spanish gathering of sorts (party?)

   Alright so now I've been in Spain almost two months, but still no word on it yet, eh. I bet I've got the whole world wondering, "Where has Jereme been? What is he doing these days in Spain? Is he too busy partying 24/7? Is he liking school? Has life been hard for him at all? Does he miss home, family and friends like crazy? Are his roommates cool and is learning a lot of spanish? Well, I can say that for all those questions, even if you only asked like 2 or 3 of them, the answer is 'yes'. Yea these last two months have been a roller coaster, and it still continues but we can leave that for another time. What's happening now is I've got a piso with a frenchie and two spaniards, all guys, and it's a pretty central location. we eat good dinners every night at home and cook together.
   One night a week or two ago we had a party, but the idea was a little different: instead of everyone getting wasted then passing out or going home, it was everyone sitting and talking, getting ready to go out and party at 3 in the morning to the clubs, where, then the party would commence, and end at 6 or 7 am...except for the french, they were still getting wasted by 1 am, and unable to talk by 2, and spilling their drinks everywhere, by 2:03. Anyways at this party I made the decision to not drink, mostly for previously-noted roller coaster reasons, so while I sipped my lemonade amongst the other guests, I had some fun talking about language, in particular with some british girls from essex (but not essex girls because that has a different connotation). I tried hard to do my imitation of british accent, which I'd say is a mix between Russell Brand and Ricky Gervais, and then the girls gave me some tips. Things in the UK aren't really good and super good, they are well good and proper good. I can't think of many other words but we really just imitated each other the whole night...it was cheeky. Other Language things of interest are two really spanish ways to start a sentence. the first is "Es que" which translates to something like "It's (just) that" or "well" and the other is "Lo que pasa es que" which is "the thing is". Both of these are proper useful and are actually well interchangeable, as you can see by the english translation. So now most of my sentences in spanish begin with these, and I'm beginning to talk like a spaniard.
   But of course, you also need the andaluz accent and even some granadino to sound like a local. I'll try not to nerd out too much but here is an example of what they say, written phonetically: onde lah puehto, y pa donde vaih tos? is dónde la has puesto y para dónde vais todos? its an extreme, but you hear every once and while and it can throw you for quite a loop. The south of spain speaks different just like the south of the US. One last thought before you check out these awesome pictures of me on a bike ride with Lalo (I took the picture), is this:

through thought though tough thou

enjoy!

 

Some Photos from Spain

That faint peak in the back ground is a ski resort in the winter, Pico Veleta, in the Sierra Nevada Range around 11,130ft high.

Old Fashioned Mirrors in the Alhambra Castle

A yogurtland! still not the same as Berkeley though.

silly germans

   On the way back to Idstein I got a call from my cousin. No mountain biking this time, but instead he called to invite me to play some poker with his German cousins. I contemplated for a second: I don't play poker ever, and as far as I knew,  I suck at it. So I said yes, because it'd be fun to hang out with younger people and have some beer and lose some money (just 5 euro buy in anyway).

   So I got back to my aunt and uncle's and shortly after my cousin picked me up and we headed over to do some pokershpielen. When we got there I found out it was his cousin Francesca's birthday, and she is the one who usually wins at poker. Ok good, I thought, now I wouldn't have to be worried if I got my ass kicked if the girl always wins. So my cousin asked what she had done whole day and then I couldn't help but laugh out loud when she responded, in German, "wir haben getrinkt und wir haben gechillt" it says pretty much what it looks like: we drank and we chilled. After asking her to repeat herself, I asked where she got it and she said it was Dinglish and there many other words they use that they borrow from us. Throughout the rest the night I couldn't but say sporadically, 'Ich bin chillen'...also, after learning this, I realized I could just say any english word if I put the prefix ge- on it. (they also say cool, gegoogled and gecrushed ice.)

   I met the other people there and few were drinking a can of "Mixery!" So apparently it's popular to mix beer and cola, which they call in the Frankfurt area a Schmutzigbier, or 'dirty beer.' They do it every way possibly too, beer and sprite, or lemonade, fanta, gingerale...and they have it at most restaurants. Sadly (I think), I haven't tried it yet.

   So poker turned out to be the exact same thing in terms of finding the german words... Ich checke, I check. hast du gecheckt? have you checked? Ich bin all in. So it was pretty easy for me to get the hang of it...then before I know it, I've more than doubled my money and two other people had bought in again. Hell yea! I thought...I need another beer now. So I got two more beers, and continued on my hot streak, until I got screwed on a big hand I shouldn't have been in on.

