Well, pff!

It has been nearly a month since July 3, the day that we arrived here in Berlin, yet we still don't have a proper internet connection. Since I am not certain when the T-Online folk will finally deign to establish our connection, I have decided to write a post now, rather than wait until I can write comfortably from home.

There is certainly much to relate, but I think I will leave the bulk of it for a later post. In the meantime, I will only mention a few recent developments.

To begin with, our container finally came a few days ago, on the 29th. A truck brought it to our door in the morning, and we spent the next six hours or so moving everything from the container to our apartment. It was hard work, but not entirely unpleasant. Although I soon came to loathe the nasty, endless boxes of books, and although we were all tired and dirty at the end, it was worth it to see the empty container and to be able to play the piano again.

I am actually inclined to think that, if it weren't for the piano, I would not at all have minded remaining without our belongings. After all, before the container arrived, we had all the essentials, and there was a pleasant feeling of space and of simplicity. As it is now, our rooms are filled with boxes, most of which contain items that are of no interest to me. I don't mind the boxes as such, and they will obviously be unpacked before long, but I would not have been terribly upset if they had never come.

My main annoyance is that my brothers are now immersed in their accursed computer games again. I suppose I am no better; I have spent much of my time in solitary pursuits as well. Still, I wish we would play or talk together more often — and not on the computer!

In other news . . . :o)

I have been to the Staatsbibliothek (one of Berlin's main libraries) several times. The first time, my mother and I procured library cards, and looked around a bit in the Potsdamer Straße branch. To be honest, it did not please me particularly. The spaciousness was nice, but there were not nearly as many books as I expected. Most of the space seemed to be taken up by desks, by administrative areas, or by nothing at all. Perhaps there are other parts of the library where books are more obviously the main focus, but I am inclined to think not. Apparently, most of the books are kept in stacks, which are inaccessible to me. Not entirely inaccessible, of course. I can easily order books from the stacks, and pick them up the next day (sometimes earlier). It is bothersome, though. I much prefer browsing to premeditated ordering, and I am still rather confused as to which items can be ordered, which can be taken home, which can be found in the library, etc.

In any case, I ended up ordering several books via the internet and, some days later, I went to the Unter den Linden branch to pick them up. That is to say, that was my intention. I actually only ended up doing some paperwork. My visit was not entirely in vain, however, since the paperwork enabled me to take books home. Besides, I found the architecture of the Unter den Linden branch delightful, especially at the entrance.

I suppose all these details about my visits are rather boring, so I will skip to an account of the books I ordered. Three were history books about Henri de Navarre (Henri IV) and France in the late sixteenth century. I am rather interested in the period because I recently read La Reine Margot, by Dumas, which is set in the early 1570s. I didn't think much of some aspects of the book (Dumas's idea of romance is more exasperating than interesting or moving), but I liked Dumas's portrayal of Henri de Navarre, and of the various plottings of Catherine de Medicis. Accordingly, I determined to read up a bit on the history of the time.

Of the four other books that I ordered, two were novels by Dumas (he he), and two were volumes of music notes — specifically, recorder sonatas composed by Telemann.

Anyway, I'm getting rather tired of writing, especially as I seem to be in an ineloquent mood. I hope to post pictures and write more soon. Until then, tschüss!