I fell in love with Berlin on a hot summers day over a decade ago, when me and my best friend decided to check out what all the fuss was about. The cool vibe of the city combined with everything that Berlin stands for - an attitude formed by its extraordinary past - makes this a city like no other and instantly I understood what David Bowie expressed - I also fell in love with Berlin.
In the mid 2000’s I found this city to be exactly what I craved. An escape from the craziness of London that was both calmer and more exciting than my home city. Nights would turn into mornings in crazy bars that never seemed to close and places that accepted everyone exactly as they were - without ever judging or seeming to notice.
In 2011 I decided I needed more than just long weekends discovering and experiencing this city, and after a year of planning I took a summer sabbatical from work and moved myself to Berlin. This summer was full of endless nights drinking Berliner Pilsner, dancing to German techno and disco tunes with great friends as well as studying German and teaching myself photography, which is when my passion for photography started.
After my hedonistic summer I thought my desire would be fulfilled, however I found I still couldn’t get enough of this city and have continued to visit many times a year ever since. Each visit is completely unique - having visited with my parents and other family members, all of my dearest friends and drinking buddies as well as making new friends on each visit with either other visitors or locals - Berlin has proved to one of the most welcoming and friendly cities I’ve ever experienced.
But it was on this, my most recent trip with my future husband, that I realised it is now time to say farewell to the Berlin that I have come to love - Berlin that is so accessible and only a few hours away meaning I can visit on a whim as often as I desire. In fact this is the only time I’ve left Berlin not sure when or if I will return, as the time has come to move my life to a new continent.
I now need to discover my new Berlin, a new place that feels like home from home...
Thank you Berlin for keeping me sane and giving me so many amazing adventures and memories over the years - you have been amazing and I look forward to one day in the future coming back to see a familiar city and a city that never stays the same.
Farewell Berlin. Auf Wiedersehen you sexy city...