Happy first birthday!

Today, this blog turns one year old! During this past year, I have tried to keep you updated on my experiences as an expat in Berlin. I realise that most posts have been random thoughts or photos of more or less random things. I do, however, hope that you've been entertained nevertheless :)

I realise this sound sort of final, but you won't get rid of me that easily:p

More to come!

One year ago today...

A year ago today, I visited Berlin for the very first time. I was here for a job interview, this job interview is, as you may have guessed, the very same job interview that led me to move to the German capital. A lot has happened since that day and the experience itself seems so far away.

Since I relocated to Berlin, I've moved twice, started to learn a new language, got the hang of the long distance relationship, learned that Germans don't mind blowing their nose in public, bought countless plane tickets, gained heaps of professional experience and much more!

At times, things were moving really fast and time flew by (an example being June, as you may recall). But at other times, it felt like the clocks had stopped. But in any case, 2014 is soon coming to an end.

Now that my contract here is soon fulfilled, I need to consider my next move. The choice comes down to either staying here in Berlin and try to get my contract renewed or moving back to good old Copenhagen. What makes the choice difficult is that what makes the most sense doesn't really feel right. But I guess that's true for many things in life.

I know that whatever I chose I'll be disappointing someone, the question is who do I want to let down the least.

While I'm considering all this, christmas is drawing closer and I am indeed a sucker for christmas. But more on that later!

Life as a commuter part III

The last two weeks, the schools of Berlin have been closed due to autumn break. And I have been enjoying it! Probably not as much as the children, but still. The reason for my joy? An almost empty tram in the morning on my way to work! I have been enjoying the extra wiggle room immensely. But now it's back to reality! As of yesterday, the kids are back at school and I have to get used to having less space on the tram yet again ;)

So, I've been wondering...

how come is it that German women need a secluded area in the fitness centres to do their weight lifting? Here in Berlin you'll also find fitness centres just for women, again weird! Is it because German women are more shy than women elsewhere? Or that German men are more likely to harrass women, who are working out? Both scenarios seem unlikely to me. But then why?
But I guess that's just one of those small differences between Denmark and Germany...

East Side Gallery

Today I decided to make the most of the lovely autumn weather we're having here in Berlin this Sunday and take a stroll along the East Side Gallery.

The 1.3 km long stretch of the old Berlin wall fascinates me with all its bright colours and beautiful art. Definitely worth a visit.

From summer to autumn

September is coming to an end and so is the summer. The days are growing shorter and the leaves are changing colour.
I've tried to catch this transition from summer to autumn on camera:

A looooong week

Finally, the weekend is here! This week has been one of the longest weeks of my life.
I've had difficulties getting up in the morning, I've been struggling to concentrate and the days have seemed so incredible long. The first week back at work after a holiday is always hard, but this weeks just seems to have been harder than usual. This might have something to do with the fact that is was a very good holiday, I might actually go so far as to saying the best holiday of my life. So the contrast of being back at the office is just so much greater than after your average holiday.

Hopefully, next week will be easier to get through. But before that I am going to enjoy this weekend. I don't have much planned yet, but that actually feels like just the thing I need right now. A nice quiet weekend to recuperate after a hard week's work ;)