I went to Berlin, to visit my friend Pål. He works there as a scientist, and I met some of his new found friends. A pretty mixed bag of Europeans, and an Argentinean. As it were there were one Hungarian, one Romanian (Transylvania), three Italians, four Polacks, one argentinean, one Spanish, two Germans and two Swedes... unless I missed someone. I biked around on a borrowed bike, and went to a couple of muséeums. Berlin is a slow city, and I was slow too.

Berlin is a very special city for Europe. It's one of the last places in western Europe where a big city actually hosts a lot of semi-poor people, without huge mortgages. As I was told, about 90% of the flats are rented, and there's no problem getting one. This has lead to a city where shop owners, and bar owners doesn't have to make a ridiculous amount of money. Which in turn leads to less commercial establishments. Dr Pong is just such a place. I couldn't think of a less hip place, and yet it's amazing. You pay a fee for a ping pong racket (that you get back when you return it), and buy a beer. Then you play against the people who happen to hang around. I got hit pretty hard by a swedes serve, but we only lost by two points in the end in a double we were playing.

We also went to a weinery where you pay one euro, and eat and drink all you want, then pay what you think it was worth when you leave. Or not, if you so choose. I can't see that place working out in many other cities in the west.

Pål outside the exhibition "Berlin Tokyo Tokyo Berlin"