To Berlin I give a hearty and passionate handshake and the promise of more to come, for within the bosom of this place lies a spirit that is so magnanimous and welcoming that I can do nothing but turn my back, close my eyes, and walk away, hoping that it will be here in this same state upon my return.

This will be my last Berlin update. With the train to Amsterdam on Tuesday, followed by the ferry to London on Thursday, I’ll have not a lot of time to really sit back and consider everything that has happened here over the course of the past two months, but a quick tally in my mind turns up a pretty good number.

I wrapped up my tourist endeavors here for the time being with a trip to the Ramones Museum. I had read about it before coming here, and it was always kicking around in the back of my mind as something to do on a cold day.

That day finally came on Thursday. As anyone who has spent any time with me over the past 10 years or so can attest, I like music that is fucking great. While the foundation was laid a long time ago, the rest of the process went through different phases, as it does with most people, and the building blocks of my tastes are easily traceable over the course of my upbringing.

Starting around 7th grade, I went through a pretty heavy Ramones phase. I had a bunch of their posters on the walls of my Kenwood room. I had heard bands that I love talk about them with such high levels of praise that it was really only a matter of time before their influence would make its way to me. I have a knack for mythical rock stories, places, people, or small tid bits, and CBGBs in New York, where they and a bunch of other fucking great bands like Blondie and The Talking Heads got their start, has a lot of all of that.

The Ramones Museum touts itself as the only one of its kind, and I am inclined to believe it after visiting. It’s small, but jesus, it is packed with stuff that only a truly obsessed, rabid fan would have. The owner has been a fan for a long time, and with the band’s ties to Germany, he has some really unique stuff that I’m sure is pretty rare at this point. He corresponded regularly with Johnny Ramone, as well as some other members of the Ramones camp, which always makes for a good museum if you judge its success on the amount of “shit no one else in the world has.”

Those are Johnny’s jeans that he wore all the time. The owner got them by way of a trade that included a new pair of Converse shoes.

If you compare their setlists, they really only liked to play about 30 of their songs. But who the fuck am I to judge? That’s right. An Internet blogger.

One thing that I had never heard or read about before was the degree of hate that Joey had for Johnny. After having his girlfriend taken and married by his fucking guitar player, Joey didn’t really like Johnny that much. Judging from some of the notes and biography excerpts in the museum, they toured for years without having anything to do with each other. Johnny didn’t even go to the funeral when Joey died, which just makes me sad.

This is the wall of musicians that have visited. Again, it was just a walk through awesome to see all of their names. Tony Sly from No Use For a Name, Green Day, Brian Fallon of The Gaslight Anthem, David Byrne, Bouncing Souls, NOFX…just a truly spectacular collection of people that have come to pay their respects. I enjoyed every minute and read every single one of the info cards that were printed on cardboard, which I suppose is about as punk as a museum can be.

I’ll see you guys on the other side. Stay positive.