Posted on 2003-5-5 by AGF
When I returned to Berlin in May of 2003 I went to see the musical ‘Les Miserables’ and I asked the concierge at the hotel if she could arrange transportation and just charge it my room. Once they called to let me know my car had arrived I exited expecting the hotel van or cab but even in my wildest dreams I never ever expected to see a black four door Mercedes Benz E-Class and my driver standing holding the door open. ‘Will this do Mr. Foster?’ the concierge asked. ‘Please call me Aron and HELL YES!!!!!!’ I gave her a bear hug and I was off.
Once I got in the car a bottle of champagne was on ice and it was opened before the engine even started and the glass was full soon after. Hernann was my driver for the night and we were off. I had never been in a Mercedes and I quickly saw why the world wanted to own one. I could’ve given up my room at the Radisson for one night in this car. The leather was softer than any I’d ever sat on in my life and the sound system was better than any stereo I ever owned. And when Hernann asked did I have a any requests ‘do you have any Tina Turner, and in the blink of eye ‘What’s Love Got To Do With It’’ was blasting as Hernann was driving like we were the only ones on the highway.
When we reached the theater he asked if I want to be dropped off at the corner ‘no take me right up to the entrance and drop me off.’ (I’m pretty sure the Germans weren’t expecting to see a black man get out of the Mercedes but these are those ‘once in a lifetime’ moments you must seize and that’s exactly what I did.) Once I emerged from the car I looked around, savored every moment and entered the theater.
Once the show ended and was back in the car Hernann asked ‘would you like to go back to the hotel Mr. Foster?’ I said not right away and to just drive around with no direction. Berlin is a beautiful city and illuminated at night it just glows. We stopped at the Spree River and I got out and just stared at the reflection of the Bode Museum and all the architecture that lined the river it so peaceful and tranquil. These are the moments that make working two jobs worth it because you never forget them, the tiny pieces of a journey, moments that are as vivid today as when you were experiencing them – standing on the Spree Rivera with a Mercedes E-Class, a bottle of champagne and my driver Hernann – unforgettable.