Berlin, sind Sie bereit zu schaukeln?

The Berlin airport ain't so bad. Just look where everyone else is going, and follow like sheep, easy enough. Great, here we are. This looks like your standard issue conveyor belt for luggage. I'll just stand here with the rest of you, the only thing that separates us is a European Union passport and you getting your luggage, and me having to find the Air France lost luggage counter. Scheiße!!!!

Yep, no baggage to be found. Which did make the commute out of the airport MUCH easier, but since my time in Berlin is quite limited, I was getting pretty paniky. But who would be the vision of beauty to ease my mind and sooth my soul? To let me know things were going to be alright? The claims steward? No. The others on my flight in the same predicament? No. Lionel Richie, YES!!!!

I'm telling you, I couldn't make that up if I wanted to. He was in town to receive some German equivalent to a lifetime achievement award and just happen to be leaving the airport as I was arriving. Coincidence? Me thinks not. I really wanted to tell him how much I love that song of his "Celebration" and how it's changed every wedding and bar mitzvah for eternity. How proud he must be.

In short, Tom (monitor engineer) and I made it to the hotel, check in with the tour manager and took a stroll around Historic Berlin:

Brandenburg Gate






Berliner Dom



A little slice of America



I tell you, it's amazing, in the square kilometer around the hotel, Dunkin' Donuts is up 4-2 over Starbucks. Having the Subway thrown in finishes the deal. Lordy, I hope I can find me a TGI-Friday's. Europe just won't be the same.

That was most of Day 1 in Berlin. We walked around the city for a while that night. Settled for a really good Indian restaurant, and remarkably found the recommended bar White Trash Fast Food for a nightcap. The seem to revel in American rock. That became ever-so-apparent when the big screen video was playing GWAR when we walked in. Yes, Berlin is good.....