I woke up at 6am, having little desire to move I laid in bed comfortably until 7:15, when I heard Oma's voice calling from down stairs, "Danny! It's 7:15!" I had told her I'd be awake at 7, to her that meant I'd be fully mobilized at 7 ready to go. She was very generous waiting the extra 15 minutes before calling up to me, usually it's within 15 seconds of the appointed time. Germans are so exacting.At any rate, I pulled myself out of bed and took a shower. I didn't really feel like one, but seeing as how were going to be sitting in one place on a bus for 10 or so hours its better to be clean than squirming in your own filth. After all this time in Germany I haven't once gone to the bakery for some pretzels, this will change today, and luckily so, because it saves our butts for the first leg of the journey. Dani comes to take us to the train station and we hug Oma and wish her well before leaving. The trains in Germany are well known for being on time, this morning was not one of those times. It was 10 minutes late, and even after 1 minute I could sense the general panic and searching, wondering gazes of my fellow Germans at the station. At 5 minutes passed the expected arrival of our train it seemed that the level of cigarette smoking had nearly tripled, and eyes were glued at the bend in the tracks, searching for the lights that would restore their faith in order and civilization. At 8 minutes passed cigarette smoke had replaced the fresh air completely and even I thought we'd miss the bus. luckily though, the lights turned the bend and we were shortly on board. Not long after that we found our bus bound for Vienna and got the best seats, those at the very front, with a panoramic view and no one to recline on us, which is a real pain for tall people like Zane and I. Zane was playing hungry shark evolution on his phone, he let me play, I broke his high score twice then he took back his phone and doubled my high score. Nothing like a little competition to get your game up! I Was getting really sleepy but resisted the urge, I really hate "sleeping" on buses. It's not really sleep, it's like being drugged. Drinking water really helped, luckily I got a big bottle of it at Karlsruhe station. Once we arrived in Munich we found a Kebab place in the station and ate there. Zane was contemplating McDonalds not 15 feet away over the Kebab place because he was afraid if getting sick, I talked him out of it, but he still ended up feeling sick after. Im still glad he chose the kebab, it was the better choice. I read Worldbridger for the majority of our trip from Munich to Vienna, saving the last chapter for later because I was tired, which was fine because the overhead reading lights were turned off soon after and we arrived in Vienna's main bus and train station at around 10:30pm. We couldn't find Zuzka anywhere for some time, she was supposed to meet us right where the bus dropped us off. Luckily Zane was able to pick up some wifi and contact her. She was lost somewhere in the city and would take time to get to us. We both had to pee, all the businesses were closed and the bathrooms at the station were locked, so we walked into the park adjacent the station and made use of the fine trees growing there. Zuzka finally found us and we sped off down the highway, away from the city of Vienna, which I've never visited except for this one time, and actually have no idea what its like in the day, or really in the night for that matter. But one day I will, maybe...As we headed for Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia, we passed a large farm of wind turbines. You could see their outlines in the night sky for miles. Each with large red flashing beacon lights perched above them, like flares pulsating in the night. It was a beautiful sight. Especially since we blazed up for the first time since Amsterdam and I was high as a kite. Listening to Zuzka and Zane talk in their special way, a love hate relationship incarnate, I zoned out and spun away with each turn of the many massive blades spinning endlessly beside us. For some time I slept, and awoke when the bright lights of Bratislava hit my face. Once in the city we got beers, cookies and rice milk then parked the car on the sidewalk because all the parking spaces were used up. I don't like to meet people for the first time while high, actually I prefer to be alone or with great friends, but Zuzkas mom was very friendly, open and excited to have us over. Despite my paranoiac state It was very chill. She had prepared rice and chicken for us to eat as well.I had some of the rice with sauerkraut but was happily surprised when she offered me musli and coconut milk as well, which apparently she had bought just for me. I even splurged a bit and used the coconut milk to dip the two chocolate chip cookies with that Zane gave me. Zane and I each had a Liter of Czech beer that was already at the house, everyone went to sleep and I easily fell away into a deep dreaming state on the couch.
