She is the boxer, she knows when and where

Berlin comes alive in the spring weather. When the sun shines and the cold does not drive it’s folk indoors, Berlin shines. It is days like today that allow me to truly see this hippie city I chose to live in, and I love it. This culture in which people share themselves with the rest of the city in any given park or open space is quintessential Berlin. Whether it is a group of teenagers playing frisbee, a few people with an amp or two playing to a sparse built-in ampitheatre, a group of dreadlocked and brightly dressed men and women juggling, a gaggle of ruffians kicking a round a hacky-sack or families just enjoying a day on a blanket at a park, watching their city’s culture thrive around them.

Berlin may be one of the poorer cities in Europe, but Klaus Wowereit was on the right track when he insisted that it was still “sexy.” Intellectually, culturally, artistically, this city inspires and relaxes, and I hope I can bring that Berlin flavor with me when I return to the States. I do not know if I’ll ever return to these graffiti-covered streets, but if not, I want to also carry this memory and attitude of a couple care-free afternoons in Mauerpark and Volkspark.