alles jute

:: GOODBYE BERLIN ::



i took off from berlin, but not after spending some time at the Badeschiff(a floating swimming pool on the Spree River complete with sandy beach, sunbathing decks and a bar) and seeing Jamie Liddel play. and wow, definitely makes it into the TOP 5 of all shows, ever! he was incredible. he has a bit of a Jerry Lewis / Soul Singer / Church Revival schtick and boy, does it work wonders. i was spellbound by his movements, not to mention his incredible singing voice and creative power which he excercised in beat box loops and layers to create a musical army of himself which he then sang over. in short, if hasn't played in Seattle yet and there are still tickets, run, don't walk to get these. i also want to mention, in further support of JL that going to a show by yourself can be a downer, as many of you know, but i didn't even notice that i was by myself. FANTASTISK!




does anyone agree with this statement?


break
now i am in Leipzig, a town in the former East Germany with Owen and it feels really nice to slow down a bit. Owen is a lovely host and has bee treating me like a princess. he borrowed a bike for me to ride, has been cooking and inviting me to meet all of his darling and wonderful friends. the pictures are just shots from around town. there are still parts of the city that look pretty run down, though much of it has been renovated. the differences in texture between the new and old buildings, even new ones built during the DDR is astounding. yesterday was a holiday and owen took me to a barrbecue where i got to have a long conversation with a couple who were 19 and 23 at the time the wall fell and had grown up in East Germany. they were eager to share stories about their lives then, the wall-falling and what it has been like since. i can tell you all about that stuff when i get home.
tomorrow i head to olso via berlin. i am a bit travel weary, but excited to check out oslo.