Alles klappt, aber Berlin is sehr heiß!

Oh. My. God. While I'm actually really happy to be back in Berlin (a two year gap can change things...), I really hadn't missed the insanely hot summers here. As a Scandinavian, my max is 24 degrees, so no wonder I have developed a fever - I blame the 37 degrees yesterday... Oh well, sweaty foreheads aside, I'm enjoying being back. I do feel at home in this city, and I can't wait to have some milder temperatures, so I can go exploring for real. I want to see what's new after two years. My family left yesterday, and here's what we've been up to;

 In Eisenbahnstraße there's a little markethall - dangerously close to my apartment....

 We picnicked one night in Tempelhof, the old airport. The sun went down over all the hipsters, and I felt right at home.

 Two years older - and maybe wiser - but still a Berliner at heart.

 We biked to Tiergarten and Neuen See to cool down in the shade, and these two crazy ones (my mom and her boyfriend) got engaged minutes after the picture was taken...!

 On Saturday, we biked to Prenzlauer Berg and Kollwitzplatz for the weekly food market. Oh P-Berg, so polished and correct, of course the food market was perfectly looking :)

The view from my window in morning sunlight. Not bad.

 We went out to celebrate the engagement and drank Cava.

The youngest brother being cool on my street.

And finally a little shot of me schwitzing my a** off yesterday in the blasted heat. Man, I'm happy it was only 26 degrees today!

Slovenia I

Ah, Slovenia. What a lovely place. Since my first venture into Eastern Europe last summer I have become quite infatuated with that part of the continent. And Prague and Slovenia didn't diappoint me this year. We stayed two days in the little coastal gem, Piran. Yes, there were heaps of tourists, but the little town was marvellous nonetheless: crystal clear water, a view to Croatia on the other side, beautiful Venetian architecture and sweet people that served us freshly caught fish on their rocky boat as the sun disappeared below the sea. What more could you dream of?

 Sol and nothing else. Mmm....

Back

I'm back. It's been 732 days since I, crying quietly behind my sunglasses, drove out of Berlin, saw the TV-tower glimmer in the setting sun, and went back to Denmark sort of unwillingly. I have spent the last two years longing to go back, especially the first year was tough, and I found it difficult being present because I thought my happiness depended on living in Berlin. Now I'm finally here, and it feels a little strange. Not bad, not good, just a little distanced. Oh well, maybe it's because I'm literally melting in the excruciating heat (it's already bad at 30 degrees, and on Sunday it'll be 36....) I'll return with more from Berlin, and not to mention quite a lot from Slovenia, Italy and days in Denmark. Here are a few snaps out the window of my temporary Kreuzberg palace. So long!

 My beloved K-lamp has returned to the motherland! I bought it last year at the fleamarket at Arkonaplatz, and I think it might be my favourite piece of furniture.

From my window I can see into Görlitzer Park - if not for all the trees....

Prague III

I still have lots and lots of holiday-photos to share......

 We took the tram up to Prague's castle along with a million other tourists. At least there was a spectacular view over the city. Someday I have to live somewhere with a view over cobbled rooftops like this...

 AE and I continued our goofy-in-mirrors-style.

My father and his wife.

 Frank Gehry's dancing buildings. Not at all my taste.

We walked over Charles Bridge - again, millions of tourists - and had dinner on a boat docked by the nearby shore. That was great; we played cards, drank lots of wine, and watched the sun go down behind the majestic buildings. It's not the last time I visit Prague.

What I have longed for so long

In a week I'll be back. In Berlin. For those who have followed this blog for a long time, you know that moving back to Berlin has been a constant longing for me ever since I moved back to Denmark two years ago. I still remember how I cried, desperately, for weeks when I moved away, I never thought I'd be happy again, and I spent the next two years never being satisfied and never present where I was, because I knew I'd rather be somewhere else. Now it's finally happening. I'm moving back. And ironically, I don't quite feel it. Yes, it will be good to walk down the beautiful streets, party in dark bars and all that - but it will never be the same crazy experience as last time, and I'm scared that I will never feel that way again. Berlin has changed, I have changed, and I have no idea what I want. On the other hand, if I don't go back and see, it will always haunt me. So maybe I'll be happy, maybe I won't. It's daunting.

Prague II

 I really photographed lots of buildings in Prague......

 The ornamentation!

 The first night, we went out for authentic Czech food - which translates into beer, beer and meat. I had bread dumplings and beef in sauce = it tasted like Christmas and didn't quite fit me on a hot summer night...

 Like Sarajevo, the city was filled with old trams. Love.

Prague I

I have been gone almost a week now, and I have loads of photos to show already. First, Prague, then Slovenia and then Italy. We left Monday before the night had surrendered to daylight, and we arrived in Prague as the shadows grew long and the light was golden. We had a pitstop in the old concentration camp Theresienstadt; horrors. I had seen 'Schindler's List' a week before, and the terrors of the movie continued and became palpable as we walked on ground that had seen so many nightmares... So we were a little quiet as we drove into Prague, but the beauty soon made way for a lighter mood.

 Prague is really beautiful; the majestic buildings reminded me quite a lot of Budapest, and I enjoyed walking around admiring the architecture...

 The youngest and me.

 Why they decided to cover the church in other buildings is a wonder...

 A touristic moment...

 Lots of the old buildings were heavily ornamented - like the building in the middle, sadly a little dark...