Berlin and here we go...

Berlin:

Since my first trip to Berlin last year, I (Sari) have been totally fascinated by this city! Since then, I really wanted to go to Berlin with Dario because he had never been to the city before. We also have dear friends in Berlin - Kim and Louis - who visited us in Carinthia in September. We had such a great time together that it was clear: if possible, we want to see each other again before our big trip! And besides, we found a great night flight from Berlin to Mumbai, so it was decided since the end of October: our journey begins in Berlin.

Ah, it feels so good!

We spend busy, farewell-filled, and overall beautiful last days in Austria. When I pack my backpack for the first time, I feel a great excitement. Waaaaah, we're really doing it, something we've only talked about for the past few months! Saying goodbye to friends and family is easy on one hand, but on the other hand, it feels a bit unreal to me. I think the weird thing about it is that you don't know exactly how long you're saying goodbye for! This time uncertainty makes everything even more exciting.

And suddenly we're already on the train to Vienna to take the night train to Berlin. Everything is happening so fast, but it's also good in a way! In Vienna, we have an hour layover and during this time, Lotta and Anas come to hug us one last time! So beautiful...

We spend the days in Berlin walking around, eating well, going to the cinema, and having many fun and interesting conversations. Kim lives in Kreuzberg and has been living in Berlin for 3 years now. Louis was born here. So naturally, the two know the best coffee shops, the most interesting 'city sightseeing routes,' and the best culinary insiders. It is just awesome to get to know a city with locals. As last time, I am impressed by the wide sidewalks. It feels so good for me to move through the city and have the feeling: there is enough space (for everything and everyone). Moreover, there are still tables and chairs in front of many restaurants because there is plenty of room on the sidewalks! Since it is not really cold yet, many people sit outside, which also creates a totally positive cityscape for me!

One highlight is of course the Tempelhofer Field - a decommissioned airport that became an open space for everyone instead of being built on, thanks to a popular initiative. Here, you can walk, bike, play, skate, and do much more on mega wide runways and their ground markings. There are also plenty of grassy areas where people grill like crazy in the summer. Another special feature at Tempelhofer Feld is the community garden Allmende Kontor. It's a totally lovely, individual, improvised, colorful, cozy community garden without fences, inviting you to linger and freely accessible to everyone. So, Tempelhofer Feld is a huge diverse open space for everyone in the middle of the city.

On the second-to-last day, we go to the countryside with Louis and Kim, one hour outside the city by S-Bahn. There is a community housing project where Louis and his brother are currently fixing up and converting a trailer. It's a beautiful area, right next to the housing project there is a small lake, a beautiful forest, and a pasture where the funniest herd of animals stood that I have ever seen. It consists of a giant donkey, a mini donkey, a llama mama, a llama baby, a zebra!, and two mini horses! A very funny sight!

We spent the night here in the trailer, which we really enjoyed and got the urge to have a trailer ourselves and maybe even live in it for a while. Let's see :)

Anyway, it was a beautiful last night in Europe and a worthy conclusion to this wonderful time in Berlin! Thank you, Kim and Louis, it was nice with and at your place!!!

The next day, we headed to the airport, where a big, not very pleasant surprise awaited us...