for a few hours, trying to pick which house we would buy if won the lottery. We found one that was in ruins that perhaps we could buy but didn't have enough money to restore.

On the other side of the Elbe, you could see the contstruction of the new airbus: the one that is going to be larger than a 777. This is the place where the new parts are to be assembled and they build a whole new testing airport here for it.

We had lunch in another charming Blankanese tiny restaurant on a hill where we could look down and see the Rolls Royces, Astin Martins, and exotic italian sports cars go by on their way home.

After lunch, we went to the Alster, the famous lake. On the way, we stopped and looked at a house famous for its unusual (to say the least) architecture, both inside and out. We could only peer in since it was Sunday, but we could see enough to be fascinated. Then we had a lovely stroll on the banks of the Alster, which Denny thoroughly enjoyed since he could jump in from time-to-time.

In the evening, we caught up with Susi's sister Christine. We admired her new apartment and then all went out for Greek food. We drank lots of ouzo, came back to Christine's for a glass of red wine and then called it a night.

After breakfast at the hotel, we all met over at Susi's and Susi and Christine helped me buy new shoes. It's school vacation time here, which means prices are sharply reduced. I found a pair of black casual shoes I really liked. Normally, they are € 160 (roughly dollars) but they were on sale for 90. They seemed comfortable so I bought them to replace my four-year-old worn-out walking shoes. We wandered around this very exclusive shopping center and then had lunch on a barge floating on one of the downtown canals. Hamburg has more bridges than Venice and is a surprisingly charming city.

My only bit of motorcycling was traveling on the Autobahn from Hamburg to Berlin in the afternoon. Lots of construction and stalls. Susi had given me directions for findng the Autobahn out of Hamburg. It worked, but again, Hamburg really needs an east/west freeway. Because it was all surface streets, and because they were stalled because of construction, it took me 45 minutes to reach the Autobahn.

I wish I knew for sure if Rik was right about lane-splitting, on at least the left side, was now legal in Germany. I saw one bike splitting lanes, but he was doing it in another lane and no one seemed to know for sure. It would certainly have saved me some time in the traffic. Although, the lanes are so much narrower here, that my R80 with its bags become a tight squeeze.

I stopped once for gas on the Autobahn at an Aral station, somewhere in the middle of nowhere. Aral has always catered to motorcyclists, with special products. But now, they even have signs on the restroom doors advertising that there is a special place for helmets inside. And there is a nice little helmet-sized shelf over the top of the toilet.

Berlin was easy to reach and navigate to the guesthouse. I had called and said that I would be coming in after 5pm, as it is a 3 hour trip (about 300km) and I didn't leave Hamburg util 2pm. And it was really a 4 hour trip with city traffic in both places. (I used the A24 coming in on the east side of the city through Prenzlauer.) But there is a reception desk at the guesthouse that is open until 10pm.

Driving through the East, I notice there is a police car in the traffic but people are not really obeying the speed limit. I am sure that in a big city, the police have more to worry about. I do see some motorcycles and mopeds splitting lanes in thick traffic, but I have done that myself in previous years without worrying whether it is legal. It's just that things are pretty loose in Berlin, so this is no indication about a change in the law.

The guesthouse is mid-way between the Friedrichstrasse Bahnhof and the Hackescher Markt Bahnhof, both easily reachable with a 10 minute walk. I'm very close to Oranienburgerstr., which is my favorite street. I found out that there is a washing machine and dryer inside the guesthouse, but you have to make an appointment to use it. I had made for this morning at 8am. I reported to the desk, paid 3 Euros, got an elaborate receipt for it, and then the receptionist unlocked the wash room and allowed me to put my clothes in. It takes 2 hours to wash clothes with this east German machine!

One of the cool things about the location of the Gästehaus, besides the fact that I walk to school along the Spree every day, is that I also go by this really cool advertisement for disposable contact lenses.

