berlin is home

It was night when I arrived in Berlin. It was cool and dreary and wonderful. I immediately had the feeling the massive city was every bit the mecca center it’s made out to be. The history of the city is tangible and real. The concentration of artists and creativity is refreshing and spectacular. I once described to someone the sort of ideal aesthetic and atmosphere I would look for in a city. She suggested Berlin. Turns out she was correct.

It’s fashion week in Berlin and there was a big fashion/high-society event earlier in and around the Russian embassy, which I hung around to see a bit of. Didn’t you know I’m among the fashion industry’s foremost elite? Of course, I spent most of my time there past the armed guard and behind the barrier, so as to not take the spotlight away from the lesser celebrities who probably need the attention more than I do. I loathe these things, yet find the insincerity of mingling personalities mildly fascinating.

After wandering the city with a friend I’d met in Prague, we ended up being invited to a sort of bohemian dinner.. a kind of art-community hipster gathering. I would like to describe it as a sort of Warholian mix, though that might be an exaggeration and there was no Velvet Underground (the latin jazz was nice though). The food was quite excellent. I seem to be a magnet for former New Yorkers.

Cycling around Berlin is, well, a joy. It’s very much designed for bike travel (I haven’t actually ridden a bike in…10 years?) Last night I ended up heading with a couple of roommates to a sort of giant, art-squat-turned-trendy hangout area. The energy of the city is amazing. I’m actually cutting my Amsterdam/London time short so I can spend more time here. It was cool and nice the first couple of days; now it is scorchingly hot, but I will forgive the climate because Berlin is wonderful.

I spent a day out at the concentration camp earlier. A great deal of my time here has been spent studying World War II and the Cold War. I’ve also embarked on several historical walking tours in the last few days regarding these eras (five if you include the one I did twice).

It turns out I’m not going to be able to change my flight, so I’ll be flying back at the end of the month, being taken to a family reunion, then off through Alberta, then a couple of places in Saskatchewan, then taking a very long bus ride to Montreal and probably Toronto to check out the cities and maybe talk to the University faculties about what they can offer me (I figure I’m SO important, they should have to woo me for my enrollment), THEN off to Vancouver/Victoria for similar city-seeing and University investigating. And then back to my former residence. Eventually. Travelling is very good for getting yourself excited about things and realizing how stifled you were in a small town….for instance.

The thought of leaving Europe is very strange and I have mixed feelings. (There will be a bizarre bout of culture shock, I’m sure.) It occurred to me the other day that I am currently without a home and will not return to the Okanagan for any length of time until October. This pleases me and I enjoy the nomadic quality. Tomorrow I’m off to the Netherlands and then to London to prepare for my flight at the end of the month.

Did you know that the cost of housing in Berlin is almost comparable to that of Canada? Bizarre but true. I will return to Berlin–perhaps indefinitely.