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Written by Vita Drakonia
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Tuesday, 08 August 2006 04:21 |
Its Tuesday morning and I am packing mah junk and checking out of
Berlin Quality Hotel in about an hour. For anyone looking to come visit
Berlin on vacation I stongly recommend this affordable hotel, located
at Hollander Strasse 31 and only 10 minutes by subway from the city
center. Stay here ran only about $80 per night, which included an
impressive breakfast for 2 people and free WiFi internet. It is realy
hard to beat that deal. Booking was done through Expedia.Com website!
Today's plan is to checkout from here, go to central train station here
in Berlin and hope they got overnight tickets to Vienna, since we got
no place to sleep tonight and hotel booking in Vienna begins Wednesday
noon... If I get to sleep on the train, it would be ideal. Otherwise I
may be living out of train station. That could be possibly fun though.
I can make some friends with other bums and we can have a party? ;)
No exciting pictures today, but i will have some more coming your way
from Austria. I do hope UO is treating everyone well, new veteran
rewards look nifty, especially the player statue maker. Can't wait to
make one of self and lock in my mall. That be mad cool! Hopefully we
don't have to wait for another year for those :( Things seem to take
forever with developers producing material lately, I feel we really
need some new content and fast. I pray this long pause will be
justified by something amazing coming our way and into UO soon!
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My foot don't work so good no more! |
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Written by Vita Drakonia
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Sunday, 06 August 2006 15:59 |
Did quite a bit of walking yesterday and saw a lot of interesting
stuff, but my feet feel like they gonna fall off after all this. First
point of interest was Reichstag the German Parliament building. Here I
found out that Hitler during his reign took down an insanely tall
golden statue of Victoria "Victory Column" and relocated it somewhere
else to make some more space for himself. So naturally I got very
curious and we went to go find it and see what that was all about...
After a good hour walk through the Tiergarten park we came upon the
center of it and located that poor woman. She was much taller then i
imagined and I wanted to get closer to get better look. Once thing to
mention, Germans do not slow down for pedestrians. If you try and cross
the street on red light, you are a valid target. The other day we
almost got killed by a bus. There were no crossing pathways visible
anywhere to the monument, so we took the chance of not getting killed
and ran across the street, but later learned there were underground
pathways designed for that particular purpose :) *doh*
When we got closer to it I noticed that marble all around the base has
bullet holes and explosion damage was visible. This lady must have been
through a lot, especially during WWII... Inside there was museum
and "some" spiral stairs to take ya all the way to the top. 80 meters
surely does not sound like a lot, but by the time we made it to the top
we almost passed out. It was truly worth it in the end however. The
view of central Berlin from the top of statue was amazing!
Next stop was Brandenburgur Tor, a huge arch shaped gate. One
interesting fact is that it was never functional as a gate since no
transport has ever passed through it. Another is that Napoleon stole
the Quadriga statue from the top in 1806 and brought it to France to
humiliate the Germans, but it was later returned.
We came to the gate just on the right day. Hempfest 2006 was happening!
We browsed a lot of smoke related goods and I got to take a picture
with Mary Jane herself. It was an emotional bonding moment ;)
We walked some more and came upon a pair of giant shoes... Berlin
Central train station is visible in the background. I thought giant
silver shoes was something I may never see again, so took a picture!
A highlight of my day, even more so then Mary was me randomly walking
into a car dealership that was selling cutest cars ever. These midgets
are seen everywhere and are slowly taking over the streets of Berlin.