So I went out shopping - there is an Active Markt, and everything else one could require inside the Friedrichstr. Bnhf. There is even a body shop where I can by very nice banana-flavored shampoo, my favorite coconut oil body lotion, and a nice fresh-scented liquid soap for the shower. Then after exactly two hours, the wash machine turns off and we could put the clothes in the dryer. I went over to the school and got set up on the various computers.

One thing I discovered is that there are few 802.11b connections in Berlin. I suspect this is because of Deutche Telecom. There are few Internet Cafes. Stephan who was very helpful to me with the computers will bring in a connection for my laptop Weds. I caught up on my email and contacted Chris, among other people.

Chris is called "Hesh" by the bay area motorcyclists, is a well-known good rider, and has helped with both R80 mechanics and martial arts, as he introduced me to his jujitsu class some years ago. He got laid off from Tivo and is bumming around Europe for 4 months. We connected by email. I left my numbers with him and we met that evening and did a small tour and dinner.

Ok, today, I really have to work. I am supposed to give a lecture at 6pm on Thursday and I have only a very short version. By the end of the day, I have 30 slides, with which I am not totally satisfied, but I know I can refine them tomorrow.

This is the only day I bring the motorcycle to work, and just because I am carrying the laptop and a lot of other stuff and want to run errands. Later in the day, I try to go to a cafe that is supposed to have wireless access, but I find out that it was closed. Nevertheless, it was an interesting bike ride around the Pariser Platz area. Right next to the Brandenburger Tor is an exhibition called something like "dance of the bears". All over Berlin for the last few years, have been these big plastic bears on the streets decorated in various ways. This is a big circle of a hundred bears standing on their heads, each painted differently. Going back, I am stunned to find the bike goes on reserve at only 188km.

Chris and I meet at my place in the evening and walk over to the Museuminsel nearby. At the alte Nationalgalarie, near the Spandauer/Friedrichs bridge, there is an outdoor concert every evening. Along the way, we have to make a detour because there is a Shakespear play ("As You Like It") every night in the nearby park. You have to pay to really attend both, but everyone just masses around on the grass and the bridge to listen to the concert. We walk through the crowds and listen, and then walk over to Unter den Linden.

Up to now, it has been terrifically hot in Berlin. Tuesday and Wednesday were record high temperatures for the year: about 95F. Since almost nothing is air-conditioned, not even the computer rooms at the university, working conditions have not been optimal. But rain is forecast for this evening. I have taken the precaution of covering my bike. But little did I know, or anyone else for that matter.

As Chris and I are walking down the Unter den Linden, the clouds darken suddenly and a cool breeze springs up. Chris thinks we are going to get wet in the next five minutes but I disagree thinking it takes longer to start to rain here. Then it gets darker and windier. We can see rain and darkness down at the west end of the city (you can see for a long ways down the Unter den Linden, even with the construction blocking the veiw through the Brandenburger Tor), and there is suddenly a very strong wind sweeping up the middle of the street. Now I suggest that indeed we are going to get wet in the next three minutes.

I stop a taxi and we run down the street to the Einstein Cafe. There we sit and watch the storm sweep in. Very strong winds and lightening and rain. Trees are bending. I thought it was because the buildings were channeling the wind. But no, it was the biggest storm of at least the last decade. It was worse in the western part of the city but trees were down everywhere and killed 7 people in different parts.

In der vergangenen Woche richtete ein Gewittersturm in Berlin großen Schaden an. Der Deutsche Wetterdienst rechnet für den heutigen Tag erneut mit schweren Unwettern. In Baden-Württemberg, Bayern, Hessen und Niedersachsen soll es heftige Regenfälle mit teilweise starkem Wind geben. Auch Thüringen, Sachsen und Sachsen-Anhalt könnten betroffen sein.

And from Max Teltzrow's backyard.

With the exception of email and attending some student lectures, I spent the day refining my slides and the talk seemed to be a success. We all went out afterwards to drink and eat. Chris came and we all stayed up late. My good friend Birgit was just in from Austria and was supposed to meet us but was late to the lecture and missed us.

