First Sunday in Berlin

(View from our kitchen window in Berlin...)

Until we move into the theater for tech, our day off per week falls on Sundays. This schedule proves slightly tricky for life in Germany, since Sunday is a "quiet day" and most stores are closed, including supermarkets. Seemingly simple domestic activities such as grocery shopping is a scheduling conundrum, since we don't get home until 7pm at the earliest Monday through Saturday. Sundays were always bizarre when we lived in Hamburg, because there wasn't much we could do with ourselves -- no TV programs we could watch, no movies we could go to (most German movies are dubbed in German), no shopping. Luckily, life in Berlin is comparatively easier. While most stores are indeed closed today (Sunday), we found a few stores in the shopping arcade Potsdamer Platz that were open. Supermarkets do stay open later Monday through Saturday (until 8pm, sometimes 9pm), so we could make a dash for it for the last hour of shopping. I guess we shall get used to it. The comforting thing about Berlin for us is that people eat late -- which did not happen in Hamburg. We already know numerous restaurants that are open until midnight or later, and a few open 24 hours. This knowledge helps us tremendously -- especially for David, who could now reside in Berlin knowing he shall not starve (a threat that seemed always imminent in Hamburg).

(Our dining table and living area...)

Our apartment here is great, which is a huge plus and relief -- this may be the first time we didn't have to move or want to move. We are very lucky. I had looked at an apartment last time we were in Berlin, in the same building as Eleanor -- but then that apartment fell through due to the Berlin Festival (that building is right in Potsdamer Platz and steps from the theater). Only one apartment was available, which, rightfully and appropriately, Eleanor will take. We were just recently told about our new apartment, and just went with it, never having seen it, only photos on their website which too often can be misleading. While it is not as close to the theater as the one we were supposed to move into, this apartment is much better for us because of its lay-out. We have a great panoramic view of the city, and the apartment is very spacious. The apartment is less than 10 minutes walk from Potsdamer Platz, although technically we are in an area called Kreuzberg. It is in East Berlin, and, despite being so close to the glitzy and very commercial Potsdamer Platz -- home of Berlin Film Festival next week -- one gets the sense that Kreuzberg hasn't been "westernized" heavily yet. Many of the buildings around us feel extremely boxy and concrete, spartan in their appearance and very uniform. Some of the buildings (like ours) have been gutted and renovated, but the neighborhood itself very much feels like it is still in the midst of being gentrified. This isn't a bad thing, really. It's quiet where we are, but we are within walking distance to various shops. And while it is cold and dry here, New York has been far colder recently, that we are doing okay weather-wise.

(Another sign that we seem to be moving up in the work-accommodation ladder (knock on wood!) is that this apartment has REAL PLANTS! And they are hydroponic! None of the plastic ones we so often find clever ways of hiding or secretly disposing, due to their creepy quality.)

(Sunset, looking towards the west side of Berlin...)

(Berlin in the late afternoon, as seen from our kitchen)

Reading and speaking German remain a huge struggle and challenge. Today, we went to a Bio Markt in Prenzlaur Berg, because the website had open hours that included Sunday. Turns out the Bio Markt in Prenzlaur Berg is, indeed open on Sunday, from 9 to 3pm, but ONLY the BAKESHOP. We missed this part, because we didn't understand the fine print of "BACKSHOP" on the website -- after having traveled some 20 minutes by taxi, we learnt that "BACKSHOP" means BAKESHOP. This is one thing I will not understand about Germany -- just how much priority baked items receive. The Bio Markt in Prenzlaur Berg is massive -- very much like a Whole Foods. But on Sunday, while the 4 other Bio Markts in the city close -- like most other stores in Berlin -- the biggest one remains open ONLY TO SELL BREAD. And it's in the middle of nowhere. In fact, while most supermarkets are closed, most bakeries around Berlin are open at least until 3pm. There seems to be so much urgency on having freshly baked bread...

... but we must avoid German bakeries, to avoid being afflicted with the "German chubbiness" factor again. And to avoid getting chubby, we must cook for ourselves at home as much as possible. There is just no other way. We are lucky that Berlin has Bio Markt, which is a great chain of all organic supermarkets -- there are 4 of them in Berlin, and one is within a not-too-bad walking distance. That was the first thing we did when we arrived on Thursday -- went to the Bio Markt and filled our kitchen with basic supplies. It was a huge shop, and I think we surprised the cashier who clearly was not used to people buying so much stuff. Anyway, now we're pretty set up and are able to cook at home. So far, we have eaten at home and had a very quiet time.

It remains to be seen how quiet and domestic we shall be in Berlin. Last time we lived in Germany, we lived in a one room hotel room in Hamburg, where cooking was out of the question. We would try to find places we could eat, and late -- or bring up crappy food from the hotel restaurant downstairs and eat on our bed. I survived on chicken wings, and David on Burger King. We came to think that a Chinese restaurant in the red light district was our life saving place for food because it fed us until 1am (we realized that we were fooling ourselves and that it really wasn't very good when we returned to NYC). We really hated living in Hamburg, never got used to it, and doubt we will ever find anything that remarkable about the city, no matter what people tell us. Life in Germany for us is different now, and in Berlin. We still don't know any German, but we have more knowledge about how the DD putting-in process goes... and we have aspirations to keep in tact a more domestic life while living abroad all the time. Plus, we have a kitchen! And separate rooms for sleeping and eating! We have come a long way since squatting for 3 months in a hotel room.

Anyway - so we begin our time in Berlin...

We are currently rehearsing in a massive TV studio about a half hour drive from where we live. Although it's not convenient to travel so far, the space is great and all the departments (music, costumes, wigs, etc.) could be in the same building, which makes life easier. Here are a few pics from the first few days of rehearsal -- currently David is rehearsing the Baby's, Johnny's, and Penny's (the leads and their understudies) in a "dance boot camp":


(Craig - ballroom choreographer - and David teach Baby and Johnny, as well as their understudies, "Hungry Eyes")

(The girl in the orange is Janina Elkin, who will play our "Baby" in Berlin)

(The 3 Penny's -- from left: Charlotte [the role Penny], Bridie and Milana, who are Penny understudies)

(Kimberly, the tall blonde in the middle who is David and Craig's assistant, works with the girls; David in the mean time works with Daniel, who will play the role of Johnny Castle in Berlin)