Starting to feel a bit shitty health-wise, but with my Dad coming on Wednesday and Oktoberfest in sight, there is no way I am going to let any kind of sickness prevent me from enjoying myself. When you’ve stayed in a hostel for over a week, and having run into people traveling from all OVER the goddamned place, you’re bound to catch something. In my case in Argentina ‘08, it was swine flu. In my case here, it looks like I’m simply eating too much currywurst and pommes while drinking too much Augustiner without sleeping enough.

I don’t know what’s going to happen with my sleeping routine. The fact that all of you guys sign on to various chat services at around 12am, and the Giants start their games usually around 3am, how the fuck am I supposed to just IGNORE IT! I’m going to force myself to sleep, because the creepiest guy in the building who smokes cigarettes by himself in a booth in the corner of the lobby, all day, just moved into my room. First thing he did was put his sheets on, get under the blanket, and pull it all the way over himself—with his shoes on.

Here are a few photos from the last few days. I’m going to put them all up in convenient Facebook albums after Oktoberfest, I just still don’t want everyone to know I’m here.

This is the Holocaust memorial near the Brandenburg Gate in downtown Berlin. It took a while for this to be constructed, and was finally put up in 2005. I read today that the stones are graffiti-proof, and one of the things that held up the construction of the memorial was that the company who makes that product was associated with the company that made Zyklon B during WWII. MIND blowing.

This is the Reichstag. Stay tuned for what it looked like after the Allies shelled the fuck out of the city.

This is the memorial to the Russian troops who died in the Battle Of Berlin. The two young men standing beneath are longboarders looking to desecrate hallowed ground with their bad attitudes.

Decided to go to the Berlin Zoo, because who doesn’t like growing depressed while looking at animals in captivity? I know I do. I found this statue strange. It’s a young man, pissing—hands-free, mind you—at a frog, while standing on the turtle. The frog has a very relaxed look on its face, as well. I know that when I try to piss on frogs, I don’t miss.

I’m not star struck often, having lived in LA and known and performed with A-LIST ACTOR JOSH DUHAMEL. But I wasn’t sure I would be able to compose myself if I were to run into Knut the polar bear. Turns out, Knut died a few months ago. He drowned in the very pool of water that you see now. This bear was honoring his fallen friend by pacing back and forth across that little island constantly, and by constantly, I mean hours and hours and hours of the exact same motion. I’m sure you grow a bit stir crazy when you’re a fucking exhibit.

Today I walked along the East Side Gallery, which is the longest stretch of the Berlin Wall that is still standing. Remember that wall? Turns out that thing sucked big time for a lot of people.

And what city is complete without a tremendous recreation of The Dude?