Smart Car, to be introduced to US in year 2008 is a 2 passenger ride
that weights one third of a standard car and can drive 100km per 5
liters of gas. According to my calculations that is roughly 70 MPG! In
addition to that it has detachable snap on panels, which allows you to
customize it in an insane variety of custom 2-color combinations. I
simply could not resist the tempatation and completely embarassed
myself by crawling into the one below :)
There is still so much I would like to see and do here, but sadly only
a day of Berlin stay is left. We are taking an overnight train to
Vinenna, Austria on Tuesday. Last day of Berlin update is to come
tomorrow and after then I shall pray for decent internet at a new
location so I can continue doing what i am going best! *hugs*
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Written by Vita Drakonia
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Saturday, 05 August 2006 01:37 |
Explored Potsdamer Platz yesterday, an entertainment area famous for
Sony-Center, a huge dome like mall with movies, food, mall and casino.
Casino was fancy, unlike any other I have seen before. They made me
invest 20 Euros in a long sleeve shirt to get inside and then took 200
Euros more at Blackjack table. It was very sophisticated atmosphere and
everyone was kinda snobbish. Middle Eastern dude next to me kept
pulling out 500 Euro bills from an envelope in his shirt pocket and he
must have dropped 3 grand during the hour time that I as there, so that
made me feel less bad about my puny loss :) I got fed up of feeling hot
wearing stupid shirt and left... The actual dome, that is center point
of the complex is quite impressive. The picture I took does not really
do it justice, but it will give you some idea of the size and
magnificance of this enclosure!
At the mall, while buying the casino gear, I have stopped by a huge
electronics store that carried all the software, both video and PC
games. I saw every game imaginable on the shelves and some games I
never even heard of. When I got to the RPG/MMO section I thought to
myself, wouldn't it be great to own a copy of German UO box for my
collection? And I got really excited in my pants, but not for long :(
See anything wrong with the picture? WOW Check, Everquest 2 Check,
Guildward Check, DDO Check, list goes on... UO? Where is my game? That
is the question I have presented to the store clerk. He did some
checking on store inventory system and told me in broken English that
not only has UO not been in stock for some time, but also it is not
currently possible to order it from EA for restock of inventory... I
was no longer excited, in fact this was really upsetting to hear. I
understand that EA can save money by offering game for download only to
current subscribers, but what about attracting new ones? I certainly
hope marketing strategy changes for the sake of the game we love...
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Gerbils want to kill me... |
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Written by Vita Drakonia
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Friday, 04 August 2006 01:27 |
My sleeping schedule is completely out of whack. Can't get over the jet
lag. Slept from 6-10pm. Stayed awake all night. Sold some UO Pixels. It
is now 6am. Just now ate breakfast and drank way too much coffee. Am
wired and tired at the same time. Feel like I want to jump from my
hotel room window but they got security locks on it. So i decided I
will update the site with yesterdays adventure series "Vita In Berlin,
Part Deux" anyone?
One thing I would like to point out, Germans dig pink. No, please hear
me out! Back at home pink-haters think I am a fruit, but come think of
it the best things us real men like myself appreciate in life are of
color pink. So who's the fruit now? ;) But not to wander off the
subject, any country that got pink street phones with pink soccer ball
on top deserves some respect. And don't you forget pink water bottle I
am holding at the pic below...
So, destination of the day was Alexander-Platz stop on the subway
train. Named after Russian Tzar Alexander I, the square has been used
at parade ground and market place since 1805. Here I saw the coolest
looking fountain with Poseidon and sea creatures and took a pic of that
you can see below. In the background is some old building that looked
pretty neat, so I got it into shot as well. We walked around and landed
in Museum Island area, which has a large number of museums in one are.
I took a picture of the largest one just to show you guys the amazing
view. In front of it, a huge lawn where people relax and nap.
Interesting thing about Berlin is that it does not have much of air
pollution. Very few cars are driven around the city and that provides
for very quiet and relaxing atmosphere with plenty of fresh air to
breathe. That is usually a rare commodity in a huge metropolitan
setting. The streets are clean and people respect the place where they
live. I found this really opposite of my home city of New York where
most residents care little for such things. For me personally, this
kind of clean environment here feels like a more civilized one and
closer to heart. It just feels different, and it is hard to explain...
