Berlin and Croatia

Last week I arrived in Berlin to one of the worst Hostels in the world. Generator Hostels, it's cheap but it's not worth it.

The Cons; Gi-normously huge, lit solely by blue and green neon lights, the staff armed with Walkie-Talkies, average age 18-21, and they always played shit music in the hallways, bathrooms, lobby, you name it. The Pros; hairdryers, happy hour with 1 Euro 1/2 litres, free breakfast, free internet and Barbie. Seeing as I brought one of my Pros, this place has very little to offer.

My first day there, I lost my notebook, the one with the pictures of birdies and bunnies. Second day went on a free tour of Eastern Berlin, there I met Irati, Aldana, Sebastian and Adrian. All of Spanish descent, after the tour we went to the flea market in Prenzlauerberg, where I ran into an Australian couple I had met in Dresden, which is really bizarre because there had to be about a thousand people there singing karaoke on the hill in the rain that day. Later that evening I collected Barbie from Generator and we all went to a beautiful restaurant on the canal and had a delightful time.

Tuesday we finally got the apartment, it is perfect, I love it, it has a bathtub, I hung up my clothes, I left my computer out! I forgot how amazing those things can feel. That evening we met up with this guy from England I met very briefly at my Hostel in Dresden, Martin. Martin is good people. I hope he likes us too, we ended up hanging out with him for about six hours just giggling like idiots.

We have taken some fantastic classes at Dock 11, with a man named Gabriel from Colombia. I am really digging the class, it's also only six Euros, and he tends to give a two hour class instead of an hour and a half! What a dancer, holy crap can the guy move.

Nat and James were in town so we met them at Tacheles, once an artist squat building that has maintained the flavor, full of artist workshops and little galleries. None of the art was really that spectacular but I'd love to go back in the daytime and see how this building functions. I really felt like it might crumble from under my feet. The windows are all punched out and the walls are covered in Graffiti, I mean covered. I've literally not seen anything like it. It smells like piss and garbage and it's huge, apparently it was built as a shopping centre but like everything else in Berlin it got bombed and then the good ole artists moved in when there was no money and accommodation available. When at Tacheles, do not order beer expecting to get beer, you'll get wine and... breathe shallow. While out for beers with Nat and James, we sat at a table with three other people. Two of them had matching hooded sweatshirts, ugly ones, the guy beside me had the first and the girl across from him had the second. They apparently used to go out, he's from Nurnberg and was visiting her. I am assuming he's staying with them, by "them" I mean her and her girlfriend. I was so confused by this poor boy and his situation, I talked to him quite a bit, I think he was feeling uncomfortable...

On Friday, Barbie and I had our first dinner party! Irati came, Martin and Marcus a guy that Barbie met at the laundromat last November. Everyone actually really got along and I think we had a good time. My meal worked out and there were people there so I was happy, we drank a lot of wine and then walked up and down Kastanienallee a few times trying to find Irati some transit back to the Generator Spaceship.

I'm in Croatia now, I meet Andy and the family today. My Hostel is the best, not the best like Dresden but the best in another way. It's right on the Marina, there's a mini golf course, the dorms look, feel and smell like camp, we were served hot cocoa this morning instead of coffee and there was a fashion show for disabled people last night which turned into a dance party. So far Croatia is pretty rocking cool. It is beautiful, I really did not know what to expect, I am pleasantly surprised.