Analog I

I bought two disposable cameras this summer to take with me to Eastern Europe. But I forgot about them in the depths of my backpacker bag so I mostly snapped photos when I got back to Copenhagen. I just got the photos developed and most of them came out quite nice. There's this wonderfully candid feel to them, and then they're full of summer vibes.

By the way

Thank YOU for following this page! You have no idea how happy I am for your comments and thoughts. I really like writing here, it's my little narcissistic outlet, but it would be nothing without you. Thanks for being there, and please let me know if you miss stuff here or think I'm rambling on too much about Berlin. I'd probably do it anyway, but your input is always nice. Merci!

25

So. Another year has passed and I'm now a quarter of a century old. Scary scary thought. My day was very fine, a bit quiet, but as I'm writing assignment there wasn't anything to be done about that. I had brunch in good company, was showered with amazingness and also found time to pamper myself in the midst of all the assignment writing. So, what was this year, my 24th?
It was the year where I
- made big decisions. Both uncomfortable and hard ones and liberating and exciting ones.
- fixed my broken heart.
- moved again.
- thought a lot about life.
- travelled. London, London, Berlin, Berlin, Budapest, Belgrade, Sarajevo, Mostar, Berlin.
- got far too stressed.
- said goodbye to family friends that passed.
- was financially challenged
- truly found out what and where I want to be in life.

I have a feeling that my 25th year will be exciting. 

Had brunch at TGV Café (Banegårdspladsen 4). Not the most inspiring decor but the brunch was really great - French inspired with crunchy croissants, Cru ham and velvety cheese. Mmmm.

For dinner, I went to Olinico (Mejlgade 35) for take away. Mashed rootvegetables and chicken + apple pie for dessert...

Today

None of the images belong to me.

Birthday x 3

Tomorrow is my birthday. 25 years old........ For the first time in years I won't be throwing a party as I'm deep in assignment hell, but nonetheless it won't go by un-noticed. My grandparents and my mom are coming for brunch before I have to get back to my writing. But next year I'll get back to the birthday partying. By then I'll be in Berlin, and that has proven to be a good place to celebrate birthdays... A few memories:

 My 23rd birthday in 2010 was a blast. I was down with a fever but literally drowned it in booze and it's still one of the funniest birthdays I've had.

When I turned 22 in 2009, I partied at the Danish School of Architecture at their annual crazy crazy Christmas party. There was a flooding and we didn't care, we were so drunk. It was hysterical.

And last year when I turned 24, I threw a party in the White Castle. It was a good one!

Man, I miss being drunk

It's a strange thing to say, I must admit, but I really really miss partying. I miss the endless laughing over stupid things, I miss the chaos, the blur, the kisses, the crazy stories you wake up to, also the ones you bitterly bitterly regret for months after - I even miss the hangovers...! This fall has been my lowest party season in a long time thanks to assignment on top of assignment + a drained bank account, but I hope Montréal will let me come back to the fun times. Because there's nothing like a good bender and the incredible stories that come from it. Spoken from a true alcoholic.....

 I also miss waking up to the mess next day...

Little coloured houses

As mentioned, I bought my ticket to Montréal. Will by flying out January 1st, so I'm starting off the new year with adventures. That day will actually mark the day where I leave Denmark for good. I might return someday, but who knows when that will be. The notion of embarking on new adventures, settling in another country - one I've never even been in before - is so exciting. I have always known I wanted to live outside of Denmark. Not because I don't like my home country, but because the world was always this unknown place just waiting to be explored, and it would be a shame not to go and find out how people live somewhere else. Sometimes I wonder if it's an arrogant attitude, and I've been ashamed of myself many times when I talked with my friends and only had bad things to say about Copenhagen or Aarhus or Denmark. I was too harsh on my home country and probably just sad from missing Berlin, and I think I've come to the conclusion that I suffer from longing. I became addicted to the great adventures of the world when I was quite young, and I haven't been able to kick that addiction. I think it's just as fine to be rooted in your hometown, but I find those roots somewhere else. Maybe someday I will find what I'm looking for; a place to settle down. But for now I'm a nomad. And it suits me very fine.

Børlin through phone squares

Internet was a little different to come by for me in Berlin, so I haven't been able to blog the last few days. But here I am - and of course with snaps from the city. I'm well back in Aarhus now, significantly charged with Berlin-goodness, and ready to take on the last week of assignment hell before Christmas, New Years and Montréal - flying out January 1st. Hell yeah. So, Berlin:

I arrived at night and went to Hermannplatz to have drinks with Jamin and his friends. This little balcony in Reuterstraße was a nice welcome.

 I spent lots of time at cafés where I could suck up their internet. At Oberholz (Rosenthaler Straße 72a, Mitte) I had this spinach quiche - huge piece, huge deliciousness.

 U Rosenthaler Platz

 Weinmeisterstraße was my stop when I worked at the magazine; love the tiles there and the stripes.

 Beauty in Urbanstraße.

 I spent hours at Bully's Bakery too (Friedelstraße 7, Neukölln) - they serve flat whites and make excellent flammkuchen; I had one with goat's cheese and spicy chorizo. Thin-thin crust and goodness!

It was also at Bully's that my charger broke...

 I used to live in the white house on the corner. Aahh, Urbanstraße...

 View from the platform at Sonnenallee S-bahn station early one morning on my way to an interview.

 Urbanstraße.

 Karl-Marx-Allee-building.

 I had been sick for a week or so when suddenly, on Saturday night, my left ear started hurting, and I couldn't hear anything. So Nina and I spent a night at the hospital, first at Urbanstraße Krankenhaus before ending up in Neukölln. It turned out to be a middle ear infection so I was sent home with lots of drugs, but it killed some of my journalism-on-assignment-buzz the next couple of days.

 The next day, Jamin invited me for dinner, and I curled up in his huge kitchen, fever blasting, while he made me food and talked about fun stuff.

 In Grimmstraße, Barbie and her friends were doing yoga (and acrobatics?)

 Bye bye U-bahn / Hallesches Tor

Yesterday I took the bus back, 9 hours, and it was a beautiful ride. Thanks for this time around, Berlin, I'll see you properly in May!