2006-04-22 Berlin

Returned to Berlin after I don’t remember how long. This was also to be our entry point to Germany. We got off to an awkward start when I forgot to stamp the day tickets that we bought at Schoenefeld. This was brought to our attention when we were kontroliert. However, I downplayed my German comprehension to next to nil, and the conductor couldn't manage much English. Needless to say we weren’t fined and I waited for a good opportunity to rush on to a station platform punch the ticket and rush back onto the train.

Our stay in Berlin was short, one night. We had a room across from the Charlottenburg S-Bahnhof which was probably an omen for the next day. We did as best a whirlwind tour that we could do in a day. Even started in Lidl and worked our way up to Unter den Linden. It was good to be in Berlin, one of those cities where I somehow thought that I’d live, but probably never will. Indeed when asked on my exchange form, it ranked near third behind Paris (another city I thought I’d strive to live in) and my first choice, a place in Australia that I’d never heard of.

2006-04-23 Bamberg

Rode nine trains in the long and windy tour through Germany. Mostly the old East, which is a part of the country that I haven’t visited much. Jena was quite exciting in fact! Anyway, despite taking up the whole day, a good picnic and good weather made for a grand rail journey.

It was a lightening quick visit to Bamberg. Exactly One hour and 20 minutes as Lins and I rolled through the city on the great train ride. Caro and Ben met us for café. We didn’t make it a block from the Train station. It was too short a visit, but we had to move on.

2006-04-24 Stuttgart

A couple days in Stuttgart staying with my Aunt and Uncle and eating fine German foods. I think I could spend a week just eating, but in practice I try and eat a week’s worth of food in two days. The marginal utility decreases a fair bit as you get stuffed, but it is still so good! Lins and I went to the Canstatter Wasen on the Monday and had big beer and went on a few rides. Alas Monday afternoon is not the busiest time at the Fest, so there was music, but not much singing and dancing on tables. There were a couple grannies who came, ordered a Mass each and drank about a tenth of it. I speculated that they came to the Fest, because they always did and reminisced fondly of wild nights over their youth with some of the same songs surely being sung!

2006-04-26 Stratford

A quick stop in Stratford, but a good one. Seemed a bit silly to take the train south into London from Stransted only to leave it again to go north to Birmingham to go back south to Stratford, but that’s the way it goes.

2006-04-27 London

To London and to a very centrally located and very rundown and noisy hotel. Went for a neat little pub crawl with Ian. One of the most novel things of this trip was flying out of Gatwick. I have never done that before. Smaller and just as crowded. Clearly a BAA airport.

2006-04-30 Vancouver

Back to Vancouver to work for the summer. Had a window office that was quite distracting. No complaints about work. Also played plenty of soccer, if not quite as much as last years. It was probably the sunniest four months I’ve ever had in BC.

2006-07-01 Port Coquitlam

Went partying in Poco/Surrey! Yes, that’s right, went all the way out there to enjoy Mel’s birthday. The club was cheap, busy, and played such a diverse array of music that I could dance to every style that I normally want to, but still get some breaks when the crap comes on. All and all, a pretty good night.