June 24, 1997
Hey all!
Well it's been a very interesting couple weeks since I last wrote you. For those of you looking for the juicy news, I sadly report that there were no police reports, near-death experiences, or feats of amazing courage. If you are still interested, please continue.
After Amsterdam, we spent a couple days with Eugene's Uncle near Hanover. It was, as I expected, nice, relaxing homelife with excellent sausage. From there, we went to the urban metropolis of Berlin.
Berlin was an incredible experience for me. To casually walk through the Brandenburg Gate, the remnants of the Wall and Checkpoint Charlie, and the former East Berlin was fascinating. To be in those places just a few years ago would probably meant instant death for a good capitalist like me. We met up with Americans the first night we were there, and hung out with them a lot. In some ways, it was strange to be experiencing such a monumental and beautiful city (and a city under construction. You've never seen so many construction cranes in your life!) with a bunch of people I didn't know from New York and Ohio. Also, while we were in East Berlin, a guy from Chicago let us into the Planet Hollywood without tickets to see the auditions for a new German Spice Girls group. So, if you ever hear of the "Girlies", I heard them first!
Eugene and I decided to split up for a couple days (things were ok; we had just spent every minute together for a month and needed a break). I was going to go to Wittenberg (yes, a good Lutheran like me needs to see Martin Luther's home). In the train station, I saw Stephanie and Tonya, two of the Americans with whom I had been exploring Berlin, in a train compartment with a bottle of wine on their way to Prague. Well, they invited me to join them. I wasn't going to Prague quite yet, but when two attractive, fun American women invite you to an exotic city accompanied by wine, you just kinda go. :)
It actually turned out to be a mistake. We got in at midnight without accommodations, and the only offer we had was from a known criminal. So, we went to a bar until 4 am, when they kicked us out, and then watched the sunrise and played pool. The two companions didn't actually like each other, and so I ended up tired and cranky in a strange city. A quick train to Dresden helped. Oh well.
I then went to Luxembourg, which is a small, rich, beautiful, Michael Jackson-crazed postage stamp. You should go.
After that, we met up in Cologne, and then went to a beautiful hostel in a castle on the top of the Rhine valley. I think inspiring is a good word. The view was a nice plus, but our real reason to be there was to see a Phish concert (for those who don't know, Phish is a jamming band that is somewhat inaccurately compared to the Grateful Dead). The concert was in an amphitheater with a view of the Rhine Valley, and we managed to grab a front row spot in dead center. Tears came to my eyes during several jams, despite my best attempts at appearing disinterested (ummm... actually, I was dancing like a fiend, but it's close enough).
Don't worry, this email is close to being done.
Our next stop was in the city of Erlangen, near Nuremberg. This stop filled me with great trepidation. We were staying with Louise, a Liverpudlian friend of mine studying in Germany whom I haven't seen in 7 years, since I met her at Space Camp! Basically, we were staying with a woman I practically didn't know. It turned out to be really cool, though. We went to an English-speaking Irish pub on a jam night, and we met a lot of Louise's friends. When the bands were playing, we were in the perfect position; I was able to play bongos and bodhran with the band, and Eugene sang his favorite song, "Mr. Jones" by Counting Crows, in a sexually charged duet with the band leader (female). All in all, a good night.
After a quick tour of Nuremberg (where they are surprisingly reticent about their Nazi past), we came to Munich. We have no idea what comes next. Our next set date is in almost a month in St. Petersburg, and all of Europe is open to our plunder. Wish us luck (and thanks for bearing with this epistle).
Take care.
Lance
