Ugh. Woke up at noon. Showered. Shaved. Went with Elaine and Peter to meet Halled and Mohammed (the other visiting artists) for lunch. Ended up back at Halled's where he made hummus and some type of traditional salad. Had Arabic coffee and wine. Wonderful. Later went to work on film and photography project with Halled and Mo. Started to rain so we went back to Oosteinde(spelling is probably wrong) where we talked much about art, and politics. Mo was trying to convince me to apply for a residency in Egypt. I'm seriously considering it. Went home, and FINALLY got in touch with Scott (the Australian Glass artist in Berlin). He gave me his phone and email and again offered a spot on his couch. I'll probably take him up on it towards the end of next week. I really want to see where this film idea goes.
Cooking dinner for Jean, Halled, and Mo here at the studio tomorrow - which will be followed by a lecture from YET ANOTHER visiting artists. Have I mentioned how much I love this town? So much going on...always. Anyways, importing video right now, it's 3 am...and I need sleep. I'm sure I'm forgetting things but hey -
So on Monday I spent most of the day walking around Dresden with a video camera. From the way I was filming (on a tripod, doing lots of time-lapse shots) I was asked more than once if I was a student or film-maker. I REALLY wish I could communicate better with these people. I'm doing well though. One of the artists here at 7th floor told me that when I speak German that I have absolutely no accent...which she said is VERY uncommon but great! I'm fairly certain it has something to do with my constant habit of imitating people. So yea. Got a few hours of film cranked out...and then went to the Kunst Haus (the gallery downtown that is affiliated with the Academy here) for a lecture by two other visiting resident artists from Palestine and Egypt. Had a few beers, enjoyed the talk - went out after with Peter and Elaine to get a Doner Kabob (the gyro type food that is possibly the best thing you have ever put in your mouth........don't be dirty now =) and then to some clubs in Neudstadt. We stopped by this one club where you pay 1 euro to get in, and then they put on theatrical performances throughout the day. I believe there are something like 20 shows a day, and you just pay to see the ones you want. Most are in German but some are in English as well. Anyways, we got there too late. All of the shows were over. So we went dancing instead. We ended up at the dirtiest club in all of Dresden and had a blast. Once again I will say...Germans...CANNOT dance. It's horrible. Laughable even. No wonder they love Hasselhoff. They have no sense of rythm. It's essentially like hooking up 1000 volts to an entire country. Their bodies convulse in such strange, strange ways. But I digress. We drank too much and walked home. Then at 4:00 in the morning I got the great idea to walk down to the Elbe river with Elaine and watch the sun rise. Fantastic idea. She passed out in the grass and I stayed up, drank a beer, and photographed/video taped the sun. Such a good idea. After that, came back and crashed...at 6 something in the morning.
So yesterday Elaine's mentor Jean picked us up from 7th Floor at 11:00am. He took us all throughout an area of the Saxony State (where Dresden is) and up into the mountains. He went on to tell us that this area is called Saxony Switzerland due to the fact that so many of the classical painters would actually walk the same trails and create beautiful works of art with the landscapes as their subject matter. We stopped at a small gallery before we went hiking to see some of the paintings. Really beautiful stuff. Then we headed UP. UP and UP and UP. His little VW hatchback was a trooper for sure. We pulled off on the side of one of these dirt roads and walked through the woods for some time and ended up at these "ruins" we would call them. He used to play there as a child and the view was fantastic. From there we stopped at another scenic river area and walked along the banks, found a small little restaurant, and had a wonderful little lunch. I had a Souljaya soup…I think it was called, and a Tomato w/Sheep Cheese salad. Ha, Elaine, who is a vegetarian by the way – got stuck eating the fish of the day there – something Jean suggested. She didn't want to be rude and ate the whole thing. Fish is served whole here – if you didn't realize by the photo =) After that we went hiking in the mountains and ended up stopping for Jean to show us from a distance a HUGE rock formation. An hour later we were standing on top of it. Amazing. There were climbers everywhere tackling the sandstone. Standing on a mountain in the middle of Germany was one of the strangest events of my life. Strange in a good way though. I love this country. Later we went back to Jean's where he cooked us dinner (a whole salmon wrapped in newspaper and cooked over an open pit fire, basmati rice, fresh basil, Saxony Wine, watermelon, Esresso, german beer, amazing – simply fucking amazing). German hospitality is something we could learn a thing or two from. We got back late but still went out to meet some of the Artist's from 7th Floor at a bar that some of them work at. Had a blast just conversing over life, love, art. Good stuff. Went to bed at 3:30. And then……..