   'dammit I'm screwed now, just like as I predicted...I need to make something happen on this hand.." next hand, 2 of diamonds and 3 of hearts....eh, alright, maybe a straight....so I raised up the stakes, every stayed in. Fuck. Ace and 5 on the flop. 'ok chill,' I thought. I doubled what I put in before. everyone folded except Carsten (Francesca's boyfriend, who, by the way enjoys boarden and butteren down the slopes in the Alpen) we both checked on the next card...no 4 for me. then on the river, yup, you guessed it....no 4 again. So I hesitated for a long time counting and fiddling with my chips then I said, "Ich bin all in." Carsten thought about it for a long time then folded, and had only a high card Ace to my high card 3! So in the end I won 17 euros (12 actually with the 5 euro buy in), I learned some cool German words, that are actually just English words, and then we planned the next night to go out to, not a beerfestival this time, but the yearly Wine Festival in Wiesbaden.

   Yes my headache was mighty the next day, for not only did we have more whiskey after poker, but my calculations on only having 5 or 6 beers were incorrect because in Germany they are all .5 L (vs .355 per 12 oz.). So eventually I ate and drank something and my headache was sequestered, and after a nice family dinner (of all my mom's 10 aunts and uncles who live in Germany), we took the bus to Wiesbaden. When we got a off, a guy getting on smelled like had too much wine and had just woken up in a puddle of his own piss...So I was happy to get off. And this wine fest turned out to be just as promising as the beerfest, although a little more expensive. This time we taught all the German's good English words to know, and that if you just say "fuckin'" every other word people will think that you speak fluent English. 

So we walked back to a popular gyro place, and I vaguely remember meeting some Americans there, since Wiesbaden is where a US Army Garrison is stationed. Yea I bet they get a lot done in Germany, especially after meeting them at a wine festival.... Well the Gyros were fuckin' bomb.

Yes Dinglish learning has been quite fun, but occasionally things can get lost in translation. This Berlin store (below) doesn't seem like a spot to shop at for a tourist, unless you know that hell means brightness in german...bad mix of dinglish, but that gives new meaning to the song title highway to hell. So the Engrish has been entertaining, and now tomorrow we're off to Madrid. Maybe there will be one more post on Germany before the Spain adventure starts. 

   

Tchüss splint!

   

   The splint is off! Now my arm is free to move, although I have lost most of my triceps muscle, and my elbow is still badly bruised. I'm lefty though so I should regain strength soon enough. That was quite a dreadful two weeks of paralyzed left arm. Actually, while I was in the Krankenhaus there was a point where I thought about if I'd only have one arm, what would I do?! Yea, sadly it got me down, as hospital stays probably tend to do but I decided instead of just thinking about it all sad and shit, I would write about it, so I started a list of things I'd do one handed...at first I was writing mediocre but true things like: 

   "I'd snowboard a lot, so I'd have to live in the snow. I could still play most music. It’d be difficult to play bass or guitar, or violin. I would only have my plucking hand to use..  I guess I could be one of the first to take up piano on the feet," and then I realized, shit if I had one arm, I'd actually have to be the most extreme one armed sav ever: 

   "I’d start a club of extreme one armed athletes. maybe I’d actually have a chance at the para olympics. (or maybe I’d be like cartman still.) In this club we would have secret hand (or maybe arm) shakes, that only onies (one armers) would know, and we would be the most extreme one-armed savages ever, especially in one arm disciplines, like shot put, discus, javelin, and arm wrestling. We could still party and drink beer...but we would only be able to play edward forty hand. But we would by default become the Masters of the thumbgun!"

   So now with both arms back, I'm quite relieved, but I have learned a few things, one being: As much as I can remember, always hug with two arms! none of that one armed bs. Afterwards, it seems all dramatic for just a little mountain bike crash, but it's hard not to fall into that sorta thinking when the second day your out of the country you go to the hospital, then have to stay two nights, then two days later get an infected abscess needing surgery... the thought of things getting worse is a hard thought to elude. Anywho, Tchüss kinda rhymes with moose but its always said in two syllables (like judy grimes saying "hi") and two octaves higher than your normal speaking level. And it means "bye" of course! Leave a comment if you have any more ideas for the league of extreme one armed savs...

Not too shabby. Couldn't shave for two weeks either, time to get on that.

Berlin Landmarks

   This last weekend we hit most of the awesome Berlin landmarks there are to see, from the 1791-built Brandenburg Gate, to the Reichstag, and of course, the Wall. What's crazy about the first two is that they were both practically burned to the ground during WWII. The Reichstag, below, was the building which the Communists were blamed for burning in 1933 (and it continued to get destroyed). The fire allowed the Nazi's to pass the Enabling Act which pretty much started the history of Nazi Germany. The speculation/conspiracy of whether Hitler was behind the fire was never proven I don't think, but to me it mirrors Bush's reaction to 9/11 and the USA PATRIOT act, how he was allowed to do what he wanted after the disaster, without much question, and how he also practically criminalized a whole religion. Both acts also have deceiving names as well. Lame.

   The Reichstag has now been rebuilt with an amazing glass semisphere on the roof which visitors can walk in, after crossing through airport-like security... You can also see down into the German Parliament, the Bundestag (yup they still use the building today).

