Boddinkietz

Only here will I begin a Sunday in the early afternoon, eating breakfast in the middle of the road. By Boddinstr U-Bahn you will find a motley crew of people, chairs, and teapots outside on the island between traffic lanes. Passers by might stop to grab a bite of croissant or balcony neighbours might offer some eggs. Today was probably our last outdoor HermannFrühstück, but plans to take it onto the ring S-bahn in winter are already afoot. I feel lucky to live where I do, with my old WG opposite and Evan's two houses down.

Following Frühstück I'll maybe bake a cake, drink coffee, raid a Flohmarkt, more tea, cycle into the sunset on Templehof's ghost runways. I've started knitting everywhere I go: U-bahn, queues, pubs. Our weekly stitch and bitch sessions are touring the bars of Berlin, and have some guerrilla plans in the process. I've found the most brilliantly emerald green coat imaginable and feel like an "Ampelmädchen" as I skip this city for its stories.

Universität properly begins tomorrow. I'm all matriculated, zedat-ed, filled out and signed every coloured sheet of bureaucratic crap and am so so ready to get on with the business of learning. It seems a lot more relaxed here - I get to spend this week just wandering into the classes to figure out which ones I want to stick with. I'm already falling in love with my daily train journey. Zipping from east to west and south, from grungy grimy Neukölln to the intellectual greenery of Dahlem. I love the JFK institute of North American studies, the students are all cool, the volunteer run cafe has more sofas than floor and is strung with beautiful bunting. Perfekt.

I have a lot more that I want to talk about - some snippets of Neukölln histories and upside down bars but this will have to wait for another update. Which will be sooner. Promise.

Ich liebe euch.

xx

Days Like This

Brilliant blue skies!

My Berlin holiday of no responsibilities is drawing to a close, and so I am leaf crunching and worry free in this beautiful Autumn. Next week I'll get to meet even more people, students mostly, pick modules, meet tutors, buy books. It's exciting. I can't wait to get back into the rhythm of studies.

The days are blending into a long mishmash of sleeps, sunlight and cycle rides. I can't really remember what I have done in any sort of coherent chronology so will settle for a collection of tales...

My sewing machine exploded. That was dramatic. I don't mean bits of flying metal, but it did give an ominous dull bang and then filled my room with smoke and the smell of burning rubber. That same day, my key snapped in half inside my bicycle lock thus stranding it in Kreuzberg. Bicycles are brilliantly clever and efficient, but the moment you lock its wheel to the frame it is nothing but a jumble of irritatingly heavy and awkward bits of metal. I had to carry it from Kreuzberg to Neukölln which isn't fun, but the lovely bike man broke it open for free.

Last weekend I bit the bullet and forked out a whopping €28 for Bonobo, Fink, Lou Rhodes and Cinematic Orchestra only to be brutally disappointed. I thought a lineup like that couldn't fail to be incredible. How wrong I was. I realise now that expensive nights demand expectation, and more often than not the best things in life are the Kostenlos accidentally discovered treasures. Take for example, last night. After making friends with the flat downstairs, I ended up in a basement party with the most incredible jazz trumpeting feet stomping soul singing live band, the place packed with all sorts of beautiful interesting people, dirt cheap drinks, incredible visuals. I made a million friends spoke loads of German and have maybe found myself a new housemate. And it cost me €2. I didn't even have to pay for drinks after making friends with the people behind the bar. (Unfortunately the police spoilt the fun around 4am.)

Bonobo, however, lacked his orchestra and served a dish of mediocre banality. Fink's line up consisted of ONE song. Lou Rhodes frequently depended on the hissing shushers in the crowd, and sang songs deploring all the death in the world which was embarrassing at best. By the time Cinematic Orchestra rocked up I was too hot, tired, and pissed off to stay any longer.

What else. The lovely Anna Donne visited, and I had an awesome weekend with her and the Sedgwick Jell family (parents inc.!). Highlights included the discovery of the epic Spielwiese, a cafe dedicated to boardgames. What more can I say. I also hosted a housewarming Kaffee and Kuchen, and filled this tiny WG with all sorts of brilliant people. It was crowded and chaotic but full of coffee and delicious cake. Oh, and I invested in a teapot so now I really do have everything.

I'm really looking forward to a parcel of forgotten essentials that is on its way from England.

Postcards and letters are in the pipeline. Apologies for being so typically Nikki disorganised.

I miss you all, love you more, and can't wait to show you this city!

N xx