a week in berlin
to be completely honest, i’m not quite sure why i went to berlin. it was impulsive and i think that was the appeal. i’ve been trying to zoom out of my own life lately, practice some gratitude. what is my life? well i get to write music for a living and i’m thankful for that. i also get to travel… equally thankful for that. i guess i should combine the two? why not go somewhere i haven’t been in awhile.
i emailed my publisher a few weeks ago and asked where their studios were around the world. “we have one in berlin.” perfect. a flight from toronto was booked immediately. i flew through amsterdam, had a 12 hour dayover (a very uncool expression i made up right now) and then took the cheapest flight i could find to germany. my travel experience got progressively less luxurious the closer i got to my destination peaking with a crowded train featuring no seats or ventilation at hour 19 of my journey. what some would call hell on earth, i call balance.
the week in berlin was great. it was a mix of writing each day, and exploring the city in my downtime. i was shocked how many shops don’t take card, still cash only. there’s a simplicity and efficiency to the city i love. i was enamoured at the convenience of the transit system, and the confusion of what type of train ticket is needed to go anywhere. (i was never checked once.) burgermister slaps. i had it twice in one day. people drinking outside of the spatis is a vibe and i wish north america would catch up to the looseness of these drinking laws. just let people chill!
on night 3 i had maybe the most traumatic travel experience of my life. at 4am i was woken up by the person next door to my room. i thought to myself, “wow the walls are way thinner than i thought they were, it almost sounds like that guy is in my room.” i then turned on my iPhone flashlight to see that he was in fact in my room. a tall drunken man stumbling around my door entry. i said “uhh this isn’t your room.” and in his drunken stupor he said, “what’s happening where am i?” and i slowly guided him out the door. I’m still unsure if he somehow got in with a different passcode? or if my door was somehow ajar? but i am genuinely confused and terrified at how it happened.
other than that i had a blast though. wrote a few songs too. no regrets!
- felix