About Berlin – black, music + hipster Kreuzberg

We just felt that we needed some polaroids taken in Berlin.

This drummer brought the house down. Tourists and locals stop by before going to the U-Bahn.

Black. -- I thought to myself. Everyone was in black. It was cold, probably the coldest city we’ve been during the trip, and the skies were cast in grey. I had wondered – what would Berlin be like during winter? Maybe I will be lonely if I live here but as soon as we hopped into our first U-Bahn ride, a group of buskers rushed in to play Daft Punk. Maybe that was all I needed. Suddenly, I was feeling the travel rush.

The first night, we ate Vietnamese food. We needed something familiar to warm our bodies. We lived in Kreuzberg, which I picked simply because of Bloc Party, and turned out to be one of the hippest (okay fine, hipster) cities in Berlin. On our way back to our hotel, the night scene was just starting to pick up. A long queue of people in black, with eyeliners and red lipstick, lined up outside bars. I decided to finish a cigarette while watching the queue. I asked the store owner why people were lining up and he said that they open the bar at exactly 11pm. Cool. I wanted to go but I ended day 1 curled up in bed and wishing that my comforter was thicker.

Seafoam!

Day 2 was still cold. I was halfway through the Berlin Wall when I started feeling a headache. I thought maybe it was the cold, so I took comfort in one of the kiosks and drank my hot chocolate. A petite girl, not wearing black, was playing a downer Regina Spektor song. She was a refreshing sight. Then, teenage boys started whisking past me in their skateboards. For a moment, I found it difficult to reconcile what I was hearing with what I was seeing. And maybe this is what Berlin is all about. And if I’m in, this mish-mash could turn into something beautiful. Of course, I was in.

Several more hours and beers later, black has started to become a normal sight. I took out my eyeliner and red lipstick and indulged myself in a fleeting feeling of belongingness. I notice that music is a big part of Berlin culture. Everywhere we go, there was always someone playing good music. Then one time, while I was watching a man showcase his drumming skills in Alexanderplatz, I remembered that David Bowie used to live here!

I leave Berlin with everyone around me still wearing black but I leave with the city’s vibrant heart.