First Berlin experiences: The World Cup and a Palace

I arrived in Berlin from Amsterdam, where the evening before the city was celebrating the Dutch World Cup victory that guaranteed their place in the finals. I thought: why not watch my first football match here in Berlin? If they win, they'll go nuts too. It'll be a blast!

So I headed to the local Spandau citadel, following the throngs of German-flag-laden fans. They lost. Very anticlimactic.

Today, I visited the spectacular Schloss Charlottenburg (schloss = palace). Take a look at my Berlin 2010 photo album (link in right-hand column) for views of the stunning place.

Willkommen Bienvenue Welcome!

I have arrived in Berlin! I'm staying in the very old and very lovely town of Spandau, just West of Berlin. Basically, take the U-Bahn (metro) as far as it goes, and here I am. Take a look at my Berlin 2010 Flicker album -- the link is on the right-hand colum -- for a view of Spandau streets. 80s music geeks may wish to sing "True" by Spandau Ballet while they do so.

You'll see a couple of photos of my hotel, situated in an 1800 burgermeister home.

Pop Quiz!

You're a Canadian tourist in Amsterdam, and you decide to visit the lovely Museum Gift Shop situated between the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum. You should expect the security guard holding the door open to have the following reaction:

a) Smile and say "Welcome"

b) Ask you if he can interest you in any of the great specials they have today

c) Warn you to "Please watch your step"

d) Give you a stern look and belch out "We're CLOSED!"

Amsterdam Hotel

Since it was 35C when I arrived, and there is no air conditioning in the hotel, I was very happy that my incredibly large hotel room had many big windows that opened.
















The view of Oostenpark and the Tropenmuseum (Tropical Museum) next door is not too shabby either!



Griche-Poil checked his Facebook account while Marc-André took an extended nap.

Laat het goede tijdenbroodje! ("Let the good times roll" in Dutch... according to BabelFish)

3 flights and 13 hours later, I have arrived in Amsterdam for the beginning of a 22-day European Extravaganza!

This is what I looked like for my 3-hour London stopover...

Fresh!

I am in Amsterdam to facilitate a consultation on "New HIV prevention technologies: Implications for People Living with HIV" for the Global Network of People Living with HIV (GNP+)... which rocks!

Afterwards, I will spend a few days in Berlin and Prague to enjoy these two fabulous cities for the first time... and frankly, to avoid having to do 3 cross-Atlantic flights in 10 days.

Finally, I'll make my way to Vienna for the International AIDS Conference, aka AIDS2010, aka the busiest week in AIDS-dom, aka AIDS-apalloza, aka a circus.