Gonna keep this one short. Yesterday I met up with Elaine at Seiben Stadt (the art studio where she is staying/working). We hung out for a bit and talked, but it was still early and she needed to prepare for her talk, so I took off to explore. Walked around WITHOUT MY BACKPACK for the first time. Thank god. I think I bicycle is the next step. Anyway, had a lot of fun, covered a lot of ground. Went to a few Galleries and Museums. Decided I would like to make some art while I'm here. I'm tossing around an idea for a movie since Elaine has access to a video camera here. Who know – I might actually get a short film out of this trip as well. Tried to find fireworks for the 4th of July so all of the Germans could play with Sparklers, but everything here closes up at 9pm…and I got to the stores at 9:05. Now I know. Elaine did a great job with her talk – everyone was very interested in her work. We all had a great time, accompanied by good beers and hamburgers. OK. I think that's it. Tomorrow we're going into the mountains for some hiking. Must be up early at 10 am, one of the guys involved with the studio (Jean, a printmaker) is taking us for a tour of the city. I'm excited.
Kinda drunk. Not gonna lie. After my shower earlier, I felt like a million bucks. I met up with Elaine and a fellow artist she is staying with named Peter at the Albert Platz. Peter suggested eating before we went out – which to me always sounds like a good idea. So. We hit up this little Turkish inspired (but not authentic I have learned) Gyro type place. They're all over Europe. I let Peter order for me and what I ended up with was essentially an awkwardly folded Gyro. Fucking Delicious. Kinda pricey at 5 euro, but at 12am, you really can't beat it. After that we walked to what Peter said was one of the oldest bars in Dresden. By the way, you can drink everywhere in Germany. You can literally walk down the street with an open bottle and hop on a train and finish it off. Took me a minute to get used to, but damn, makes leaving the bars so much easier. Not done with your drink? Oh well. Take it with you. We encountered a group of drunk gay men, which attempted to get us to follow them to a gay bar named Queens. Go figure. We tried to ditch them, but, they ended up tagging along with us for most of the night. The one guy was like, "I am very drunk, and English is very bad, but you are very sexy man." I said thanks and we all laughed and went to the next bar for some dancing and more drinks.
The next bar was fucking awesome. Place seemed like it never closed. We didn't show until at least 3:00 am. There was a bonfire going full blaze outside, and a techno DJ inside in the dance room if you wannacall it that. Peter bought me a shot of Vodka and I ordered a Becks (they charge you more than the beer initially by the way, and if you bring the bottle back to the bar when you're done, they give you back your .30 euros). Pretty cool. I also learned that a 1 euro tip on a round is entirely way too much. Most people leave .20 cents or nothing at all. Poor guys. So yea, the three of us danced, and laughed, and drank at this miniature rave at 3:30 in the morning in the middle of Dresden. Pretty fucking cool. I had a blast, and it was wonderful to see Elaine and meet up with Peter. He seems like a great guy and I can't wait to see some of his work tomorrow. I'm meeting up with them sometime during the day (Elaine's lecture is tomorrow), and after that I'm sure we'll be drinking heavily. I hope. I made it here alive. Safe. Now I want a beer and a shower in the morning – after that, who knows.
What a very, very long day. I spent most of this morning sitting at a little restaurant in Altstadt (the older part of Dresden) just reading and watching movies and such. I didn't have the energy to move, no joke. My back is sore, my shoulders are sore, and my bag weighs way too much. If you ever decide to bring your laptop with you on vacation – make sure it isn't a Dell. Thing ways over 6 lbs. Doesn't sound like a lot, but, combined with everything else I've got stowed, I'm guessing my pack ways close to 30. That's a lot to drag around Europe – I'm just a little guy after all. I found a nice little bench in the shade afterwards and took an hour long nap or so, then geared up and followed some tourists around so that I could get some photos. That didn't last very long as I get bored very easily so – I did a quick search for some Hostels and found many in Neustadt. I quickly hopped on a Tram and headed north. At this point I wasn't sure if I was going to get in touch with Elaine today, so I decided to just get a room and get some sleep so that I could feel normal again. A shower sounded like a good idea as well. So yea, Mondpalast is an awesome little contemporary hostel in the heart of Neustadt – lots of bars and clubs around. I was going to try to just get the cheapest bed available, but got stuck shelling out 30 some Euro's for a single room with a shower. Worth every fucking penny. Place is VERY nice – my room even has a big Sagittarius painting on the wall – fitting. But the shower, that's all I cared about. The shower was/is heavenly. I washed up and passed out on the bed around 5 o'clock. When I woke I checked my email and here Elaine had sent me a msg – so I called her up and as of now we're trying to meet up tonight to go grab some drinks. Apparently she was filming a piece today where she was going to float down the river? Fuckin aye right she is.