   From the sphere we were treated to nice view of Berlin with an audio tour. After, we walked to the Brandenburg Gate.

   Napoleon stole the Quadriga (the horses) on top, in the early 1800's but then surrendered it 8 years later, Napoleon was so silly. The gate was also almost destroyed during WWII, and as you can see in the patchy colored columns, was restored later (as recently as 2000).
   The next day, as we wandered to our next sight-seeing adventure, I really began to imagine what living in the divided city must have been like. In the US we always hear of The Wall, but I never really got that good of idea what was going on, even after to a 10th grade history project on it. Maybe it's because it was before my time, but coming here has really painted a picture: This day's activity was to see the East Side Gallery, a 1.3k long section of the wall turned into an out door art gallery.

   This wall stretched all the way around west Berlin to prevent people from fleeing from East Germany. People would escape to west Berlin and from there had access to West Germany, and western Europe, so the East Bloc erected the wall. This is from the east side, so during it's time separating the city there was no art, but instead more barbed-wire fences, watch towers, and in some spots electric fence. Also the infamous death strip, just a no mans land for escapees between the fences and wall. 136 people died at the wall in the 28 years. Berlin does a really good job at remembering their whole past, with memorials and art pieces all around the city, it's amazing how quick you absorb the history.
   Well that was a photofunfilled blog, more of the Viaje aspect I guess, next one I'll put more tidbits on Lengua.

bierfest

   Friday, August 6th — We hopped on the train at Charlottenburg, transferred at the Mitte, and stepped off at Strausberger Platz to reaffirm what, in my eyes, makes Germany the beer capital of the world. My parents had no idea what we were stepping into, since I looked up all the info on my own, but were equally excited to see what makes Germany Germany at the international Berlin Beer Festival. Zoë was mainly excited to be 15 and walking around with a mug of beer in her hand and no one giving a shit; That excitement didn't wear out for her. I had a mission when we got there, and my mission was accomplished within 30 seconds, because the first beer stand we walk to served IPA, something rarely seen in Germany I think because of the German Beer Purity Law, which allows only four ingredients to be used in beer...although it still seems possible to make IPA with those. Happy to have my IPA, which wasn't too shabby either (www.brewdog.com), we continued on with the Biermeile (Beermile, and I dunno why it's not a bierkilo but that made me feel more at home).

   We strolled down Karl Marx Allee in the former East Berlin (its really evident in the East Block Architecture), passing beer stand after beer stand, bratwurst stands, currywurst, crepes, pretzels and general stands of festivities. There was also live music every few hundred meters, which we'd stop at and grab a beer to watch with. The beer started getting pretty expensive so we were sparingly buying beer here and there, and sharing it...until we realized there was this sign on most of the stands that said "Pro Bier Krug" 1,50€. There was a special Mug that you bought at one of the festival stands ("Pro Beer Mug") and all the vendors would fill it up for super cheap. So we bought the mugs and then it was a true beer fest from then on.

   We stopped every other stand to try the different beers, and as I began to get faded, I thoroughly enjoyed drinking beer after beer, but was never that impressed with the German beers. The Pils were always crisp and refreshing for sure, but it never varied very much, and the Dunkels and Hefeweizens all tasted the same...but it was cheap, so I wasn't complaining. Everyone once and while we'd stop at a bratwurst stand where they were cooking loads of bratwursts, grab a cheap wurst, enjoy our German roots and enjoy the band.

   Then, in my drunken stupor, it hit me– I realized how cool America was. Not because we have good IPA's, and not because we're cocky enough to call ourselves "the Americans," neglecting all of South America, but because for the fourth time walking down the beer fest, just after finishing some classic rock song, like Sweet Child o'Mine, a band started playing Sweet Home Alabama (with a hint of a german accent). Now maybe I was just in a "America, Fuck Yea" sorta mood, which was mainly evident because I never thought that song was that tight, and I've never even been to Alabama, but being at a German beerfest, I couldn't help but wear a fat grin thinking how cool everyone must think the US is, to have them rock out to our music at one of their long-famed Beerfests. Yup, everyone one wants to be an "Ami."

   So some fun facts: the German Beer Purity law has been around since 1516. Germany actually is 3rd in per capita beer consumption behind the #2 Ireland, and #1 Czech. The US consumes 67.5 billion beers a year, compared to the 26.9 billion per year Germany consumes...but we're still way behind in per capita. All this data was found at a very reliable site. So in all, Germany has awesome beerfests and while I did highlight the funny American music and my amazing realization, there was actually also good german folk music in smokey tents, with long tables of old people singing german folk songs. 

heading to Berlin

At one point my dad hit 230kph...die autobahn is sweet (210kph=130mph).

We were cruising at 160kph and people would be flying by us, but nevertheless we did a 365 mile trip, Idstein to Berlin, in about 4 hours...