Best of; A farewell to Berlin, part zwei

Despite lots of worrying, frustrations over German bureacracy and my own complicated feelings towards the city, the months I spent in Berlin from July 2013 to February this year were pretty good, as well. I met lots of beautiful and wonderful new friends, and it will be so hard leaving this place tomorrow when I take all my belongings back to Copenhagen. Seriously Berlin, thanks for everything.

Sorauer Straße was my first stop in Berlin. I lived there from July-October.

In October, I lived in Uhlandstraße in Charlottenburg. A whole different ballgame, but also pretty fascinating.

And in late October, I finally got my very own apartment. Something I'd looked forward to for many years. I only got three months there, but it was a great time.

Best of; A farewell to Berlin, part eins

Warning; emotions. Today, I'm in Berlin packing up my apartment and saying goodbye to a significant chapter in my life. It's pretty strange, it's like breaking up with the love of my life. Despite knowing that the decision to move back to Copenhagen is the right one for me right now, it's not easy leaving behind a city that I have loved so much the last couple of years. In 2010, I randomly ended up in Berlin, a city I didn't know very well. Maybe this was why it was so easy to fall in love with it, and it really was an insane, intoxicating love. Towards the end of my stay in 2011, I literally had to pinch my arms every day to believe that I could actually be this happy. Leaving that summer was the hardest I've ever been through, and the next year and half was the worst period of my life. My only goal was to come back, but last summer when that finally happened, something had changed. I still loved Berlin, but not with the same passion as before. And this time around has been hard. I really wanted it to work out, but we'd just outgrown each other. I still love Berlin, but the city is also hurting me, and it's too much work. So now it's goodbye. Maybe I'll come back sometime, but for now I'm moving on. Berlin will always be very very special.
Here's a round of my favourite glimpses from 2010-2011;

I was so fortunate that my old friend AnCa also moved to Berlin in July 2010. We rekindled our friendship, and Berlin wouldn't have been the same without this amazing dame. I'm so happy she's one of my best best friends!

My first apartment in Prenzlauer Berg. It was huge, old and incredibly beautiful.

AnCa and I moved to Graefekiez in Kreuzberg in January 2011. Huge apartment, very old and interesting, and then we got Nikolai as roommate. Double win.

Karen Sofie, 23 years old. It feels like forever ago.