Housing update 1

Well, the Japanese place was booked (see below). So, I will be in a much more mundane, but probably much more serviceable, location.

So far, I haven't been able to find anything ironic or humorous about the Ramada Plaza Berlin. I admit, that disappoints me a bit.

Light Reading

Since suspense doesn't play into the equation here, I feel comfortable recommending "The Fall of Berlin", even though I haven't quite finished it. The authors, Anthony Reed and David Fisher, do an excellent job balancing what I assume is their typical audience's thirst for military minutiae with detailed and varied accounts of the life of the everyday Berliner during World War II.

I rarely read history, let alone military history, but have found this book to be an unanticpated pleasure, and a page turner, even.

I spent this weekend with my parents and was reminded that my stepfather actually served in World War II. He was 17. As his generation gives way to others, it's easy for us "youngins" to get a bit lax about remembering (or learning for the first time) the details of a war that killed, directly or indirectly, 50 million people.

While I have nothing to compare the book to (having only realized in the last month that my knowledge of this critical 20th century event was thinner than saran wrap), I still recommend it confidently to anyone looking for an in-depth, apparently objective (certainly non-proselytizing) recounting of World War II through the lens of the citizens, politicians and soldiers of Berlin.
"The Fall of Berlin"

Uncle!!!

I give. I desperately need an answer. This has bothered me for at least 15 years, and I'm at my wits' end. Why won't European's fully enclose the shower? This isn't a Peter Mayle "oh how quaint" observation. This is cold, hard questioning. If there's a cultural explanation, please clue me in. Until then, I have to consider it...well...lazy, at best.

I've seen many variations, but the most common version of shower interruptis is illustrated here:
This is clearly not a bathroom thrown together quickly and on a budget. Someone spent money and time building it. Yet, the shower door ends three feet too early.

Some take the approach that no water shield is needed at all, and build a bathroom that is all tile, with a drain in the floor. In those cases, at least the thinking is transparent.

But one...more...panel... that's all it would take to actually stop the water from spraying on the lovingly polished marble countertop. Why? For all that is human...WHY?

Fishnuggets?

I am clearly going to need to learn how to suppress my laughter while I read translated web-sites. In this case, however, the spelling errors make we wonder if this wasn't a human production...

4. Marble, stone and fishes

For architects and others the ones that never wanterd to be one but do habe intrests on the development of berlins building history. From the emperor and founding time, berlin reboulding, 70ies and 80ies to the night-tech-glaspalast: stones, from which the Kurfürstendamm was made of. To calm down your nerves a visit in the Berlin Zoo-Aquarium with It’s special nightly openings and extraordinary musicprogram on the occasion of the long shopping night. And the question: When does sharks sleep in Berlin? All inclusive but without any fishnuggets. Tourdates: about 2 hours guided tour, inclusive entrance Zoo-Aquarium with a special nightly program (visiting duration of your own asses).

And later, we achieve ecstasy, apparently...

More than a half a million consumerorientated Berliner and guests of the city are falling into a shopping extasy when it’s says: shopping and amusement unitl late at night! Alltogether around 350 participating residents are offering together with the big fair a successful mixture of shopping and expirience in the heart of Berlin. The sales increases that has been achieved during the past Long shopping nights are trumendous and had made this event to the successfullest shopping-party in Germany.

This is all a bit less surreal (a bit) when you know that most stores are required to close at 8:00 pm, end of story. There's always a silver lining, isn't there? Without that rule, however could one look forward to the Night of Long Shopping?