Saturday, July 20th - 6th day in Berlin
This is the longest I have spent in one place on this trip so far. I had originally planned to catch the train to Copenhagen today, but I want a little more time with Andres. He has to work at the hospital this afternoon. He spend the morning cuddling and then makes us breakfast before he leaves for work at 12:30.
I have more tasks to do today and I decide to use my bicycle to do them. JP Bottin, my host in Ghent (Day 111), has a friend in Berlin named Rudiger Hillmer. JP asked me to contact him and pass along a note from him. It would have been quicker to mail it but I JP thought that would give me a reason to meet him. I am curious why he wants me to. I have tried to contact him a couple times and today I am still unsuccessful. I locate his street and decide to drop JP's note and a note from myself into his mailbox.
First I find the Café Gaefe, where I have arranged to meet Andres tonight. It is nearby my hotel but I check out its exact location anyway. I would not want to miss meeting him. Then I ride to Donaustrasse in East Berlin where Rudiger lives. It's a heavily cobble stoned street that is so difficult to ride on I have to go at walking speed. I try his doorbell just in case and find him at home. He is a ruddy-faced man in his 30s with curly brown hair and a ready smile.
He invites me in but there is no place to lock my bicycle and I hesitate over bringing it inside. He says he was preparing to go for a ride himself and asks if I would like to join him. It is a perfect summer day for a ride. I have a couple chores to do but we agree to incorporate them into our ride. The first is to buy a train ticket to Copenhagen for tomorrow afternoon. Rudiger leads me along a few other cobblestoned streets, almost as rough as his own, across a canal to Lichtenberg Station on one of the major streets of East Berlin, Frankfurter Allee. I'm told there is a 2:56 pm train to Copenhagen tomorrow that can take bicycles, but only as far as Rostock, the German port on the Baltic from where the ferry leaves to Copenhagen. I am advised to arrive half an hour early tomorrow to speak to the conductor first before buying my ticket as the agent isn't certain about his information.
From there, Rudiger leads me through the heart of East Berlin to some of the city's main historical and architectural sites. This historical centre of Berlin lacks the vitality and commotion of West Berlin's core near the zoological gardens. I find myself in front of the Grand Hotel and ask Rudiger to watch my bike while I say a quick hello to a friend.
I find Lutz at the reception desk, looking immaculate and adorable in his uniform. He is bored to death and greets me warmly. I apologize for not showing up at the disco last night, even though I had not promised to. He says I made a good choice. He had a terrible time. His friend Rene had abandoned him without notice, and had taken his apartment keys with him. Lutz prickles with anger as he describes what that put him through. I tell him I am leaving tomorrow and as I am saying goodbye he shoves a handful of hotel candies across the counter to me. I suggest he meet me and Andres at the Café Gaefe at 11:30 tonight and he says he will. I am pleased that I will have the chance to introduce the two friends I have met before I leave.
Rudiger then leads me along bike paths through the city. Berlin is ideally set up for cycling, especially West Berlin which had scads of money dumped in to make it a propaganda showcase against the bleak backdrop of Communist-controlled East Germany. The bike trails here are properly signed with their own traffic lights and parking stalls. Everything works because everyone obeys the rules. Amsterdam is quite the opposite - cyclists ignore the traffic lights and signage for the most part, but everything works because everyone knows that.
We are riding through a linear park, mostly unlandscaped meadow. I am not sure which side of the city we are on. "Where was the Berlin Wall?" I ask Rudiger. "You're riding on it!" he answers. Of course, what better use could there be for a narrow but very long strip of land through the centre of the city. Not a trace of it remains near the path where we have been riding. It's delightful that such a vile symbol of oppression has morphed into a bicycle path, and even more incredible that I am riding on it. Miracles do happen!
Rudiger has other things to do and I am ready for a nap. He gives me a hug as I thank him and we say goodbye. He might have become a good friend but my time here is running out. We make no promises about keeping in touch.
Back in my hotel room I fill in my journal and take a nap before dinner. I am a few minutes late showing up at the Café Gaefe but Andres doesn't seem to mind. I order a drink and we sit and chat. Lutz shows up as promised a few minutes later with a friend named Oliver. They sit at a different table nearby, even though I ask them to join us. This may be Lutz's way of keeping an emotionally safe distance, but since this is my last night in town and I am with another friend that seems quite unnecessary. After 45 minutes, Andres and I leave to find a bite to eat. We stop at Lutz's table and I say my goodbyes. I tell Oliver it was nice to meet him even though he hasn't spoken a word to me.
I put Lutz's bizarre behaviour behind me and enjoy my time with Andres, who is obviously the only reliable friend I have made here. So many men, too much indifference. We find a Turkish pizza outlet - good stuff! - and stroll back to Andres's apartment. We spend the night making love and cuddling.
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