It rained today. Just stopped actually. We needed it badly, the heat was out of control today – well into the 90's. I'm just afraid that now the humidity is going to be unbearable. I guess we'll see. All I want now is a tall cold Beck's and some friendly conversation with another American. Mmmm, more sleep sounds good too. I suppose there's time for it all…..
So I made it to Dresden in one piece. Arrived by CNL (City Night Line) Train this morning around 7:15. I must admit, the train ride was well worth the 35 euro's it cost. It was VERY quiet. Very smooth. And the countryside was just awesome. I tried to take photos, but we were moving too fast for my camera – sorry guys. One thing that drove me nuts about the train before I forget, why the hell don't they do control before departure? Check your ticket at the door just like a plane. Makes sense right? Why wait until everyone is sleeping. I think that all Controllers are actually just sadists who enjoy waking people up by yelling and knocking loudly on your door. We left the station 30 minutes ago – what are you gonna do, kick me off for not having a ticket? Shit, I guess I never really thought of that – maybe that's where all the missing backpackers end up…in a cow pasture in the middle of Bumfucken Germany.
I can tell you without uncertainty that I'm already in love with this city. Berlin felt a little like that Kurt Russel movie where LA becomes a prison camp. Mean looking faces around every corner, graffiti covering nearly 90% of every public building. Dresden, well…is fucking beautiful. The architecture actually has room to breath here. There's public art everywhere, and a younger population in general. Granted I've only been here for 2 hours. But I made a valiant effort to see as much as possible before I sought out a WiFi connection. I'll probably just be taking pictures for the rest of the afternoon – fulfill my duty as a tourist. Yay! I despise tourists. Oh well.
So I found this cute little bar/restaurant about 3km from the station. I was getting bored just wandering around here. I got a couple decent pictures on my trek, discovered a beautiful little church on the way. The bartender at this place had no idea what I was saying. But that was OK. I said Warsteiner and everything was gut. I probably tipped more than most Europeans do, but hey, I work service industry too. So yea, I had a few beers, had a good walk, met a few locals. And now I'm back at the station. Train leaves in 5 hours. I'm gonna find a nice little place to curl up and hopefully not get robbed/arrested.
Sidenote: (as I'm sure you're getting used to) This country smells….well…..funny. There's a distinct fragrance to the air here. I can't put a finger on it. It's nice, but at the same time, disgusting. It's almost as if all the old women of the world decided at once to relocate to Germany. Flowers. But musky. I can't explain it. Maybe I can bottle it and bring it back for all of you to sample. I'd like a verdict one way or the other.
TXT'd Kristin a while ago just to say hi. I hope she knows how much I miss her. This IS only my 2nd day and all…but it already feels like I've been away for ages. I was telling her, I feel like such a child here. Everything I say people laugh at. It's very, very, humbling. Never again will I give any shit to my foreign tables at the Olive Garden. Wait, what am I talking about. Yes I will. It's fucking funny. I'm pretty sure that earlier I asked a girl "Are you can know if a Train Station has been closed for some time tomorrow?" Lol. I'm just a stupid Americano in Deutschland. Pray for me.
Ken
Duse – thanks for the call yesterday. I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to say goodbye…and give you a big gay hug to go with it. There's always next time =) Miss you bro. And Tony, I walked next to a black Norweigen? midget today for almost 2km on the streets of Berlin. Kent State represent. Feel your tender kisses soon.
