Thursday, May 26, 2016

Willkommen in Berlin

Berlin. A conglomerate of cultures.

My first impression was that it was a place of contradictions where opposites of every kinds might be found. Now, I believe it would more accurately be described as a conglomerate because while "contradiction" implies that there are two opposing factors, "conglomerate" is more descriptive of the mix of several things, held together by something indescribable.

I've been in Berlin for just over a week now, and I have just under six more weeks to spend here in this interesting city. I have a studio/economy apartment in Schoneberg in a neighborhood apparently known for its variety of gay bars and cafes and Turkish food. In a few block radius of my apartment, you could find several gay bars, cafes, and clothing stores, Turkish restaurants, Indian restaurants, and several massage studios and antique stores. Also in the area are several cafes, a burger place, pizza, Vietnamese food, Korean BBQ, Thai food, a hookah bar, a book store, and a couple grocery stores. Eclectic.

Berlin seems to be home to people with every shade of skin, every background, from every culture. This crowded, dirty, noisy city seems to be packed with people from all walks of life.

Graffiti in Schoneberg