Well, one month really did fly right by & I have to say, that whilst I am looking forward to the change, I will be sad to leave Berlin. Things didn't turn out quite how I had expected them to, I never found work, barely took any photos & didn't discover my future husband, however, I still had a wonderful time, admittedly, with a few lows in between & am now fully in love with this city.
I shall miss the quaint chocolate cafe, across the road from yoga, with the grandma's living room interior, that serves vegan friendly chocolate muffins. I shall miss taking lunch with friends at the back of Cafe Pfoertner's bus. I'll miss nibbling my way around the food stalls at Markthalle Neun on a Thursday evening, checking out the bearded talent, whilst getting tipsy off the prosecco & ending up squished into a photo booth, taking ridiculous pictures.
I'll miss the street art, that brightens up my day & the grey crumbling buildings around town. I'll miss all the bio markts, that draw me in & make me want to buy things I really don't need, but want, just because they're organic. I'll miss the ridiculously cheap vegan sorbet, especially that scoop of chocolate. I'll miss wedges of vegan cake & thick banana shakes, that lure me in at every vegan cafe around town. I'll miss my hour & a half of yoga everyday, giving my day structure & my body a much needed workout.
Most of all, I will miss my new friends. Katie, who retaught me the joy of cycling, which I will especially miss & who so kindly gave me space in her home for my first few weeks, so that I could afford to stay in town. I will miss our silly late night chats, our cycles through the streets, invariably for cake/ice cream/food in general & our discussions on life, men & the universe. I hope when I return, she will have been discovered for the talented artist she so totally is.
The Swede, without who's generosity, I would have most likely ended up a vagabond, wandering the streets, after my time at Katie's came to an end. I shall miss his appreciation for my 'cooking', our evening strolls through the neighbourhood, his oddball Swedish humour & sleeping on the edge of his mattress. I will not however, miss his attempts at spooning. I hope he finds the self-belief to do what makes him happy & finds someone that appreciates his kindness.
I'll miss lunch dates & museums with Lucy & our chats about the value of positivity. I know that the perfect opportunity will arise for her & I hope that Berlin begins to treat her kind. I'm also going to miss yoga sessions, gay bars & picking up cake from the market with Carolyn. I hope that during my absence she will find her way to meeting a mature, intellectual type & the perfect job. Finally, I will miss the mystical, & so often confusing, conversations over lunch with the Rabbi & our market strolls looking for vintage violins.
Berlin has brought the sun out for my final day & I aim to embrace it. Shorts, sandals, one final yoga session & then farewell burritos, before heading to the airport with a suitcase full of dirty laundry, early tomorrow morning. I will be misty eyed, half asleep & a little brokenhearted. Why am I leaving again?
See you on the 30th June Berlin, until then, it's arrivederci!
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