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TRAVEL JOURNAL PHOTOS Trip
favorites Rock am Ring Cities |
Artist in residence Right now, I am writing from Berlin, where as a photographer, my money is no good here. Last night, a photo editor from Die Welt bought me dinner and afterwards a drink at a beer garden. I am staying at Mitte's Backpacker Hostel in Berlin, where I have free room, free laundry, two free drinks each night at the bar and free internet. The owner said I could come back anytime for free... as long as I don't stay for a full year. By pure coincidence, a few days before I arrived in Berlin, the hostel manager found my website on Google. I had put up two pictures from a visit last summer. The owner also fell in love with my photography... they were excited when I emailed back to tell them I was actually coming into Berlin this week. They commissioned me to photograph all the rooms for their website and brochures. In addition to the aforementioned red carpet treatment, they are covering my film and expenses, plus a stipend equivilent to one day at the current NY Times day rate. The hostel is by far the most colorful and artistic place I've ever stayed in the world. Each room has a different theme... from India to insects. I am staying in the underwater room, where several paper mache fish hang from the ceiling. A small school swims directly above my bed. Each night in the room makes me feel like Jimmy Hoffa. While in Berlin, I attended Internet World and concluded that the internet party is as finished here as at home. Last year, I attended the tradeshow and got a few interviews from it. Most of the small companies I saw last year were absent and many have shed staff. One dotcom company I interviewed with last summer near my hostel is leaving the posh offices they built a year ago. Their staff has shrunk 40 to 25. Before coming into Berlin, I was in Prague to visit a few friends in the city. For the first time in seven years, I caught up with Tomas, a Czech exchange student from my junior year of high school. We were on the swim team together. Now, he's a professional travel writer and has been far more places than I have. In Prague, my accomidations weren't quite as generous as they are in Berlin. I had intended to stay with the two Czech girls I stayed with in January. I was looking forward to the visit--for living in the region of Bohemia, they are clearly Bohemian in character. However, my non-visit could pass for a Franz Kafka tale. Back in January, they said I could come back for up to a full month. I was up for a few days on their kitchen's futon. When I called them from Italy, they said they were somewhat busy, but we'd be able to do stuff at night. When I arrived in the city, they said to call them later. One expected to be free at seven, the other at ten. I talked to the first roommate at 11pm and she said to call back at 1am. Around midnight before the Metro went to bed, I brought my stuff outside their flat. I tried calling them periodically from a payphone and couldn't reach either of them the rest of the night. I was expecting them to pull up any minute in a Taxi. I gave up at 2:48am. Fortunately, I remembered a hostel down the street from my first trip to Prague. I am very happy they were awake and had a room to give me. With the Metro shut down, it would have been difficult to go to any other place for the night. The note I left on their door was still there in the morning. When I called both roommates the next day, I found out that they had individually left town. I never saw them while I was in Prague. Furthermore, I am not in a rush to see them the next time I am in Prague. I need to ask a Magic 8 ball if we're still friends. |
