Operation Ranch Hand II We rejoin our heroes as, between sips of the local bourbon, they privately square off for the unpromised affections of our local barmaid She's very nice, offering us cigarettes and listening sympathetically as we lament on how all [other] bartenders [who have scorned us] are egotistical and self-absorbed. It also turns out there is a foosball tourney here every week that brings out the sharpest competitors in the city -- a chilling premise. Everyone in the Bullbar seems to know each other, it's that kind of place On the threshold of the Pergamon Ancestors
Upon donning each other's glasses, Ben and I find that each of us can do pitch-perfect imitations of the other Arash and I finally meet some girls that won't run away from us at the mere sound of our voices, as they did in Poland. Sure, they were kind of shallow and the sort that don't seem interested in anything that doesn't concern them, but we did our best to have a good time In the end, each side was afraid to make the first move Arash can't resist making his mark on one of the less tagged-up public walls. Keep sprayin', A! Sebastian pads off excess moisture and feels like a self-confessed 'absolute ass' after an awkward moment during dinner, when he finds out that our new French friend Ord can actually speak English and understand all the condescension and arrogance we had heaped on her Rosa The Island of the Peacocks. Tip from the pros: check your bus schedule before heading out there on a weekday. The bus comes every two hours and we ended up footing it to the island from the main road after no cars could be cajoled, threatened, or even slowed by a flung body one Euro each way, and the guys wait on you The Schloss! The Prussians only half-finished the island, but luckily the preserves made the cut. We saw deer, peacocks (the result of a far-afield pee break) and a wild boar! They can swim Why so happy? You're going to miss the bus back and die of exposure Willing to be lucky Back at the well-named Irish Pub in the Europa Center, Arash starts a new undertaking based on a study he read about the planarity of the Gallic skull Ben buys a new saber at the weapons shop but we disagree about my share and I soon find myself fighting for my life with a switch. Ben wins and I enter servanthood Quixote and Sancho Paza The gleam of the pommel intimidates fellow passengers The Anchorklause! Finally! And they play the Justice song Ord has been singing all day, effectively banishing it from our minds! Finally Someone got lucky -- in every possible way which makes him torqued that he breaks a plate-glass window in front of a Vietnamese street vendor We do one swishy last dance on some toadstools and try to steal a bike so we can get to the airport, but no such luck -- gravity itself objects to the theft. Bye-bye Berlin, we love you and will see you again if the dollar proves elastic, bye bye bye |