We bumped into multiple groups of eastern european descent three-cups
game hustlers that were trying to fool tourists into donating them 50
Euros. Multiple teams of 4 to 5 people, one woman and few men with
additional people for police lookout on each side of the street ran a
very smooth operation. We spent a good hour observing and found it to
be a well planned scam that works like this. Idea is to use your group
to stage a performance in which a woman and a man are winning an
assload of money by guessing the matchbox that has the ball under it.
As tourists pass by they see others winning and want to win too. Game
dealer makes it seem really easy on purpose, but should you actually
try and pick up the correct matchbox, another man or woman (part of the
scam team) will shove money into dealers hands and collect winnings
forcing you to try yer luck again. This time around the ball is
guaranteed to not be there, and you will be well on your way with 50
Euros less in your wallet. Police lookouts on the street curb flash
shiny metal foil sandwich wrappers to pass signals about cops heading
their way. I estimated that there were about 20 or so hustlers all
working as a large team on this one street. It was probably the
highlight of my day and a true pleasure to watch. Learned some German
too... "Ein Zwein Drein, where is ze ball? where is ze ball?" ;)
We were pooped from all walking and stopped by a convinience mart to
get some basic necessities (read rubbers, the best local brand is Billy
Boy @ www.billy-boy.com and their website is a must to check out, as
they got some funny ass suicidal german sperm toons on there) and head
to hotel for a "nap". Here my girlfriend has spotted my worst fear come
true... *GASP* .... the imposter Gerbils has formed their own guild.
[VITA] is now endangered by scammer hamsters that all belong to a
similar looking but not nearly as good crafting guild. The worst part
is, any new guild member that joins now gets a 3 x CRACKER (holy
crap... its not just 1 but 3) and a Funny Fitness Instructional Video
welcomes gifts. I have capured proof with my digital camera below.
Please know that as tempting as it may be, I plead to all of you, not
to join the Gerbil race or any other Funny Fitness contestants for that
matter. Stay two-legged and proud! I'm off to find more funny German
Produkts... *peace*
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Written by Vita Drakonia
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Thursday, 03 August 2006 01:09 |
So I am here in Berlin, I got internet, everyone speaks a language I do
not understand so I communicate in hand gestures and my limited
knowledge of german, which sadly consists of 3 words at this time :)
It is really amazing here. First thing that struck me is the quality of
life and attention to detail. Our hotel, which is economy accomodation
has an all inclusive breakfast that in my opinion is of the same
caliber as a Five Star hotel breakfast would be back in the US. It had
my girlfriend walking back and forth to load up her plate with a dozen
of different salads, cheeses, meats and baked goods. She is now
upstairs crapping herself, which I find incredibly amusing. But that is
the hefty price you pay for eating like you are a citizen of 3rd world
country *LOL* ...
So, what do you do when you arrive to a new country and feel completely
lost and confused. You do what any tourist would do and head to the
most frequently visited tourist location of the city. That has landed
us yesterday in the area of Ku'Damm, which is a huge Time-Square'ish
(by NYC comparison) part of Berlin. Is wraps areound Kaiser Wilhelm
Memorial Church, which is called "Hollow Tooth" because it was badly
destroyed during allied WWII bombings. It stands there, hollow and
without a roof... a reminder of the devastation that the war has caused.
Adjacent to it there is a chapel that has survived and was renovated
after the war. I have found the setting to be aboslutely magical and am
attaching the picture I took below. Jesus looks way cool and stained
glass work is completely out of this world!
In the same area is the Berlin Zoo, the largest Zoo in Europe populated
with 14,000+ animals. I happily paid 22 Euro for two of us and we had a
blast, especially at the Bonobo display. If you do not know about
Bonobo's I suggest you Google it ;) We have a lot to learn from those
monkeys! Below is a picture of me getting hungry and stealing some
bread and apples from a lonely porcupine. Actually, it was me trying to
recover one of the spikeys that had broken off his back. I did get it
and was very sad for the guy, he was one quill less a man he used
to be. Picture of me feeling his pain and pouting below!
We left the Zoo and wandered around some more, window shopped and then
took a subway back to the hotel area. Supermarket was on the way so I
figured we pick up some fruit and snacks to stuff in our hotel fridge,
should we get munchies later. Inside there was a display of "Vita
Vital" brand foods and I had to take a picture of that. It is not every
day you find your name on meat packaging. Security guy eyed us funny
and started following us around the store, probably thinking to himself
we are definetely up to no good. How dare we take pictures of the
food? So we marched to the cashier with piles of stuff in hands and
only after paying we realized that this is a BYOB... as in "bring your
own bag". It is a good thing to not use plastic bags considering impact
it has on our environment I was thinking while walking down the street
with a dozen bananas and walnuts in my hands...
Today is a new day and although my head slightly hurts from half a
bottle of airport acqired Duty Free rum we consumed last night I plan
to do my duties and get online to do UO deliveries and later will
venture out from the hotel to explore more of this amazing city!
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Written by Vita Drakonia
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Monday, 31 July 2006 23:46 |
So the chosen method ended up being bread crumbs mixed with 45 names of
lucky contestants inside the hat :) Mutt Muffin has chosen Richard
Ferguson and has almost choked on him *LOL* congrats Richard, please
ICQ me for picking up yer Ornament Of The Magician. I will be doing
more of these raffles whenever possible so there will be plenty of
chances for free stuff for everyone in the future. And many many thanks
to all guys and girls who participated, expecially those who donated as
I found it very unexpected and generous of you all. I have raised
enough funds to last me for few weeks in Europa ;) Next update coming
up from Berlin! *Hugs* Vital aka Vita Drakonia
Watch movie: Muffin Chokes On Richard.3G2
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Written by Vita Drakonia
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Monday, 31 July 2006 16:10 |
So far 21 raffle tickets in hat, 7 hours to go till the drawing for an
invasion aquired Ornament Of The Magician. I will videotape all names
being put in the hat and one being drawn from it. Some of you have
suggested that Muffin the Mutt picks the winner. I think he should be
granted this opportunity, especially that he won't see me for a month!
Not sure how to have him pull a piece of paper from a hat though :) A
suggestion of placing some glue on his nose was brough up, but i am
afraid he may inhale too much of it and get high and all drowsy and not
be able to do the raffle all together... and that would be sad :( So if
you want me to have Muffin draw the winner, I need a solid plan on how
to do it. Please send suggestions through "Contact Me" link, thanks :)
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Written by Vita Drakonia
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Sunday, 30 July 2006 15:56 |
I am excited, as I have picked up 2 cheap plane tickets for myself and
my girl to fly over to Berlin. Only catch is we can't come back till
August 28th :) So we will probably be wandering Europe up and down all
around and my laptop is flying with me, so I will be staying on top of
site and all UO stuff from there. If anyone in Germany or neighboring
countries wants to offer us a place to crash, it would be a pleasure to
meet some international players and do some UO game sessions together!
I did not yet have a chance to explore much of Europe, so this is very
exciting. These last 2 days of packing and getting ready will be
hectic, but once I am there expect full coverage and more pictures of
all the things that are fun and amusing ;)
--> FREE ORNAMENT OF THE MAGICIAN GIVEAWAY CONTEST <---
Here is the deal... I could really use some extra cash quick to
book a hotel with WiFi internet before I depart. Please help me raise
some of that by either buying some UO stuff on this site this weekend
or donating $5 or more using PayPal donation module on main page. I
will draw one name from a hat (there will be a video posted of this
process videotaped by my lovely girlfriend) and will give away an
invasion acquired ornament to one lucky person. Winners name will be announced in video and winner can contact me later to pickup the prize :) Thanks guys and girls and good luck !!!
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