Wednesday 22 June - The halcyon days of Berlin

Current location: Lewisham
11.11pm, Talking to Andy in bed about when we lived in Berlin.
Berlin was amazing. I loved living in Berlin. The other day I found an awesome blog post by Kat George on the website 'Thought Catalog' that kind of summed up my summer (and autumn. And winter) in the city.
The post starts off a bit cringey, but I was entirely won around by the time it ended; I think the writer captured Berlin perfectly. Click here for the blog post in full... Or read below for my favourite (edited) parts...

Arrive in spring but expect nothing of the weather.
Learn how to pronounce the names of all the boroughs and metro stations. Embrace your newfound love for the German language but also revel in the fact that you can have a lively conversation with a German person—you speaking English while they speak German—and walk away not knowing exactly what happened but that it was lovely anyway.

Go to the Turkish markets and buy 8 chicken breasts for 5 Euros. Buy Turkish tea and fresh vegetables. Start feeling incredibly sane and relaxed.

Start partying as it gets warmer. Get to the club at 3am and don’t leave until midday the following day. Wonder how you’ll ever keep up with this sort of party lifestyle.

Now that it’s summer spend your weekends in the park. Go to the flea markets at Mauerpark; when you get to the market get a freshly squeezed orange juice for 1 Euro. Meet your friends on the grass when the sun is high in the sky and start drinking beers. Have a picnic.

Be upset when summer ends abruptly. Start having dinner parties and drinking lots of red wine. Read lots of books and watch lots of movies. When you go outside, wear absolutely everything you own. Realise that despite the paralyzing cold, Berlin is absolutely beautiful in the snow, in its way. Go to the Christmas markets and drink gluhwein.

Be overwhelmed by the history. Walk everywhere or get a bike and ride. Drink in the street. When you finish your drink put the empty can/bottle under the trashcan so the homeless can cash it in. Live cheaply. Live calmly. Live like you always dreamed you would.

(Picture taken from 1and1is2 on Weheartit) - Ooh and I think Kat George might be a new fave writer. Read more of her stuff here.