Street Music

So yesterday we were wandering through Potsdam, through this touristy area around the Brandenburger Tor... I think it's called Brandenburger Strasse, or somewhere close enough. We saw the LGBT campaigners I mentioned in the previous post, and then we just meandered through this long stretch where there were loads and loads of restaurants and cafes. It was sunny, and tables were strewn all over the street, with people relaxing and sunning themselves. There were kids and parents, old people, young couples, families, people in wheelchairs... and then there were the street musicians.

These guys, for instance, were playing with so much gusto! And they kept playing and playing and playing... on another part of the street, there was a guy and girl playing. Couldn't get their photos, but they seemed so happy and in harmony. After each rendition, they'd turn and smile and nod at each other. There was another old man with an accordion, too. All of them kept their instrument cases open, and sometimes people dropped coins into them. And then I saw this guy. He was playing on a guitar and singing, and he too had an instrument case open before him with loads of coins:

He, too, seemed extremely happy, and was nodding and smiling at all passers-by and singing in German. The only words I understood were "Hallelujah". I found the symbols on his guitar extremely intriguing. I wanted to ask him about them, but he never stopped singing!

He also had a board with something written on it, and people kept looking at it and laughing. For the life of me, I couldn't figure it out. I thought, maybe he was collecting for some cause. 

Until I snapped a photo of the board and checked it on Google Translate later! It says, "I am richly blessed, take what you can get."

Christopher Street Day Gay Parade at Brandenburger Tor

So we'd gone to Brandenburger Tor, just like that... got off the bus at the wrong stop and walked back, and then we were struck by the sudden riot of colours. We knew it was a tourist area, but this was more vibrant than we'd expected. There were posters, flowers, rainbows, balloons, kids running around and playing, some campaigners in their tents, and men in colourful drag singing and dancing! 

Recognition and Respect!

together for tolerance, nonviolence and peaceful coexistence...

It was quite a celebration, with happy faces and kids with balloons running around...

A campaigner who sang with a soulful voice

3/009, Wasgenstrasse 75

This is my address as of today. My tiny room at the Studentendorf Schlachtensee which could really really use a heater. The two pretty women at the office/Rathaus (yes, I found the name funny too) are extremely nice and ready to help, and I probably should have asked them how to turn the heater on, but after the internet fiasco (they gave me the wrong password and I had to find out the right one from a Nepali boy I met in the kitchen and who suddenly started speaking in Hindi), I'm just not feeling up to it. And therefore the weekend shall be cold.

Speaking of weekends, there's something about Fridays. All the office timings say things like "9.00 to 20.00 Montag-Donnerstag; 13.00-15.00 Freitag"! (Ok, I'm exaggerating a bit, but you get the general idea!)

I have a cot with bed, pillow and blanket, a desk with a desk lamp and a rickety chair, a wardrobe, and a cupboard. There are two glass windows with blinds. In the common area, there's a living room with TV and some sofas, there's a kitchen with burners, microwave and an electric kettle. Europeans seem to take recycling very very seriously indeed. They have separate bins for paper/plastic etc. and for food waste. They also expect everyone to do their bit -- to take out the garbage when the bins are full, to keep the place neat and clean, etc. etc. And people seem to do it. (I'm sure someone can theorize this!)

I found this interesting about their public transport as well. When you get on the buses, you're supposed to take tickets yourself -- or, if you're a student, show your semesterticket to the bus driver. This seems to work for everything. They're also very strict about traffic rules, and rules in general, it seems. And the other day, I was about to cross the street, saw a couple of cars coming and waited on the side of the road. The cars slowed down, and stopped! For a moment, I stood frozen there, waiting, and the cars stood frozen there, waiting, and then I realized they had actually stopped for me to cross! How sweet. Erm, maybe. But it's disorienting for someone used to Hyderabad's mad traffic!

However, the buses from Berlin vroom around like Hyderabadi autos, so maybe there's more to the picture than meets the eye! 

Some more unglamorous observations about the place and people:

- People here keep to themselves when they're in public. They don't seem to interfere in others' matters. This means, sometimes they won't help you even if you visibly need help. But if you ask for help, they're usually very nice about it.

- Everyone goes to the loo with identical-looking toiletry bags, NOT brandishing their toothbrush and paste openly like yours truly. 

- Mineral wasser means mineral water, but make sure you take mineral wasser ohne kohlensäure versetzt rather than mineral wasser mit kohlensäure versetzt. Unless you want soda.

- If you pay 5 euro for a bill costing 4 euro 86 cents, they will give you 14 cents back. Not 10 cents. 14 cents, with nice 10-cent and 2-cent coins.

- You have to learn to drop a lot of coins and press a lot of buttons to survive in Germany. And it's not as easy as it sounds to find where exactly the coin goes into the cigarette dispenser or cola dispenser!

- Wo/man cannot survive on bread alone, not even with apple juice and yoghurt, though s/he can bloody well try.