This and That

The last few days have been particularly lazy ones for me. I think I am feeling settled and comfortable. However, that doesn't mean that I haven't been having fun ;) I wandered around last Sunday with no plan in my head. I encountered some street musicians in Prenzlauerberg who were so great! They had a bunch of different instruments and were switching off whenever they felt like it. One man was also singing. It was a kind of jazz-reggae if you can imagine that. They were playing at the foot of the Mauer Park (Wall Park) which, as it's name states, is encircled by a remaining piece of the Berlin Wall. It's incredible to me how normal life goes on around this incredibly powerful symbol. People are picnicing, swinging on the swings, making out with their partners, while behind them is this amazingly grafittied wall. Then I wandered along by the river Spree until I came to the Nikolai-Viertel, which is an area with lots of cobblestone streets, churches, shops, and tourists. However, it was quiet and beautiful and I enjoyed winding my way through it. I ended up in the Lust garden, which sounds kinky but is not. It's merely a large grassy area in front of the Berliner Dom. On that day there happened to be a live African band playing, so i crashed there for awhile. The band was great, and they played until the bells of the Dom started ringing. The bells here ring for about 20 mins around 6:30 or 7, calling us all to worship. I finished the night with a dinner of Spatzli at a place in Kreuzberg. Sehr lecker (very tasty) and cheap. I walked home along the Kanal totally satisfied with my relaxing day.
Monday night I went to a jazz club in Mitte called A-Trane. The house band plays every Monday (free entrance!) and they are great! I reserved a seat thank God because the place got packed. The trio is called Andreas Schmidt and friends (Piano, bass, drums) and they had 2 guests with them, a saxaphonist and my personal favorite, a vocalist. This vocalist did some amazing German freestyle!! I understood only a little bit, but he was a great performer, and the crowd was laughing a lot. I have a mini crush on him now.
Yesterday after class i had another marathon lunch/coffee/beer session with my new friend Elly and 2 of her friends Daniel, and Katya. They are all dancers by profession, and very nice to talk to. It makes me really want to be a dancer here!
Finally today! There was a freak hailstorm, just long enough to completely drench me as I walked to class. Luckily, a kind soul let me borrow her pants so that I didn't have to dance in wet clothes! Now it is bright and sunny, and in a few hours I will go to another jazz club for a jam session. For some reason, jazz music seems to be incredibly appropriate to how I'm feeling on this trip.