Berlin, Germany--Part 2

Berlin, Germany--Part 2

First Off:

TIP OF THE DAY:  Follow your own tips of the day.  God damn it!! Just yesterday, I said never go on tour group pub crawls.  Of course, last night, I get roped into another one.  


However, last night's was the best thus far, and was titled the "alternative" Berlin pub crawl.  The crawl took us to holes in the wall, converted cellars, goth clubs, and the highlight, a ping pong bar.  This converted Cold War store front was utterly undistinguishable from street, and the color of the walls was unrecognizable due to the profound level of graffiti.

The bar was a converted kitchen, and I imagined where I stood to order once housed stools where simple East Berliners took in their meager breakfasts.  A young woman of barely 100 lb. spins records with a calculating stare, analyzing the tourists that have infiltrated her refuge.  The bar consists of only one tried and true ping pong table and a few milk crates of weathered paddles.  A flickering fluorescent bulb dangles above, and a tired cigarette machine stands as the lone sentinel in the corner.

The game played is simply addicting, and involves everyone in the establishment.  The game starts with 25 anxious people surrounding the table with paddles in hand.  Someone initiates the volley, and the crowd revolves around the table, in turn, whacking the ball to whomever happens to be on the other side.  The goal is to never let the volley end, and those who make mistakes, by either missing their shot or opportunity, are forced to sit out.  One by one, the crowd diminishes to a skillful and feverish group, and soon players are sprinting around the table.

Soon, after a heated process of elimination, only two players remain, and the many vanquished are left to watch the finalists duel in a traditional game to seven points.  The whole scheme of the place was marvelous in its simplicity.  There were some beers in a cooler, a couple bottles of booze dotting the counter, and not one sign to be found inside or out.  I felt like I was in some outlawed swing joint, where every night the operators packed up and moved to a different and abandoned location--evading some persistent authority.  Dr. Pong it was called.

LISTENING:  This one's about two lovers form opposite sides of the wall.  I don't know.  The older I get, the more I think David Bowie is pretty great.  I like how he plays with cultural norms, and his role in Zoolander helps too.

GRAFFITI AND YOU:  The Berlin Wall


What I like about Berlin so much is how tangible the history feels.  The countless events are burned in my memory, and walking down streets, I can feel where blockades, checkpoints, and destruction used to be.  Certainly, this feeling culminates with the Berlin Wall.  One excerpt is consistent.  "No more wars.  No more walls."