I feel like death. I haven’t slept in a verrry long time. My blood has been replaced with coffee. I just finished taking my first hobo-bath in a pay-toilet (,50 euro). I do however feel much better about myself, considering I was on the verge of shitting my pants searching for a washroom – thank you girl at gas station who spoke very bad, I mean cute, broken English, you got me safely to the nearest S-Bahn which in turn led to my McDonald’s heaven. Those golden arches actually look like a giant upside-down ass in the sky now that I think about it. Weird.
I’m pretty sure I clocked in over 20 miles of walking today. I’m done. Cooked. Need to sleep. Only I’m not sure if I can get away sleeping here in the Ostbahnhof Station waiting for my train. It doesn’t arrive for another 8 hours, and I don’t know if they close or not. Either way, I should probably go find a beer somewhere. That is one thing I have yet to do since I arrived this morning. Oh oh oh. Awesome luck. So I’m at the Berlin Airport this morning and I’m just hanging outside smoking a cigarette for literally 30 seconds trying to figure out how I’m going to get downtown (didn’t look like one could just walk out of the airport) when this little beat-to-shit bumper car or whatever, thing was the size of a Powerwheels, pulls up right in front of me. Out pops an older gent, I’m guessing late 50’s, smoking a cigarette as well and sort of walks into the Airport, but sees me and kindly approaches and starts up a conversation asking if I was just enjoying a cigarette before my flight (which I thought he might be doing as well). Told him I just got in. Explained my situation, what I was doing. He thought it was cool and offered a ride anywhere in the city for 10 euro. I thought it over and agreed and hopped in. Stefen was his name-o. Cool ass dood. We talked in broken English and German for close to 30 minutes, gave me his number and told me to call if I needed anything at all while I was in the country. Talk about a welcome wagon. Just what I wanted to find. We parted ways at Zoologischer Garten Berlin and I was on my way.
I toured the Zoo, one of the largest in Germany, and remembered to my dismay that I had a camera in my rucksack the moment I walked through the EXIT gate on my way out. Idiot. I really need to work on my picture taking. Oh well, I’ll have to go back before I leave. Let’s see, other than that, I tried arranging cheap rides to Dresden all day, found a website that lets you plug in where you’re at and where you’re going and voila, it pops up with names and numbers to call. Only problem is, none of them speak a lick ‘o English, and my horrible German isn’t enough to properly understand and arrange a meeting place, time, etc. Most of these guys just got pissed off at me and hung up. Don’t blame them. Imagine Muhammad Algabara calling you up and rambling in your ear about hitching a ride with you. Ummmmm, yea. Fun times. I felt defeated so I tried to call Stefen, but, here’s the zinger….he only gave me 7 digits! Phone numbers here are at least 10 on average. Fuck. There went that idea. Frustrated, I decided to decipher the U-Bahn subway system and ride around all day. I got a pretty good handle on it (actually similar in setup to New York) and then moved above ground to the S-Bahn trains. I zigzagged around for a while and ended up here at Ostbahnhof Station. I’d love to write more, and I will, but I really need a cigarette (4 euros a pack, not bad).
Sehr müde…
Ken
PS – I broke down and signed up for 30 days of T-Mobile Hotspot access. Just so I can keep in touch with all of you assholes. Yes I miss you already, get over yourselves. Another 30 euros down the drain.DAY ONE TOTAL - ~120 euros. This is gonna get ridiculous. Feel free to send Paypal Donations to Kenneth.j.carter@gmail.com . No – really.
So that was my first long flight. 9 hours. The ride itself was awesome. I'd recommend Lufthansa to anyone. The food was delicious. I opted for the chicken w/ rice. Came with a side of steamed broccoli and potatoes. Just like Oma used to make. The seats were comfy – with room for my anchor of a bag to be stuffed overhead. All I had was my mp3 player and about 30 cups of coffee. Oh, before I forget. That 21 movie was shit. Don't watch it. As was The Other Boleyn Girl or whatever the fuck that steaming pile of donkey poo was titled. I love you Natalie Portman, but only in a Starwars-geeky-I-wanna-show-you-my-lightsaber kinda way. Conversely, the new Coldplay album is highly entertaining. I don't care if you think he's a fag – dood can sing, way better than Portman can act.
