1. Berlin, du bist so wunderbar, I whispered while I was running through your Mauerpark and relishing the sheer ugliness. there are just so many hues of gray in this world and you seem to have them all.
2. links für Ihre Tickets! rechts für Ihre Mantel und Tasche! the museum attendant yelled as soon as I had stepped into the building. but all the signs accompanying the exhibition stating that “THIS IS MERELY A FRAGMENT OF THE ORIGINAL TREASURE. THE MAJORITY HAS BEEN ILLEGALLY OBTAINED BY THE SOVIETS WHEN THEY INVADED IN 1945 AND IS TO THIS VERY DAY STILL IN POSSESSION OF FOREIGN AUTHORITIES, IN VIOLATION WITH INTERNATIONAL LAWS.” compensated the rude welcome. Soviets, ha. I was hoping to find some references to Stalingrad.
3. is the amount of hours that, according to D, I spent strolling inside HUMANA. I think he is exaggerating and quite mistaken. everyone needs time to prod their way through large collections of second-hand clothing, especially when they are colour assorted. I do not take responsibility for the fact that my husband is colour blind(ish) and was therefore almost driven to the brink of insanity and ennui at the same time, just because he cannot differentiate between green and blue.
4. which is also why Berlin is the ultimate city. all is gray and as such, all is well.
5. the brunch on Sunday was extravagant. boundless. immense. I say brunch, but it was just a late breakfast. but Berlin doesn’t do late breakfasts. this is the city where you can have breakfast all day, every day of the week, right up till 11 p.m. so who cares that our receipt had the words ‘Tip Not Included’ underlined several times and the word THANKS! scribbled next to it. the Dutch economy would have crashed and halted long ago were it not for our co-dependence on our Big Friendly Neighbour from the East, so we’ll forgive you for your bluntness.
6. did I mention they serve coffee everywhere? I say everywhere and I mean everywhere. there is not one launderette or shoe shop in town where you can’t get an espresso or a chai. and if launderettes already do their best to please their clientele, then imagine how the bookshops are like. yes, exactly like you’ve imagined bookshops in heaven. only better.
7. ich wünschte, dass ich noch einen Koffer in Berlin hatte.
