Braunshweig, Germany
I did not sleep very well. I didn't get to sleep long, because I had to wake up early to go to the Flohmarkt with Mark. He woke me at 06:25. I took a shower and then had breakfast. He did not mean for me to take a shower. He said "We're not going to meet the queen." Zibylla made me eggs on toast. The first market we went to was huge, but she figured out that he was at the wrong market. We drove to another. At a stoplight he told me he had been a polizi man for four years. Now he was studying law at Munster. The market was great fun. I bought three CD's for 8 marks each. I wandered, he did too. I saw a silver alto sax with good pads and keys for 550 marks. It was a great market.
We left and went around on errands, like buying food for dinner, and finding a shop that sells a certain magazine. We heard Prince's "The Most Beautiful Girl."
When we returned to Katja's house, she was waiting for me. We departed for the city, where we were going to check out the museums. I saw the Braunshweig Lion. Katja got a parking space that someone else wanted, and he yelled at her. He said he reported her to the polizi. When we returned to the car, it was scratched along her door. We went home and her mother Zibylla called the polizi to report his license plate. The Lands museum in Braunshweig was excellent, with many weapons and armor.
Zini ate lunch (pasta bake) with Mark, Zibylla, Katja, and me. Katja went down to the polizi station with Zini, and I wrote in this diary. At 16:00, Katja took me to the Anton Utrecht museum, where I saw four Rembrants, and bunches of bad to pleasant work. There was a good decorative arts collection though. She gave me time to walk around again. Then we saw the old city and to the Hbf train station to check on times I could leave tomorrow.
We went to Rafael's, who had been to LA and loved it. He hated Germany, and could say so because he was born in Poland. He was a cab driver, but the way he drove made me scared to death. We returned to Katja's to eat, but Katja left me for Zini's and I watched a bit of a movie. Zibylla asked me to try her lamb dish. I ate dinner with her, Mark, and two friends of theirs. The husband was Stephen, who was a sports writer. He studied literature. His frau was over eight months pregnant. We ate, drank bier, talked English, and then played German Trivial Pursuit. They translated and I was winning when Katja came back at 21:00. We went to Raphael's again, and then to a pizza stand. We picked up Zini at his kiosk, and saw his flat. They praised it at $600 a month. Then to a cafe for a strawberry shake, which the waiter gave to a for free. He was a friend of these people and the son of the owner.
Then to the Jolly Joker, a warehouse converted into a disco. It's a great place. Huge. After settling the others in front of the fussball match on TV (Argentina), Katja, took me on a tour. I met some of her friends. Then I bought some Alte bier and roamed around many times. I could see many people watching me. Only one woman asked me for a cigarette. I asked her "Sprechenzi Anglais" and she said very pristinely "Do you have a cigarette?" No. Then I walked around more. I had .66 liter of Alte there for 5 marks. It was a special student party night. There were mostly young students. The young German guys are geeks.
After we left Jolly Joker, we drove downtown and walked around the city. Then to a pool-hall, where I embarrassed myself with wretched billiard skills. We played that when you scratched, the next person got to place the cue ball anywhere. Then they took me home, and I slept.
1994
John and Patty came tonight after rehearsal with the kids to stay overnight. I were a bit warn out from rehearsal, and didn't think I was ready for guests, but we had a very nice time, though the weather was quite warm and uncomfortable. I had ridden my BMW motorcycle home from work, and the winds were from the South, so not too troubling.
2010