Gitta was the girl I met back in Vancouver. 21st of March, 2013, I arrived in Vancouver at St.Claire’s hostel. And that night was when I met the bubbly Gitta. We didn’t talk much that night. But the following days was when we built the friendship we had. We did some walks, had breakfast at a local place and watched the sunset overlooking the stretch of Vancouver and the Grouse mountain in the background. I headed to Alaska after that and she headed to Vancouver Island. We then met up again in Seattle, the night before she headed back to Germany.
And that night, I was catching up with her, in her own city, Berlin Germany. I found it amazing.
She was working at the bar Aufsturz, located right in front of the Oranienburger Train station and between Meinenger and Generator Hostels. She was just getting off her shift which was 11am-6pm. We hugged each other when she walked back in the pub. She was with her friend Maria, who she met a few years ago through a common friend. We chatted outside the pub and I had 2 strong Belgian beer, with 8.1% alcohol. Talk about starting the night bang-on. It was so great to see her again and she was still her usual self. She was saying she was slowly forgetting her English, but I still found it intact.
We continued on walking the streets as Maria took out her bottle of wine. Just the same in Belgium, it apparently is typical to be walking the streets with a bottle of booze. And that night, I was feeling local getting a sip, as we took turns with the bottle. Berlin was slowly turning on the lights and the night was still young. A lot of tourists and locals alike were starting to be out and about on a Wednesday night.
Maria and I were feeling famished so we stopped for a while. She had a what seemed to be a kebab. Gitta and I had Asian dinner. I was sooo hungry, remembering that my last meal was actually breakfast. Crazy.
Eventually we got to the Doors pub, a local pub that they hang out at on a Wednesday night. Gitta’s friends were there and Maria’s boyfriend Bjorn was already sitting comfortably leaning by the door. IT was so cute to see friends hanging out like that, having a common day to meet up. As they said, just like the TV series “How I met your Mother”.
Bjorn was really inquisitive about a lot of stuff which I really liked. Despite the alcohol in our systems that night, we were actually having a good conversation which was what I wanted to have as being part of a local group. He was really passionate for people to see Berlin more than just the touristy places, which I understood. But I guess so much more because, I believe there’s this perception or I guess, history based thought of Berlin >> yeah, the wall, Hitler, the unfathomable destruction. And coming from the young ones, as I was surrounded by a bunch, to hear a teenager have that passion was impressive. He wanted people to see past the monuments and the history. He explained that though the years, it seemed like Berlin was losing its identity and that tourism was sort of damaging a lot of things. It’s quite difficult too, but I’d say tourism will always be part of the economical climb of a country, although Germany in itself has more to offer even if you read all about the outstanding inventions and innovations. Still, I understood where he was coming from.
We ended up moving to a different location. Sitting outside a local liquor shop, how more local can it get. Bjorn bought us Berliner beer and we continued on through the night.. drinking. I was having fun, at least we weren’t getting drunk in a pub, instead, doing it just the same way they’d do it. We met 2 guys from Ireland and a girl from Bavaria. The guys have been living in Berlin for a few months already, one was a journalist.
Around 2 am, Gitta checked her train connections and had to call it a night. I said the same as I had a bus to catch to Praha (Prague). I hugged Maria and the guys goodbye. Thanking them so much for the night. Bjorn said “you’re always welcome here”.
As we walked to the tram point, I hugged Gitta goodbye and well, we knew we’d still see each other someday.
Feeling a little bit tipsy, I got on the tram and found my way to Warschaur Strasse. I felt so local and used to the streets already. Now, booze always makes me hungry, for some reason. I stopped by a small kebab station and got me some wrap to eat along the way.
Crossing the Oberbraum bridge, a lot of teenagers, mostly tourists, were already wasted and drunk. I was munching on my wrap, just watching them struggle through the streets.
I got to the hostel and yup, it was packed… and I was the last one in…. I tried to be as quiet as a mouse… the snoozed off. That was 3 am.
The following day was an early one for me as I had to pack up. A 7 am shower woke me up for good, but I was already feeling weak. Oh yeah, old age was getting to me… 2 continuous nights of drinking and going out.
At 8 am I decided to go out with the guitar and sing along the streets. Greeting everyone who passed by good morning, I was smiling. I could actually see myself coming back to Berlin.I checked out and got myself to Hauptbahnhof for my bus to Prague.
Back on the road bound for Czech Republic… my eyes were struggling through a little bit of a hangover, but I was happy with fond memories of Berlin.
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