Berlin dispatches #1
Es ist schön hier! (Berlin is beautiful!) That was my first reaction after I had made my way into the city in an airport transfer taxi. I had just flown in on a Sunday midmorning flight while it had been furiously chucking it down in London. It was also good to finally see the popular, or, if you ask the locals, notorious Berlin Brandenburg airport in all its glory. My relief and contentment at taking in the sights and sounds of this old city with, of course, a complicated history was keenly felt in my bones. But this was what I was here for - drinking in the city and basking in the gentle sunshine in one tall glass of excitement!
I made my way on foot from Mitte (the area where my hotel is) to the more central area of Alexanderplatz via historic sights like Checkpoint 'C'. I stopped by the museum quarter which I will be exploring in the fullness of time and in greater detail. I even said hello to two historic rascals in the form of Engels and Marx. Closer to Alexanderplatz I ran into a group of young men equally enamored of the clement weather who indulged in a beach volleyball right there in one of the parks. This tickled me pink, as it took me back to scenes of men in Croatia who equally enjoyed knocking around a considerably smaller ball albeit smaller.
Law-abiding citizens
One thing in this past trip that I have learned is that Berliners seem largely law-abiding. No questions, no sermons about their rights being trampled for being asked to wear a mask - they just do. Religiously. I remember arriving at my hotel and trying to check-in. After being asked to show my face so the front desk could duly compare my passport photograph to my physical likeness. Being ever the Londoner I took this as a cue to leave my mask off. Well, my unmasked state didn't last very long as I was reminded in crisp English to resume masking up 😷
While trying to catch a lift up to my room I saw a sign that said only 2 individuals or folks from the same party could board the lift at any point. I wrongly, I might add, "assumed" that this warning was from a bygone era. Well, I was dutifully but very politely reminded by two occupants of the lift when I unsuccessfully tried to board the lift with them.
Apart from these two anecdotes there were other instances of my fellow Berliners ( I'm loving the use of that moniker now) being law-abiding, especially around covid awareness. I think there's a lot to be said for the desirability of society where a majority of the citizens agree with the norms and comply.
Traffic conversations
As a city there was a lot going on in Berlin but I have to call out the ubiquity of push bikes in the city. It evoked fond memories of London, a city teeming with keen and accomplished cyclists. The cycle lanes aren't as nice as London's, it must be said, but, their presence is welcome.
I could also see that while in London and the wider United Kingdom we have been pussyfooting around last-mile transportation modes like scooters, Berlin has 3 electric scooter operators actively easing transportation problems in the city. I haven't been on one yet because I'm a bit of a PLEV(personal light electric vehicle) snob - I personally prefer the currently outlawed but much cooler electric unicycle variant. Still it was good to get a glimpse of what the multi-tenanted future of roads could be like. Please permit electric unicycles, Berlin 🙏🏾.
Notable mentions
My new favourite drink is Lift, an apple spritzer drink I serendipitously discovered during my first week. The bottle is shaped similarly to that of the popular cola drink so they might be stablemates. I highly recommend it. Lift is best enjoyed cold.
I like the way Berliners refer to being double jabbed as '2G' or being double-jabbed and recently tested as being '3G'. Efficient!
