Early in the morning, even though the weather had yet to clear up, Potsdamer Platz was already crowded.
Double-decker buses brought in groups of enthusiastic tourists. Many people lined up early to buy their favorite movie tickets. Many of them came with dogs. More than one person fed hot dogs, hamburgers, or Turkish barbecue to the dogs.
How much did the Germans love dogs?
If you were to ask a random middle-aged man on the street how many children he had, he would probably answer with a straight face that he had three children: an eight-year-old boy, a six-year-old girl, and a two-year-old dog …
If you saw a housewife walking on the street with a stroller, and the baby was sitting in the stroller with a pacifier in its mouth, and she was also holding a dog, the correct way to greet the dog would be to praise the cuteness of the dog first, not praise the cuteness of the baby or praise the housewife for her beauty …
When the people with the dogs were tired, they would rest on the bench by the side of the road. They would eat a few mouthfuls of the food they brought or bought from the food cart, and then feed the dogs a few mouthfuls. Their expressions were full of love, and they really treated the dogs like their own children.
Every dog, regardless of whether they were purebred or not, had clean fur and were in good spirits. It was obvious that they had been well taken care of.
Occasionally, some large, fierce dogs could be seen on the street, like pit bulls. However, these dogs all wore muzzles to prevent them from biting.
Zhang Zian followed suit. He also squatted down and fed the paper bag of Turkish barbecue and curry sausage to Famous with his right hand.
He observed for a while and found an interesting phenomenon. There were very few stray cats on the street, and stray dogs did not exist at all. Every dog he saw was led by its owner with a rope. The owner would definitely carry a paper bag with him and pick up dog poop as they walked.
The young Turkish chef did not have any other customers for the time being, so he also made himself a barbecue sandwich. He squatted next to Zhang Zian and watched him feed Famous.
Zhang Zian also took a bite of the barbecue sandwich. The burrito was soft and crispy, and the aroma of the barbecue hit his nose. The sauce and the salad were cool, and the taste of the barbecue was just right. It was very appetizing.
"Great, very delicious!" he said in English, raising his thumb.
"Thank you." The Turkish chef smiled proudly. "Are you also here for the film festival?"
"Sort of," Zhang Zian replied casually.
"Chinese? Korean? "The chef stared at his black hair and yellow skin and asked curiously.
"I'm from China," Zhang Zian answered.
"Oh, Chinese, with all due respect, you don't eat dog meat, do you?" The chef stared at Famous and asked worriedly.
"… I'm not eating."
Zhang Zian almost choked. Did this person think that he was holding Famous to eat fresh dog meat? Eat on the spot?
However, it was normal to have this kind of question, because Germans loved dogs very much. When Chinese students came to Germany, they would often be asked this question. Was it an identification of friend or foe? He wondered if he would be bullied and discriminated against if he answered that he wanted to eat dog meat.
At the same time, he was secretly relieved that he had insisted on adding a sentence at the end of Dog Warrior, "All the animals that appeared in the film have been properly settled." This move was probably the right one. Otherwise, the Germans, who loved dogs very much, would definitely have doubts. Not to mention winning an award, it would be a problem for them to even be selected for the main competition.
The chef's expression relaxed. "Oh, that's great. Did you get the tickets for the movie you wanted?"
"Not yet."
"Then you have to hurry up." The Turkish chef ate his barbecued sandwich in two or three bites. "I have to get off work early today, so I'm going to line up to buy the tickets."
As he spoke, his eyes were shining. It was obvious that he was not only an outstanding chef, but also an avid movie lover. He was willing to give up a great opportunity to do business to buy the tickets to the movie he wanted.
Everyone who had gathered there today, regardless of gender, age, or gender, had a movie dream in their hearts.
Zhang Zian and Famous had also finished their barbecued meat and curry sausage. Their mouths were full, and they shook hands with him as a farewell. Zhang Zian mumbled, "Good luck."
After eating his fill, the tiredness brought about by the jet lag had largely disappeared. He looked at Fina and the others, who were still drooling over the barbecued meat, and said in a low voice, "Let's go somewhere else."
According to the usual practice of the Berlin Film Festival, the opening ceremony was chosen at the Sony Center on Potsdamer Platz. It was an imposing building that used a lot of tempered glass, and there were rows of poplar trees planted at the entrance. It was a pity that it was winter, and the poplar trees were all bare, without a single leaf.
There were still a few hours before the opening ceremony, but perhaps due to the recent threat of terrorist activities in Europe, the streets near the Sony Center had already started traffic control and security checks. A barrier made up of red curtains and stainless steel fences separated the middle of the road. This was a passage for celebrities and guests.
Zhang Zian had also seen the legendary red carpet, but he was slightly disappointed that the red carpet was much smaller than he had imagined. It was probably only 20 to 30 meters long from beginning to end, and it could be finished in a few steps.
At the entrance of the Sony Center, there was a Berlin Bear mascot model that was as big as a person. It was charmingly naive and very lovable. Many tourists and pedestrians were taking photos with the mascot.
Zhang Zian pondered that he could not go back from Berlin empty-handed this time. Long Xian had specifically asked him to bring gifts, and Snowy had continuously sent fresh Crucian carps for a few days during the Spring Festival. He had not yet returned the favor.
How was he supposed to pick out gifts for girls? He did not have much experience. Should he buy a few Berlin Bear dolls and give them to them when he returned? Young girls should like dolls, right? He could go to a souvenir shop and buy a few limited edition Berlin Bear dolls from this film festival. They should be presentable, and they probably wouldn't be too expensive.
However, this matter was not urgent for the time being. He could buy them before he returned. The most important thing now was to go to the local pet shop and buy a few sets of food and water basins for Fina and Famous. This matter could not be delayed. Even ordinary cats and dogs were not willing to share the same food and water basin with their own kind, let alone proud elfins like them.
Zhang Zian stopped a few pedestrians who also had dogs with them and asked Richard to ask them in German if there were any pet shops nearby. Someone pointed him in a direction and said that there was a very famous pet shop over there. They even enthusiastically offered to take him there.
Zhang Zian's spirit was lifted when he heard that. Since it was a famous pet shop, there must be something unique about it. However, he politely declined the invitation to lead the way. He was not a three-year-old child, and it was impossible that he could not even find a pet shop.
As the saying went, learn from others in order to defeat them. He wanted to use this opportunity to learn from the advanced experience of foreign pet shops and see how their counterparts operated pet shops.
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