Picture of me, Chris, and Oliver at the end of the table taken by Max.
This was the very first picture he took with his new digital camera. See also big jpeg version.

Friday, I caught up on things at work and had lunch with Oliver, my host. There was a summer party that evening at one of the professors' house. Birgit did make this one and we rode with Oliver, his two children, and Christine, a very nice student whos had made one of the lectures last Weds. We all had a great time at the party and fortunately Oliver had to be home not too late, as his wife Agnes was just in from Paris.

However, in the morning, I noticed that my feet were hurting badly. My new shoes are not wide enough for my feet, which are getting even wider with all this walking. Maybe they will break in better later, but for now I have to go back to my old shoes, which are very comfortable. Function wins again over style.

Birgit and I had made friends with Christine, so we three met up with Chris Saturday. I am hoping that this will be good for Birgit's English, as Chris knows no German. And Chistine seems shy about speaking English and need practice too. But it frequently happens that I am doing most of the speaking with Chris, though I leave them all alone periodically to force English. Today is the Love Parade, and Chris is excited to see this. We other three are not so excited about it. But it is a big deal and you have to see it once.

We make a tour of the new Potsdamer Platz. As much as I hate the new architecture, I have to admit they have done a fantastic job of it. After touring the Sony center, with its encapsulated old Esplande hotel (the only structure remaining on the old Potsdamer Platz), Christine suggests Marlene Dietrich Platz, which is a section that actually has some trees. We have lunch there and the women and I want to see the local 3-D Imax show later. Chris is really eager to see the Love Parade.

So we walk over to the main drag where this is happening. It is starting to rain and the girls walk under an umbrella and Chris and I walk in the rain. It's not bothering anyone (but yes, it rained on our parade.) We get there and get in the middle of the crowd and noise. We take pictures. OK, we've done this. Chris wants to go on deeper into the parade but the rest of us have had enough. We agree to meet at a restaurant later.

Back at the Imax theater, we see a great 3-D exploration of the ocean off of the coast of Montery, CA. Afterwards we have ice cream and wine and try to reach my friend Afsaneh with whom I have earlier made dinner plans. She reports that she could not make reservations at the previously agreed-upon restaurant, so there ensues a series of phone calls to make new plans and let Chris know where the new restaurant is (we have to leave a message at the canceled restaurant.)

It all works out eventually. Christine has another dinner engagement (naturally on a Saturday evening), so Birgit, Chris, Afsaneh and I all have dinner at the 12 Apostels restaurant near the Savigny Platz S-Bnhf. It is nice, since Birgit and Afsaneh know each other, and Afasaneh speaks fluent German and English. After dinner, Birgit was tired and went home.

Afsaneh, Chris, and I continued drinking at another restraurant. Afsaneh and I have a lot to catch up on. She is finally separating from her husband Oliver (a different Oliver from my host at the university) and he is coming to get the furniture from her flat tomorrow. I offered to help. Towards midnight, Chris wants to do some more Love Parade activities. We should have directed him back to the Siegessäule where I am sure they were still dancing around the colored lights, but Afsaneh suggested a night club on Orangienburgerstr. I walk with Chris looking for it, but then left him on his own near my guesthouse and went off for a well-deserved rest.

The next day, I didn't do much. Sunday morning, I was pretty tired, woke late, and just lazed around, though I did remember to go down and make an appointment to wash clothes Monday morning. Birgit called later in the day and invited me over to a late lunch. She also offered to help Afsaneh move. But Afsaneh wasn't sure when this would happen - maybe around 5pm. Afsaneh and I had a mid-afteroon lunch, just hung out catching up, and then tried to each Afsaneh, who never answered her phone. So eventually, we gave up and just went out on the city. There wasn't anything showing we wanted to see, and so ended up walking around Hackescher Markt and eventually having dinner at my favorite little place, the Meilenstein Cafe. Then we walked down Orangienburgerstr. and had wine at a trendy place with live American music, which Birgit liked. Then we walked back to the station, I went home, and it was the end of a very lazy day.