Our welcome to Oxford

My niece, Tasha baked us a lovely welcome chocolate cake - yay!

Added to this, my sister made a fabulous dinner of roasted potatoes, salmon and curried squash with garbanzo beans

My other niece, Laura explained at the dinner table how snails have sex - apparently it is through double penetration as the hermaphroditic slugs have both parts needed, with the penis growing out the back of the head - bet you didn't know that!

British Spring (also known as winter)

We spent our first afternoon in Oxford walking about the British countryside with Niki's sister, Linda.  It was lovely, but quite chilly.  We stopped for coffee at a charming little inn, where you could touch the ceiling.  I felt bad for the tall waiters as they had to crouch through all the doorways while carrying loads of dishes.

Narrowboats

I love the narrowboats of the UK.  I actually considered living on one (probably after a few glasses of wine), but wisely opted for accommodations not submerged in cold water.  These pictures are from Oxford.  The apartment Niki and I rented in London is on the canal, so hopefully there will be more narrowboat pictures to come.  Here's a brief blurb from Wikipedia.

A narrowboat or narrow boat is a boat of a distinctive design, made to fit the narrow canals of Great Britain.

In the context of British Inland Waterways, "narrow boat" refers to the original working boats built in the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries for carrying goods on the narrow canals (where locks and bridge holes would have a maximum width of at least 7 feet (2.1 m); some locks on the Shropshire Union are even smaller). The term is extended to modern "narrowboats" used for recreation and more and more as homes, whose design is an interpretation of the old boats for modern purposes and modern materials.

Our names up in lights!!!

Well, maybe not lights... but paint.

The things that come out of Niki's mouth!

Niki and I were at dinner at this cute little restaurant, sitting outside in warm the evening air.  The trees were amazing, with lime green leaves and black trunks.  Then, the following emerged from Niki's mouth, without a breath, in about 10 seconds.   It's a good thing Niki's a writer!!!

"There's a man in a black waist coat with a red back.  I think he's from an orchestra.  He must play the bassoon.  No.  He's a dealer at a casino.  When you deal cards, do you give a good hand?"

Seriously, things like this come out of her month constantly.  This just a glimpse of her humor.

It's a zoo here!

Animals everywhere!

Kunsthaus Tacheles

Tacheles is an amazing art commune in the heart of the Mitte.  The building has been occupied by artists for decades.  Every inch of wall space is covered with art and there are cool little artist studios tucked into little nooks and crannies.  There have been numerous battles between the artists and the government, some regarding economics, some regarding safety (the building does looks like it's going to crumble!).  In recent years, the artists prevailed and were allowed to remain in the building.  It became a real draw for fans of street art and a great place for artists to work and sell their pieces.  This past September, the artists were evicted.  Not quite sure why.  A handful of them now occupy the vacant lot behind the building.  We couldn't get in, but we roamed around the back lot and chatted with some of the artists.

East Berlin Street Art

The street art in East Berlin is so beautiful.  Here are just a few examples.....

Business Decision

I think Schlampe would have more customers if she hung out here!

Making New Friends!

Meet our new friend Schlampe.  We met her on our first night in Berlin.  When she saw us taking pictures of her, she was very upset because she didn't want her mother to know she was a hooker.  We agreed to not use any pictures showing her face ... just in case someone forwarded our blog link to Schlampe's mom.  After a while, she really warmed up to us and gave us a good tip for getting into Berlin night clubs.  "Dress like me", she said.  Good advice!

We were also worried about our moms seeing our faces, so we opted for soft lighting

German Reunification

During German reunification, the government had to address the significant architectural and infrastructure decay of East Berlin.  The funding of the reunification effort was massive, assets had to be selectively deployed, and not all buildings could be saved.  Buildings that were beyond rescue were demolished and abandon lots were left in their wake.  As artists flooded into East Berlin and communities developed, these randomly spaced vacant lots became communal gardens, parks, and restaurants.  The outdoor seating area of Clarchens Ballhaus is a great example of the beauty created from the economic challenges of reunification.  Amidst the trees, you can see the ghost of a demolished building left behind.  The foundation, which is still in place, provides a natural break between the seating areas and the walkway.

Loved this place - disco ball hanging outside, tulips in the garden in front, European men everywhere

Here is what we ordered - dinner of champions!!

And inside - a dance hall from the 70's era - how fun is that.

Outside, some kids behaved like drunks - the little guy had his zipper undone, kept throwing rocks and lifting his shirt, while his sister lay on the ground - Daisy and I soon followed suit

Tegel Airport Architecture

You have to love Tegel Airport in Berlin.  It's an architectural gem and stands in such sharp contract to the modern, high tech airports in Munich and Frankfurt.  While the airport has been around for ages, the main structure in use today was built in the 1960's.  It has a real spaceship like quality, which you can see in the light design in the ceilings, the rounded windows, and the molded plastic.   I hope it is preserved and recognized for the work of art that it is.

Drug Deal

In a final effort to raise money for the trip, Niki sold Xanax to a nervous flyer at an LAX bar.   I'm not kidding!!!!

First Stop - Berlin

Our first stop is Berlin. I've never been, but Daisy says it is one of her favorite places.
We're staying right in the heart of the matter - the Mitte (the middle) -  where apparently, it all happens - we will let you know more about that shortly :)
Staying at the Studios am Alexanderplatz - Ja sehr Schön

Okay - the Studios were fantastic - great location and easy to deal with - we were on the 6th floor

Cute kitchen and plenty room

View from our window 

And best thing is we were right near fabulous restaurants