Placing Poland: Szczecin

The parents are here and on day 5 of European travel. We have big plans for a trip to Hungary, Bratislava, & Vienna next week but since we are so close to Poland, why not a day trip? We didn't just want to hop the border for some nowhere, so we set our sights on Szczecin (auf deutsch Stettin). It reportedly had a Duke's castle, a tourist map with red line guided tour, and was only about 2 hours away. Plus - the train ticket was a Brandenburger ticket, meaning it would only cost 28 euro for all 4 of us to travel there & back. Bonus!

It didn't turn out exactly as we hoped, but was still an experience. Once again, we have decided to rate the cities we are visiting with our parental units. This town might not have stacked up so well, but there is more to come. 

Karneval der Kulturen in Berlin

We were as excited to observe the Karneval der Kulturen parade as last time we were here. We loved the vivid costumes, dancing, singing, and drums. As it was several hours late last time, we took our time, touring Ian's cousins around Berlin, looking at the East Side Gallery, Documentation Center, and enjoying one of Berlin's legendary brunches  (one of our favorites- Intimes).

The Cousins - Jim & Marsha

As we pulled up to Kreuzberg , 20 min late, we noticed signs of the parade being over. Calling friends, they were confused as to what was happening. A few floats had gone by, but now people were breaking up. Well, bummer. Damn those hippies!

No matter- we were at the epicenter of the festival for the second day. Lounging in what was quickly becoming a dustball of a park, we actually got to see some pretty awesome stuff.

Like these bizarre ski things that were promptly broken as drunks couldn't coordinate, but kids did pretty good on them!

An unusual arm chair

Photo Bombing (where's Ian?)

Turkish dancing




Coconut drinks

 And eventually when we wandered away, we got happily stuck in a vortex of a house party that had spilled onto the street. This moment perfectly epitomized why Berlin is like no where else. Events just morph together in ways that you would never expect. It's a collective mindset that I have never experienced anywhere else. I love it. And you would too if you were here.




This weekend- Christopher Street Day (CSD) - an annual celebration and demonstration for the rights of LGBT people. Definitely miss our Seattle peeps & the Gay Pride Parade, but I have a feeling Berlin can match it. Going to be fierce!

For more of magnificent May:

Erster Mai 2012 (May Day) 

May Day in Berlin and Beyond

Just another Karneval der Kulturen

Beautiful Berlin Brunch

Out to brunch with Ian today and had one of those moments (as the sun was shining, brunch halfway in our bellies, band played) that reminded us of why we are living in Berlin.
 


Sorry for the shaky quality. Trying not to throw off the cool vibe of the place, yet I am sure we did. I am mostly unremorseful as we are still stuffed with greek dolmades,  cous cous, crepes, fruit, chicken nuggets, stuffed peppers, fried mushrooms, pasta salad, variety of cheeses, chicken wings, caprese salad, and giant milchkaffee. How I love the Germans loose connection with "traditional" Brunch foods.

Brunchy Brunch

I love Brunch. I would marry it, if I could. And Berlin's brunch does it best. Frida Kahlo was our first brunch since coming back & it did not disappoint. A kinda Mexican, mediterranean setting that covered the bar, there was some breakfasty, some lunchy, all of it delicious.

Gnocchi
pesto pasta
heavenly potatoes
sausage
rolls, meats, cheeses
kaiserschmarrn
crepes
custard
applesauce
artichoke hearts & tomatoes
muffins
coffee cake
awesome mushrooms in cream sauce
red pepper pasta...........................................................................................................................................................................................we were stuffed. Plus- candles. I'm a sucker for candles on the table.