As I continues my trip throughout Europe, I ended up in Berlin for New Years. I had met a friend, Charlie, in a hostel in Granada several months earlier, and recieved an email that she would be in Berlin the same time I would be. I was immediately thankful I was recently single. Charlie was cute, in a way only German women are. (I met her again later for Carnival in Cadiz, Spain – Another story to follow)
I stayed at a huge hostel in East Berlin. The place was drab, a true concrete jungle. Grey skies, grey buildings, grey weather. There wasn’t a day that went by without blistering wind and rain. In my room were a group of Italians who loved to drink and sit together in the room wearing only underwear. Not boxers, the kind of underwear that clearly show cock and balls. I understood their vague homosexuality, already spending six months in Spain allowed me to become very comfortable around gays and mariconas (Side note, our favorite club in Sevilla was called Sasha, a very, very gay club – story to follow). I was not swayed or in the least bit uncomfortable.
I meet up with Charlie, and she takes me to a huge club. I wish I had pictures of it, but I forgot my camera at the hostel. Drinks were cheap, music was loud. It was one of those clubs with 8 different dance floors, each playing different music. We spent our time in the typical club setting, simply because the music is easy to dance to. When you’re drunk in the club, you only want to feel the bass line vibrating your chest as you move with the crowd. Charlie and I pass the time drinking and dancing, occasionally meeting her friends. Germans speak English very well, I cannot speak German at all. I know how to say, “Dancing is my favorite sport (Tanzen ist mein Lieblings-Sport.),” and “squirrel (Eichhörnchen).” These two phrazes are very helpful if you are in trouble. Say you love to dance, break it down, and survive any terrifying situation in Germany.
Australian to the left, Charlie on the right
The next night is New Years Eve. The party is at the Brandenburg Gate. I stock up on alcohol, what I think I would need for the night (3 bottles of champagne, 6 bottles of Germany’s finest beer, and a bottle of vodka). You know, enough to get a good buzz. I meet up with Charlie and a group of people she knows from various places. Some Germans, some Australians, other people from far off places on earth. I’m in a good mood, I have a good feeling about tonight, especially because everyone is drinking to their hearts content. They all had the same idea I did, which was bring as much to drink as you could physically carry. We met in a subway station before we headed out.
Tanzen ist mein Lieblings-Sport.
Unfortunantly, or fortunantly for us, Charlie tells the group we cannot bring any of our alcohol to the actual party. Bottles are not allowed at the Gate. We all man up and begin drinking in heavy quanitities. It was a fairly long walk to the gate, at least a couple miles (I had made the treck a couple of days before for sightseeing), which gave us plenty of time to finish our drinks. Halfway there we were all walking sideways,. laughing, lighting fireworks, yelling, etc.
Charlie and I on our way to the Gate
We make it to the gate, and immediately we are all seperated. We were all falling over drunk, do a commando move over a barricade and end up somewhere. It doesn’t help there there are a million people at the gate, in the exact same state as us. Here it gets a little fuzzy…time passes…It was amazing. After who knows how long I meet up with the Australians and Charlie. Its about time for the the countdown. There was a stage underneat the gate where there was some kind of concert. I thought it was the White Stripes, but it clearly wasn’t. Ok so countdown, the clock strikes midnight, fireworks explode overhead, the music is pounding, a million people dancing. Its raining, again. I look over, and probably get the best picture I could have asked for at the moment. It discribes the hilarity and insanity of a Berlin New Years Party.
Happy New Year 2007
I dont understand, but I love it. That could be my saying for alot of what I experienced. I dont understand, but I love every minute of it. I think I walked back to the hostel around 4 or 5 in the morning. I could have taken the subway.
As I’m walking back to the hostel, I stop for a kebab. Let me tell you, these things are delicious. Arab ones are better, but at that moment I was eating manna from heaven. I can see one guy being harrased by a group of Germans, people are throwing fireworks at me from windows, some guy stops me and asks me for some coke. I don’t get what it is with Europeans and coke. Anyway, I could not care at the moment. All was well with the world. I get back to the hostel, and I hear the Italians upstairs. Of course I walk up the stairs, and join them for a few round of drinks. By this time, I think I had been drinking for a good ten hours straight. This is easy, however, when beer is cheaper than water. Go to Berlin, and you will totally understand. But when you go, make sure to go for New Years.
