BERLIN
26-10-2015
Unter den Linden
‘I’m hungry.’
‘So am I.’ says Bert.
Through the window an old beech tree waves gently at me. I smile politely back.
‘We haven’t been for eight months.’
‘I know,’ I answer…
‘Let’s go for a stroll first…’
‘Yes. From bench to bench, to the next wall…’
‘It’s a beautiful day.’
‘It is.’
Once outside our tiredness melts away under the cloudless skies.
‘Do you know what you want to eat?’
‘I’m not sure if I want something from the breakfast, lunch or dinner menu.’
‘I’m going to have the Wiener Schnitzel without sauce.’
‘Without the sauce?’
‘Without sauce. The way it was originally intended.’
We stroll along. We don’t hurry. Every step is a link in a carefully constructed foreplay and the art of successful foreplay is knowing how long it’s going to take.
‘Shall we walk a bit further or shall we sit down on that bench for a while?’
We become impatient.
‘No, let’s walk a bit more.’
….
‘We’re nearly there.’
‘Yes.’
‘Unter den Linden.’
‘I can see it already, on the next corner.’
‘Yes.’
‘It hasn’t changed at all.’
‘With a bit of imagination you can still see the Stammhaus as it was in 1870 when it first opened.’
‘Amazing isn’t it?’
‘Yes, amazing.’
‘No bombs, not one single bomb, fell on the building.’
‘While all the buildings around were in ruins.’
‘Here we are.’
‘Einstein!’
…
‘Will you pull the curtain back for me?’
…
‘Ah gudenmorgen Hans! Da sind wir wieder!’
‘Ein tisch fur twei ist wunderbar! Danke!’
‘Are you sure?’
‘Yes, I’ll stick with the schnitzel.’
‘I’ll have the eggs with salmon.’
‘I’m hungry.’
‘So am I.’