I know you're wondering about the title to this post. I'm sure you can figure it out if you put your mind to it. 300 people on a plane. Maybe 20 kids. Only, get this, they ALL sit perfectly within earshot of my assigned seat. If I would have had my bag at my feet, I may have actually taken a trash bag and thrown the whole lot inside – without a shred of compassion I might add. Loud noises hurt my ears and prevent sleep. Screaming is a loud noise. Babies scream. Babies should be shot. Thank god for earplugs and headphones.
Sidenote before I leave for Berlin. I've been trying to learn German for close to 90 days. I am now in Germany. I can confidently say that I do not understand German. Every now and then I pick up an Ich, or an et was … but man, this is gonna get interesting.
So my friend Adam came up with this idea for a movie. Almost the same as the one I've been working on myself. He wanted to call it "When the Wind Blows". I'm not sure if that's the best answer for it. But it's getting there. Essentially the story is the same – some middle aged or younger guy has a life altering coincidental occurrence, or mishap, or chance encounter, or whatever – which leaves him with no other choice but to abandon his current life and head for the open road (Adam thinks that getting two flat tires on his car simultaneously would be enough of a trigger, I'm not so sure). Possibly within his own country. I like the idea or international travel though. One because I'm sitting in Chicago O'Hare right now waiting on a flight to Dusseldorf, and two – it leaves so much more room for the unexpected. I have no idea what I'm getting into. I'm scared shitless. I have no plan. This is an adventure. To communicate these feelings on screen would be wonderful. I'm seeing the guy whose first true love either died or left him or something. He becomes a monotonous machine. Work. Sleep. Eat. Years. Then one day his car breaks down. He starts walking. Finds a gas station or something. Enter the antagonist. She's a young, beautiful foreigner visiting her brother in here in the States. She helps him get his car, and life back in order. He can't help but to fall in love with her. She represents mystery, uncertainty. She ignites a spark inside his cold dying heart that turns his world upside-down. Catch is – she's leaving in a few days. She invites him to come visit. He laughs it off initially but seriously considers it. Fast forward. Weeks have gone by. In the meantime whilst he's been obsessing over the foreign girl, another woman – older, sophisticated – a co-worker perhaps enters his life. She just (broke up with/divorced/come up with something) her man. And suddenly they're having drinks. They're talking. They're flirting, and touching, and kissing, and fucking. And the foreign girl is still on this guys mind. He likes this new woman very much. But he doesn't see their relationship for what it is. She's the perfect answer to his broken heart. But he's blinded by youthful lust and reckless abandon. He goes overseas. He wanders through an unfamiliar countryside. Has adventures. Meets new friends. Disaster. Possibly mugged? By a nazi midget? He finds the girl, only to discover what a train-wreck she really is. This comes as both surprise, and not. Hilarity ensues while the buildup to "the epiphany" gathers strength. He's in love with the girl back home. And he had to fly 4000 miles to realize it. Dumbass. But that's life. Will she still be there when he get's back? Will she feel the same? Don't know yet.
Also, I just realized that I haven't told you how funny I'm dressed right now. Kristen and I stopped in at Target this morning on our way to the Airport to buy a pair of jeans (all of mine were not travel worthy). Anyhow, I found this awesome striped polo on the clearance rack and thought, hey, Germans dress bad. So can I. Needless to say, if you know me at all – you know I feel hilarious in this get-up. I love it. I'll try to get a photo up as soon as I get a wireless connection. I'm not paying $5.95 for 30 minutes here at the Airport. There's gotta be free wifi somewhere in Germany.
It's 1:19 PM EST, July 1st 2008 and I'm sitting in Cleveland's Airport Terminal B3. In 20 minutes I will board a plane that will take me west to Chicago, and then another to Dusseldorf and finally another to Berlin, Germany. I must preface these posts and their ensuing tales of adventure by saying now that I have never left the United States before – although it's something I have always wanted to do. I can't afford to go on this trip. Conversely, I fell that I cannot afford not to. I am 25 years old. By now (so they say), I should have accomplished all that I could have worthy of any level of genius. I have accomplished nothing. This journey is a validation of my recognition of that fact and also a firm protest against it. I am doing something now before it's too late. I don't want to be 40 years old sitting on my ass watching Survivor: Polar Ice Caps and thinking to myself "fuck, I really should have done more when I was younger." This is me doing something – big. And to be honest, I am searching for something in Germany. I know it's cliche, but I'm looking for myself…if that makes any sense.
