As I leave Berlin, I think about whether my opinion of the city changed at all. I am disappointed to say that no, it didn’t. Now, don’t get me wrong. I had a fabulous time. Berlinale was as productive as I had hoped it would be. I stayed here with 4 wonderful friends (6 if you count the friends not actually staying in the flat with us, but a minute or so away), and created some excellent memories. We worked long hours, played hard when we got the chance, saw the sights, and had a fabulous time.
I had wonderful nights hanging out with new friends from the UK, Southern Germany, Munich, and Ireland. I had incredible turkish food, saw inventive burlesque, learned how to properly drink feigling (complete with cap on the nose),
a couple of my new German friends introduced us to Feigling. It's a fig vodka that fizzes.
But, truth be told, I always find Berlin cold. The people, not the weather. You’ll notice that none of the new friends are from Berlin. Berliners could use a couple of pointers on being friendly. The use of the words “please” or “excuse me” wouldn’t hurt, either (strangely, “thank you” is in full effect)
And while there are a couple parts of Berlin which are striking, the majority of Berlin was built after the war, and looks like any other major city which has no character. when listening to people talk about it, the same story feels like it is on repeat: “there was something really great right here, then it was completely bombed out, so this lifeless building was erected in its place. But trust me, before, it was pretty cool.”
and then there are strange clubs like this, which seem to be dropped in from Miami Beach circa 1986
Therefore, I declare it here. Next time I come back to Berlinale, I will take a few days, and go somewhere outside of Berlin to discover what it is that people love about this country.