I was all set, I have 3 days off so why not fly to Berlin and do some shopping? When I came to live in Montenegro I packed all that I thought that I needed for 1 year. You cannot take it all with you, so some winter clothes were left out. After doing research I found out there was a Northface in Berlin so let’s go there! I also decided to make a trip by the Apple Store, the Nike Store and a grocery store to get some spices. The bad thing is that I will fly in on a Saturday and I have to do all my shopping that day because all stores are closed on Sunday in Germany. I get in at 1400 so I can make it happen until my flight was delayed and now I won’t get in until 1700. Aaarrrrgggg!

I finally land in Berlin at little early at 1645 and the car service is there to pick me, we are off and cooking now. Get to the hotel, hurry to drop my things and then I’m out in front of the hotel waving down a taxi. I arrive at the Apple Store and there is a small line, but no big deal it’s manageable. It takes about 10 minutes to get to the front and the guy asks for proof of vaccination. I pull out the white vaccination card that was given to me by my government after I was vaccinated and I am told that it is not good enough because they can be forged. I’m told that I must have a QR code, but wait I do have one from the state of California. I go in my phone to retrieve it and now Im told it must me a QR code from the EU and I have to go to the health ministry to get one. I don’t have time to go to a health ministry, I’m not in town long. After trying to plead my case, I was shot down by the the guy at the door and told that I cannot enter the store. Now let’s think about it, the card was accepted in Montenegro when I left. During my layover in Serbia it was accepted, then it was accepted by immigration when I entered Germany. They even checked it when I checked in to the hotel, but now it’s not good to enter the Apple Store? I proceed to the grocery store and then to the Nike store with the same results.

The one positive thing is that the guy at Northface hesitated but I told him I flew in just to go shopping there. I showed my boarding pass that was still in my pocket and presented a good case for myself and he let me enter. Whew, this will not be a wasted trip after all, I will get something accomplished that I set out to do

If you do not know, it is a big debate in the US about vaccine passports with some states already passing laws against them. I know the US has a small number of international travelers compared to other Western nations but something must be done for those of us that do travel and live outside the country.

The best thing is that I took an excellent photography tour on Sunday and got some great pictures around Berlin. I learned some new techniques and I have already incorporated them to help make me a better photographer. Almost a disaster of a trip, but it ended up being pretty good