In which living gets larger in Berlin.

Also known as the F-bright conference in Berlin, during which hundreds of Americans were put up in a swanktastic hotel, were fattened with oodles of free food and ego pumpers, discussed both intellectual and practical topics, wore a lot of nametags and shook a lot of hands. A Smithie Compadre and I were treated to a totally pimpin' corner room on the 15th floor with a more than decent view and a glassed-in bathtub. I didn't foresee myself being snuggled with such luxuries again anytime in the near future and made sure to live it up to an appropriate extent. Additionally, the people watching was superb.

A tour to one of the biggest mosques in the city sent my brain/camera hurdling back in time to springtime in Istanbul two years ago. Despite everything being in Turkish, this mosque was a little different from those in that ancient place in that it was only a few years old. Being one of the few visible mosques in the city makes it a symbol for the Muslim community and thus also a target for hate. Immigration and integration are huge discussion topics for Berlin and many parts of Europe (and the world), and it was interesting to finally hear about it from another opinion. My favorite moment of the excursion was being inside during the call to prayer-- a sound that is so strange, chilling, exotic and beautiful to the westernized ear. It reminded me of being atop the Galata Tower in Istanbul on a lovely evening in the past-- a moment preserved in this wee video.    

Now for a few more typisch Berlin stills.

Mingling in the Rathaus after the gvt welcome. We sure were made to feel welcome, constantly, profusely, and with great pride and pompidous. It was one of those experiences that I almost didn't believe was real life. There were just so many sparkles.

One of my favorite sights of the seeing-- a segue tour chillin' with Karl Marx. Talk about Kapital.

Busking bagpipes always make the day brighter.

One detail in this scene made me chuckle heartily in a self-referential kind of way. Winkwink.

Und hier ist deinen Sonnenuntergang. Nicht so spektakulär, aber schlecht ist es auch nicht. Ganz einfach.

I enjoyed being in Berlin again, especially when soaking up all its different flavors. It's still a little too big for my liking, as evidenced by the surprise I felt when realizing that the city map had a very different scale than other city maps I'd played with recently. Where a couple inches is easily walkable on paper elsewhere, in Berlin there was a little more sidewalk involved.

Additionally, now I am in Budapest.