arriving in berlin (august 9-10)

one thing that i dislike about flying is when i am tired, but i cannot sleep. it doesnt help when the person whom i am travelling with eats with her mouth open, and smacks her lips with every bite, then unwraps the plastic wrapper around little candies rather loudly.

in any case, we happened to get one of the hardest cab drivers in berlin. if he is any real representation of the people here, i dont think berlin will be very friendly. i told him where we were going in german. then paola wanted me to ask how far it was, but i wasnt certain how to say it (just leaving greece, i am mixing up greek and german, and i am was a little confused at 1230), so i asked him in german if he spoke english. he responded with a firm, NO! i then thought and figured out how to ask him how long it would be, and he responded, THIRTY MINUTES! i was scared to ask him anything else, or to try to start conversation with him (as i would with cab drivers). i am excited to see how it goes here, though.

we are well over the halfway point of our whole trip. but i think that some bests and worsts awards have already been clinched. best television so far was in rome, where after 10 at night, there were porno commercials for sex hotlines. that was fun to watch, and i dont think that it is going to be beat. worst beach we went to was in naufplio. i know the setting was perfect, the water was clear, and the sun was great. however, never have i ever been bitten by fish at the beach like here. we happened to go to this same beach twice, and both times (and no other times) fish were biting my ankles. i am only noting that here because the mark (yes, they left little bite marks!) that they left on me from a couple days ago is itching. i dont think that there will be a beach that we go to that will be worse than that. by the end of the trip, i am going to figure out more bests and worsts, and compile a list.