Thanks to Masala
In the morning the ladies make a super big breakfast, but all I can eat is the sliced apples and orange juice. Meanwhile Tal and Peter ravage through the bread, cheese, eggs, meat and butter like starved wolves in a chicken coop. After the slaughter we join the Israelis on a journey through the city. They are on their own mission, I just wanted food and water, so we eventually split up. We may be in the capital city, but that doesn't matter, it's Sunday and this is still Germany, and that means that almost everything is closed. So we walked for what seemed like hours, looking for food and water. Eventually I really slowed down, Zane was always at least 15-20 feet ahead of me, which isn't unusual considering his super long legs and quick speed, but this was ridiculous. It was cold too, and eventually Zane and I made the call to return home. Paying a premium for a little bottle of water in the train station, which Im still happy for regardless.By the time we get back to Annika's I have enough bloating and pain in my stomach to know I'm in for a long couple days running back and forth to the throne room, and I'm pretty damn sure it has everything to do with that sweet and sour slop I ate at Masala, the Indian joint yelp thought so highly of.From dusk till dawn I'm squirting Masala like nobody's business. Getting up so often that at one point I decide to just stand over the sink drinking water to continue the next volley thats sure to come. By morning I'm a zombie, wrecked on so many levels its sad. I need food so bad at this point that I leave the house before anyone is awake and go to the market. I slam my finger in the door jam on the way out, a blood blister from the start, just great.. At the super market I get apples, mixed salads that came with their root ball in the bag, very interesting, and an avocado.I eat alone until Annika comes in the kitchen and makes a few cups of coffee, both of which she drinks to her face before she can muster anything more than "hey"... Apparently she's not a morning person, and today, neither am I. At first Annika was going to meet us somewhere in the city, but this was not going to happen, I knew that much. Fortunately for us she quickly finished what she had to do and we all take the bus to a Russian war memorial in Treptower park on the outskirts of town. The place is a graveyard for 80,0000 Russian soldiers who died taking Berlin, its a fairly large rectangle lined with massive iron gates, emblemed with the classic communist star. The entrance is flanked on either side by huge statues of Russian soldiers baring arms and heavy winter coats, while the sides are unmarked graves lined with depictions of the communist struggle against fascism, all of which leads up to the biggest statue of them all at the back. This statue is of a burly russian commander crushing the nazi swastika under his boots, which towers above the pavilion on a mound. Under which lies a little gated room filled with mosaics. I believe it was the only marked grave there. But I can't be sure, since there was no writing I could understand. Next Annika took us to a Mexican restaurant which I only used for the throne, while Zane had a chicken casadia and a beer. From there Annika brought us to the city gate and left us to take her English exam. We wanted to enter the Reichstag, an impressive parliament building erected after the war to commemorate those in office who were slaughtered by Hitlers men for opposing them, but the next available tickets were for the night time, several hours away and we didn't go for it. Instead we head to check point Charlie, the most famous checkpoint between East and West Germany during the cold war, where so many people were shot and killed trying to escape from the Communist regime, including dozens of West Germans who were aiding them in their escape. Its a pretty interesting place. There were actors there in uniform posing for the tourists. By the time we get home Im a gas bomb ready to blow, and I do, just as I sit down on the throne. It was like having several balloons in my body all releasing at different times, the human body really is an amazing thing... Im so exhausted and weak that when Zane talks about going out to the club I half laugh out loud, but mostly cry a little to myself at the thought of actually attempting it. Luckily for me Annika returns from her test and nurses me back to health. She gives me some black Chinese medicine balls, much like those I had in India during our Sk-23 adventure, only those were white. Then she puts a hot water bag on my belly because I'm shivering and feeds me those little pre toasted pieces of bread that my German Grandma (Oma) used to dip in her coffee, only I dip it in peppermint tea, since I don't drink caffeine. I've got to eat something to fill the gaps that are now expanding exponentially inside me, and this fits the bill nicely since I can hardly stand the sight of food right now. I pass out in Annika's room for a power nap, wake up to a bowl of mushed bananas which I slam down. Pack my bags for our bus to Oma's tomorrow and now Zane is leaving with Annika to the clubs, which although was the impetus for our trip to Berlin, I have absolutely no intention of going to, thanks to Masala..