Tuesday, September 16
Berlin is a beach!
I know Germany has a sketchy past. They're still trying to put that one right. But I gotta say, I love Berlin! It's such an easy city to live in and be normal (as in not frazzled 24/7). These are some of the things I love:
1. Daycare starts at 16 euros a month? (no that wasn't a typo - A MONTH!!! That is for full time by the way! It's government subsidized so they are on a sliding scale and they are all adorable too with the little Ikea sprocket furnishings.
2. Cycling. On Sunday we walked over to the Mauerpark flea market and bought a used bike. We are borrowing one bike and some friends lent us a couple baby seats so we just needed a second ride to feel truly local. Anyway, the Russian guys at the used bike spot wouldn't cut us any deals but we figured 50 euros for a decent bike with a basket was a pretty reasonable price to pay for 6 more weeks of tootling around town. So we've been riding all over with S in a wee helmet on one bike and T in the back of the other.
Cycling around here is de rigueur. Every street (literally EVERY street) has a bike lane and it's no problem to ride on the sidewalks too. I've never been to other parts of Germany, but Berlin seems to have it dialed. When they thought about rebuilding the city they decided to get it right. Everything is very intuitive.
Ok, for example, imagine you are riding across the Brooklyn bridge and you look over and see a little stretch or green below and decide it would be nice to get there on your bike and ride along the East River, ending up in, say Red Hook, taking in the views and maybe stopping for a beer on the way. You can't imagine it because it cannot be done! That scene is a disaster. You have 2 options, neither of which are particularly sweet:
Option A) the shortcut: You must first dismount from your bike to get down from the bridge to the waterfront then carry the bike down a miserable smelly-piss-hole-rat-infested stairwell then wind your way down to the waterfront which is nice only for 100 yards or so before you hit the warehouses and garbage strewn feeder road to the BQE again. Then do you merge with traffic on the BQE to get to Red Hook or do you cut through the Port Authority shipyards and risk being arrested on suspicion of terrorism?
Option B) Get out of the pedestrian/bike lane, jump across the divider and merge onto the BQE, look death in the face and keep peddling til you get to Red Hook. Skip the views and the beer cuz you'll need all your wits about you to get home in one piece.
You get my point. Here you can leave your flat and never have to dismount your bike, choosing only scenic roads until you reach your riverside destination. Then you can decide whether you want to look at breathtaking new architecture as you eat your afternoon streudel in the park (ok the architecture is great in NYC too!) or hang out at any number of beach cafes along the Spree.
That's right beach cafes. The Germans are big on beach "kultur". Everywhere you go there is a sandbox of some kind, be it for kids or adults. Adults love sand here. There are volleyball courts in almost every park. Go figure... For some obscure reason they have taken it upon themselves to bring great volumes of sand to a region that doesn't have any. It's good actually because the little ones love sand - it's better than tarmac.
(PS. If you'd rather take another mode of transportation, take your pick...bus, tram, U-Bahn, S-Bahn, perhaps a nice Mercedes taxi...(they come right to your door and all carry an extra child seat). And this being Germany, they are never late or dirty or busted. As it should be.)*
In another month when the blue skies fade to grey, perhaps we will have had enough of Berlin, but for now it suits us just fine.
*I am constantly wondering why a city like NYC can't seem to get it's shit together with public transportation. Remember standing in rage on a crowded platform as train after train passes but no MY train - everyone wondering where the f*#K is MY train. Do they train the MTA workers to use the loudspeakers - of course. Do they feel put-upon, drained at the very thought of having to make an announcement? Is it a conspiracy - I am convinced of it. They hate us, meaning the general public. I guess it costs a little more to get around in Germany - an adult fare costs 2.20 euros to most places. But I would happily pay more to have a system that is actually user-friendly. We pay top dollar to live in a city that treats us like douche-bags.
I'm sorry, I know I am starting to rag on NY. Hey don't get me started on healthcare. That makes me angrier than a wildcat stuck in a tarpit.
Stay tuned for my photo editorial on Berlin street fashion.
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