We flew into Berlin at 10:00 in the
morning and easily found the TGX bus that would take us to where we needed to
go: Spandauer Strasse/Marienkirche (Mary's Church).
From there, we had trouble figuring out
which way to walk. I was using paper maps. Our phones hadn’t caught up with us
enough to allow mapping apps to help. When we finally figured out where our
apartment building was, we were only about 250 meters from it.
The apartment we rented was only a studio
but has a kitchenette and SEPARATE bathroom (unlike in Copenhagen). 
It feels luxurious.
We dropped our bags and set out to sightsee.
We set out and I thought I had read the map
right about which way to turn when we got out of our building. But we ended up
on museum island, which is famous and a place we wanted to visit, just not that
day. We were in search of a gluten-free restaurant on a nearby street. I turned
around and looked at the map and tried to get us headed the right direction,
but only got us more lost. I was frustrated but Mary pointed out that I had
never been in this city before so I shouldn't expect to know my way around right
away. As if the universe heard my anxiety, we passed this advertisement:
"It feels good to walk in circles."
Mary noticed people in running bibs and
thermal blankets. We had arrived on the day of the Berlin half marathon. It
seemed in keeping with our walking 30 miles in four days to start our trip.
We went to Alexanderplatz, which was
relatively sleepy. It is a famous symbol of this city, and Mary studied German
cinema, one of whose famous movies is titled Berlin Alexanderplatz.
I connected to Berlin through movies, too.
Wings
of Desire instantly
became my favorite movie the moment I saw it. Two angels wander around Berlin, listening
in on people's thoughts; noting acts of kindness, lightness, or humor; and comparing
notes and having philosophical conversations when they meet up. To me. these activities
had always seemed holy, and the movie reinforced that notion. Maybe part of why
I enjoy travel is that a large portion of my time is spent as the angels spend their
time in that movie: wandering around, appreciating beauty, and noting what is
going on around me.(This entry's title comes from my own translation of its German title "Himmel uber Berlin")
We then walked the famous Unter der Linden,
a wide boulevard lined by many of Berlin's famous museums and institutions. It
was again a beautiful day. This past winter was particularly cold in Chicago,
and it was like we traveled not merely through space to Europe but also through
time to summer on our flight over here. Everybody was out enjoying the sun and warmth.
I was headed straight up the street ticking
off the places we passed. Then Mary saw an art fair going on that she wanted to
walk through. It is not the kind of thing she does often at home. I was surprised.
There were many beautiful things, many of which we could not pack with us. I
was glad she led us into the fair. This coat caught Mary's eye,
but
instead she bought this skirt
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