Clara in Germany!

Berlin is not pretty. It has seen defeat, darkness, and separation. We all know it, and nobody is attempting to wash it all away. Walls strewn with statements, and streets filled with a generation of thinkers, of lovers, the past is instead confronted with a blazing sense of self-awareness. The food is anything, the art is everything, and the patch-work of cultures continue to write their own definition of the city. You are welcome to have your say too, preferably through the means of a spray-can. Invite some friends, crack open a beer, because the new Berlin is here. And it is beautiful.

Mein Gott! In the blink of a train-strike, my short trip across Germany transformed into a 10 day saga of adventuring. Sure, many an undergarment had to be washed by hand, socks worn one day more than they should, but hey, travel is just another word for "making things work".   During my short school break,I visited my friend and fellow CBYX Vermont gal Sophie, who showed me proudly around her second-home of Dresden. And let me tell you, Dresden is much more than a pretty face. Scarred by war, the city and its people have come full circle, building it back up into a compelling scene of the here, the now, and the future to come. Bubbling with old beauty and a heavy dose of funk directly across the Elbe, It's the place to be if you like your cities wonderful. And now, we enter the in-your-face Nuestadt across the Elbe....full of dreadlocked kids, vegan currywur...

After years of renovations, I was finally able to visit the new and improved Deichtorhallen in Hamburg. And with their newest exhibition revolving around the world and remains of Picasso, they certainly did not come back into the museum scene quietly. For hours, I wandered around the new space, admiring a slew of different artists (yup, Andy Warhol was there. I said "Hi".), and their Picasso inspired images. And I did it all alone.   And let me tell you, the best place to be all alone, is in the middle of a vibrant, compelling museum. You can freely get your art-zombie on, and space out in front of a painting for 6 hours straight. You can stay for a second-showing of that confusing movie clip. You can make yourself an imaginary obstacle course in the contemporary wing. Total freedom.    We all know it's a selfie, but can we say "self-portrait"?