2002-10-23 - 10:32 p.m.

Original Date: October 13, 2002

My trip to Berlin may have been too much. I'm in moderate physical pain even though I've spent the entire day resting. When I left for Germany I had a cold complete with the sniffles. Though the cold is gone, I still have a cough ... which also could be from 3 nights of clubbing.

Europeans smoke like chimneys, which my lungs just can't handle. I'm actually a bit thankful that Minmei showed an interest in teaching me how to smoke, as the smell is less bothersome.

While in Berlin we stayed at a youth hostel ... hehehe ... apparently nobody here cards and everybody mistakes me for a young twenty something ... if even that old. The train ride from the Netherlands was great. I now want to travel the US by train.

Berlin has a great public transit system, that includes buses, trains, trams, elevated and underground subways. The city itself is very industrial, but I also spent most of my time in East Berlin.

The second night here we went to a club called "Darker Thursday" (translated to English) at a venue called K-17. K-17 has goth or punk events nearly every night. Image walking in the abbey courtyard from the Sound of Music down a cobble stone road blocked by iron gates, then add a freezing cold wind and some low fog. Inside the venue looked like a Victorian dungeon. Cold concrete floor, smoke filled room, red velvet looking walls w/ black iron candle holders w/ 2 red pillar candles on each set of holders in the bar area and another room w/ a dance floor ...

This was the best venue I've seen to date. And it turns out the Germans are the most interesting fun and troubled) that I've met yet as well.

-=-

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