Berlin
I felt like it's only fitting to start a blog about my favorite places with a post about my absolute favorite place - my home, Berlin. It's hard to describe why I love about the city as much as I do. It's where I grew up, as I lived there from age 2 to 8 and then again for a short 6-month stint in 10th grade, and it's where we have returned to every summer since moving to the US. I just love everything about the city. As soon as I step off of the plane, I feel instantly happy. Getting in to the taxi or subway, or however we get to our accomadation always makes me feel so fully happy. I feel complete, comfortable, and completely giddy. You know the feeling when you just feel so terribly happy, that nothing ever can take that feeling away from you? That's how I feel whenever I'm in Berlin.
Specifically, I love everything about Berlin. I love seeing the TV Tower looming over the buildings at every corner I take in Mitte. I love the grumpy people, even though they scare me the first day. After a bit I get used to them and find their perpetual annoyance endearing and comforting. I immediatly know I'm home when some random people scream at me for making some minor error in buying a pastry at the bakery. I love sitting at a cafe in Prenzlauer Berg with my mom and just watching the people stroll by. The mothers and fathers with their tiny babies and uncontrollable toddlers. The incredibly cool young people wearing outfits I could only dream of having the confidence to wear, probably on their way home from working at some startup. I love watching the sun set between the buildings knowing that the fun has only begun for so many Berliners. I love how the sun only sets at 10 in the summers, prolonging those perfect, beautiful days for some valuable hours. I especially love the atmosphere that is palpable throughout the city in the summers. When the sun shines, it envelops the city in a glow that I can only believe is pure magic. People are seen taking off work, drinking a beer along the Spree in Mitte or sitting down in the grass somewhere with friends, playing some music. People grilling and laughing with friends and family on rooftops and balconies throughout the city or in exceedingly green backyards in Zehlendorf. I love how every other summer the whole country comes together to cheer on the men's soccer team. I love how when there is a game on the whole city closes down and comes together to celebrate. Everywhere you go there are screens and TVs put up with groups of strangers, sitting together and watching. When the Germans win (which happened quite often before this past summer) you would get to see peak human happiness. Crowds of drunk Germans decked out in red, yellow, and black, jumping up and down together, screaming their heads off, singing catchy soccer songs, caring only about one thing - soccer. These instances make summer in Berlin even better than normal, if that's even possible. I think summer is done better in Berlin than anywhere else in the world (no bias of course, it's not like I've spent every one of my summers in Berlin).
If I had to describe Berlin I would call it effortlessly cool. Berlin is incredibly stunning in every way you look at it, and I don't even think it even knows how beautiful it is. I don't want to imagine a life of mine where I don't end up living in Berlin.
Specifically, I love everything about Berlin. I love seeing the TV Tower looming over the buildings at every corner I take in Mitte. I love the grumpy people, even though they scare me the first day. After a bit I get used to them and find their perpetual annoyance endearing and comforting. I immediatly know I'm home when some random people scream at me for making some minor error in buying a pastry at the bakery. I love sitting at a cafe in Prenzlauer Berg with my mom and just watching the people stroll by. The mothers and fathers with their tiny babies and uncontrollable toddlers. The incredibly cool young people wearing outfits I could only dream of having the confidence to wear, probably on their way home from working at some startup. I love watching the sun set between the buildings knowing that the fun has only begun for so many Berliners. I love how the sun only sets at 10 in the summers, prolonging those perfect, beautiful days for some valuable hours. I especially love the atmosphere that is palpable throughout the city in the summers. When the sun shines, it envelops the city in a glow that I can only believe is pure magic. People are seen taking off work, drinking a beer along the Spree in Mitte or sitting down in the grass somewhere with friends, playing some music. People grilling and laughing with friends and family on rooftops and balconies throughout the city or in exceedingly green backyards in Zehlendorf. I love how every other summer the whole country comes together to cheer on the men's soccer team. I love how when there is a game on the whole city closes down and comes together to celebrate. Everywhere you go there are screens and TVs put up with groups of strangers, sitting together and watching. When the Germans win (which happened quite often before this past summer) you would get to see peak human happiness. Crowds of drunk Germans decked out in red, yellow, and black, jumping up and down together, screaming their heads off, singing catchy soccer songs, caring only about one thing - soccer. These instances make summer in Berlin even better than normal, if that's even possible. I think summer is done better in Berlin than anywhere else in the world (no bias of course, it's not like I've spent every one of my summers in Berlin).
"Specifically, I love everything about Berlin." My first thought about this blog is that this is a truly brilliant sentence.
ReplyDeleteI thought this was a really nice blog post, and I feel like you did a really good job trying to vocalize your feelings of home and what it meant (no easy task). You can really hear how much it matters to you, so that even though the things you describe don't sound like things that would make it endearing (if someone screamed at me in a bakery I would probably just run away), it's still clear in the way you've written that all of those things combine to create this experience that matters so much to you.
This post is so cute and it filled me with nostalgia for a place I haven't even come close to experiencing. Your anecdotes make me feel like I was there and I can picture those long summer nights!! I love that there's somewhere like this that you can feel such a connection to.
ReplyDeleteThis is a wonderful love letter to Berlin. I know exactly what you mean about being in a place you love that's very different than the place you spend most of your life, especially in the summer. You evoke it well.
ReplyDeleteYour post makes me want to visit Berlin. The way you describe the city and connection you have with it is so beautiful and strong and well-articulated. Hopefully I can visit sometime and experience such an amazing city.
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