Turkey Day Redux

Last night, after a rather long and somewhat mentally taxing interview I watched the last half of the Turkey – Croatia game in Neukölln. Neukölln, for those unfamiliar with Berlin geopolitics is a highly Turkish neigborhood. Quite a thriller, this game, 0-0 until the last 2 minutes of overtime when Croatia first scored a goal and then Turkey another. Turkey won in the end. Cue shooting into the air, rampant fireworks and Turkish flags everywhere.

We went to Kottbusser Tor/ Oranien Platz to watch the celebrations. There was sort of a benign riot/ street festival atmosphere that carried on into the early hours of the morning. Next week Turkey plays Germany, I’m a bit bummed I won’t be in Kreuzberg to witness the atmosphere.

After loitering for a good hour and a half we did some bar-hopping. Last stop Roses and cocktails that tasted like strawberry jam diluted in vodka. I think Roses may be my new favorite bar.

Again I left my camera at home.

Tonight, onward to Tel Aviv!

German Glossary

One great thing about traveling to Berlin is that I get to learn new and useful German words. Last time I was here, 3 years ago the take-home word was “ausländischer Mitbürger.”

This time too, I learned some new words:

Burgerpüppchen

Notgeile

Blümchensex

But Wha-ay?

Questions after visiting the Jewish Museum (in no particular order):

- Why were several, presumably Bavarian, high-schoolers wearing dirndls and lederhosen on their visit to the museum?

- Why does the cafeteria go to the trouble of being “kosher style,” but not certified kosher, or even plain old vegetarian?

- Are the refugees from Germany to Israel in the 1930s among the exiles commemorated in the “Garden of Exiles?”

- Is Amos Elon’s book title “The Pity of It All” really an appropriate way to sum up 2000 years of German-Jewish history?

- The Mendelssohn-Bartholdys aside: Why is a Christmas tree part of the exhibition?

Art in the void:

Wienukkah rules: