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Marc Mazique 🥁🎸🎤

@riding_blerdy

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Proud New Jerseyan in pleasant exile in the Pacific NW. Librarian. Space Camp alum. Singer in @estateplan206. Drummer/singer in @mandate_limpwave.

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Berlin / Full Day 5 - Last night I started feeling like I was coming down with a cold, so this day (Sunday) I decided to take it easy, and spend most of the day resting. But before that, I mustered up the energy to swing by Cafe Morgenrot’s vegan breakfast buffet, and then a museum several folks told me I couldn’t miss — Hamburger Bahnhof. Then I napped, watched the new Love is Blind, read, and listened to some podcasts. I also nabbed some really restorative pho from a place down the street. Tomorrow evening I’m off to Prague. #mmberlinprague2026 taken in Berlin, Germany by @riding_blerdy

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Berlin / Full Day 4 - Jacob took us into the courtyard/parking lot behind Hansa, and pointed out where the main room (behind those two large windows) and control room for the studio were, as well as where the former guard tower by the former location of the Wall would have been, relative to the studio (about a half block away). It would have been visible, though now it’s blocked by a newer building. We learned more about how Bowie ended up in West Berlin, and some of the stories around his days of working on the so-called “Berlin Trilogy” (of Low, Heroes, and Lodger, only the middle one was full recorded and completed here). Jacob took us by Potsdamer Platz and talked about Bowie’s references to Berlin in one of his later songs, “Where Are We Now?” alongside info about the events leading up to the Wall coming down and border restrictions ending in 1989. We swung by Brandenburg Gate/Tor, and then the Reichstag building and Platz de Republik where Bowie played an important concert in 1987, making remarks about the Wall (with East Germans listening a few blocks away on the other side) a few days before Reagan’s famous speech. Then off to Schoneberg, and the apartment building where Bowie lived with Iggy Pop, his son Duncan, and his personal assistant Coco Schwab. We finished up at Neues Ufer Bar just down the street, Berlin’s first openly gay bar (when the windows would get smashed by homophobes, Bowie would pay every time for them to be replaced.) Jacob is friends with the new owner, Frank, who is making it a Bowie-themed space while continuing to celebrate its queer legacy. And then I met and caught up with a friend from Seattle now living in Berlin, Meg Hartwig. It was a dreary, rainy day, and 4 1/2 hour tour, so after hanging with Meg for a few hours, I was wiped, so back to the hotel. #mmberlinprague2026 @meg_hartwig taken in Berlin, Germany by @riding_blerdy

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Berlin / Full Day 4 - Today was to bring one of the centerpieces of my trip — a walking tour centering around David Bowie’s time in Berlin on the late 1970s. Of course, started off with a good breakfast. There is also a spot down the street with square donuts. Then it was off to the Potsdamer Platz area, to meet up with my group and guide. I got there early, so checked out some of the Topography of Terror, just next door to Martin Gropius-Bau, the gathering point, before meeting up with my group. Jacob, our guide, is a Dutch Bowie and history fanatic who provided up some crucial context of the West Berlin Bowie landed in in late 1976. He showed us various historical photos of the spots we were in over the course of the tour, and pointed out the cobblestone strips that run throughout the city, and mark where the Wall used to be. One highlight was seeing Hansa Studios (we couldn’t go in, though), and Jacob talking a lot about the history of the area, the studio, and Bowie’s time working there, most specifically on the album Heroes. Got a few pictures of this lenticular photo out front. #mmberlinprague2026 taken in Berlin, Germany by @riding_blerdy

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Berlin / Full Day 3 - More rambling in Kreuzberg/Neukolln. I tried to make it to this collective cafe called Oya, but it was closed, and then swung by Audre Lorde Street, which I learned about in a revolutionary Berlin history walking tour book. I walked by Dshungel, which was the name of a bar David Bowie frequented in the late 1970s when he lived here (though I found out later that place was elsewhere and built over quite a while ago, and THIS is not that same bar). And then back to Casino, where folks were doing different activities under the program Anarchist School of Medicine and Rest/Repair/Revolt (aka ASMR), including somatic therapy, endometriosis support, and others. Then about 20 folks (including me) received community acupuncture. Then got food at Azzam, down the street, and then back to P-Berg and my hotel. Last pic is Rosengarten Kulturpavilion, a few blocks from my hotel. I planned to go to an indie music show, but was too wiped (I walked 7.5 miles today, almost 10 yesterday). #mmberlinprague2026 taken in Berlin, Germany by @riding_blerdy

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Berlin / Full Day 3 - Got up and headed across town to this spot called Cafe Plume that was recommended by friend of a friend for its crepes (a weakness of mine). The place had cool punk and radical vibes (WiFi password was Karl Marx), and great stickers and bathroom graffiti. Then began a ramble across Kreuzberg and Neukolln, including Kottbusser Tor, a bookstore called She Said, and the Turkish Market (so much bigger than what is shown here. #mmberlinprague2026 taken in Berlin, Germany by @riding_blerdy

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Berlin / Full Day 2 - Then it was time for the main event of the evening…Berlin is having this Festival of Lights thing this week, and one of the programs is them hosting electronic musicians/DJs in the Berlin Cathedral, accompanied by light shows. I picked Anja Schneider’s night, and both she and the space were amazing! Then back to P-Berg, where I got more currywurst and had a late-night/early morning beer at Cafe Morgenrot, a collective bar/cafe/restaurant connected to the massive squat next door (previously shown). They host punk shows sometimes. #mmberlinprague2026 taken in Berlin, Germany by @riding_blerdy

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Berlin / Full Day 2 - I had some time to kill, so decided to take a Spree River cruise to see some other parts of town from the river. Then saw this light show on the TV Tower. I then checked out the DDR Museum, which documents life under the Soviet regime (different than the Everyday Life in the DDR Museum). #mmberlinprague2026 taken in Berlin, Germany by @riding_blerdy

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Berlin / Full Day 2 - After Natur Park Sudgelande, I trained back over to the East, to check out the East Side Gallery, a long section of the Wall that has been covered with art. I went back to my hotel to nap for a bit, then mustered for the evening. I headed to Museum Island, where the Berlin Cathedral and several museums are located. I was headed specifically to the Alte Nationalgarie. Unfortunately, the Impressionism floor (the main draw for me) was closed temporarily. But still lots of other great stuff. #mmberlinprague2026 taken in Berlin, Germany by @riding_blerdy

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Berlin / Full Day 2 - I took the S-Bahn out to Natur Park Sudgelande, a train yard reclaimed by nature and remade into a park somewhat recently. I was hoping this would be a bit of a city break, but then realized this is sandwiched between two different active rail lines, which I could hear on and off. #mmberlinprague2026 taken in Natur Park Südgelände by @riding_blerdy

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Berlin / Full Day 2 - a satisfying bagel/egg and juice breakfast (some of which I saved for later), and then a walk around the Old Jewish Quarter, including a memorial cemetery and the Neue Synagogue. #mmberlinprague2026 taken in Berlin, Germany by @riding_blerdy

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Berlin / Full Day 1 - a few more shots from inside Casino for Social Medicine, then I got some currywurst, relaxed for a bit at my hotel, and then headed out again to hit up Monster Ichiban Karaoke. A pretty full day. #mmberlinprague2026 taken in Berlin, Germany by @riding_blerdy

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Berlin / Full Day 1 - walked by Wasserturm, a water tower in a small park, then decided to head to the Neukolln neighborhood to check out the Casino for Social Medicine, an unapologetically radical cafe and social space. Things happening while I was there included volunteer tarot reading, a mediator doing a conflict cafe (listening to and counseling folks on everyday challenges), and a group of folks coworking and sharing tips around job-seeking. Also had a good conversation with one of the volunteers staffing the bar. I have plans to come back here again on this trip. )I didn’t take many pictures of the space because I didn’t want to do so without asking folks for their consent.) #mmberlinprague2026 taken in Berlin, Germany by @riding_blerdy

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