Day 9: Arrival in Berlin

The whole day was spent in transit from Edinburgh -> Heathrow -> Berlin. I was pretty proud of the way I filled in my time with an array of activities.

I think Amsterdam really set too high a standard for me in terms of ease of train access from airport to city. Naively, I thought it would be the case everywhere else too, at least the other main cities. Navigating Berlin upon arrival was very difficult with all the unfamiliar names, and also with me not knowing about the different types of trains they've got (s-Bahn, u-Bahn). It was also very very difficult to find any source of wifi. This made meeting up with Valeria incredibly difficult. I was 30 minutes late to our meeting spot with no way of contacting her. I asked about 10 people if they could tether their 3G to me, but they either couldn't speak English or used subscription wifi services that could not be used as a hotspot. It was getting pretty damn freezing so I found this dingy Internet cafe, in which the owner spoke absolutely no English. Finally , I got on to Valeria who'd gone home very worried thinking I'd either lost my phone, or died.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Notes for 27-years-and-5-months-old Phil

... even if he won't really understand. Dear Phil, Remember: Samos is a beautiful Greek island. With beaches, mountains, history and all the lures of a typical holiday destination from which you might expect. Samos is an inhabited island. It has shops, hospitals, cafes, bars, clubs, ATMs. You're not going there to be marooned. Don't say "I'm hungry" flippantly. Or ever. Don't say "football should be fun and happy" when people start getting competitive. Especially if you're coming from having 'won' the lottery of being from a place with freedom, opportunities, safety. RE: The police. "Serve + Protect." Who? "You and your friends" is not the correct answer. 'All Star' by Smash Mouth is a great boogie / sing along. Leave it at that and don't add it to your karaoke play list. There's a second verse you have no idea about. Your patience will be tested. You will feel like a horrible per...
Read more

Sonnet NoName - (March '17)

Image
Shall I compare you to a Samos day - data attained, analysed, authenticated the world over? You drift, dragging, anchored, seeking your weigh Numberless, stateless, in purgatory hover Lying to sleep, no light to be dimm'd Storm clouds above float free without borders Whilst this bed lifts to reveal the horizon Your eyes see no distance - only rock faces untrimm'd But your open heart and mind has not faded Despite the decisions circumstance has dictated They scoot over helm(et)-less, trampling their grit Whilst yours reinforces like steel bit by bit      So long as you can breathe and your eyes can see      So long lives this - a pledged devotee View over the hotspot, out into Samos town and beyond
Read more

SHARE ۯ FOOD

Image
This child was told 27 years to share food. He did good, read books, but never learned to split bread - spat back at what mum said. Never thought it was selfish 'cos, 'If I bought it and I ordered, then it should be as I wished.' Of course, there were times that I chose to be nice, remorse for the untouched vegetable sides. But inside my mind was a shallow road block. A dam full with still rules withers and rots. Distilled water needed to release the hold, in the form of cabin dwellers hosting NGOs -  made kindness mean money. Now I see my flaws. Tap water, a comb, a blunted shaver. The barber's cape - a poncho pullover. Vigilant flicks adding spritzes of flavour... only to follow with a 'see ya later...' The gap in the teeth is seen in the absurd. Later that night, I'll take flight in a metal bird and he'll  stay days contained, on uneven earth. Asylum sought but still caught where they were thought as not who but store bought h...
Read more