Berlin is my first love. My first time there was with my parents back in 2011 if I am not mistaken. I didn’t get the full Berlin experience with my parents of course. It was just a taste trip back then. However, I knew I was coming back here. So in 2012, I came to Berlin as a 14 years old girl to study German for 1 month. I was alone and I had the first-hand experience, I walked and I explored tasted Berlin. I still know it is my love, and I knew at some point in my life I will be living here. Years passed, my love never went away. How can you forget your first love?

Year 2017, January 25th, we are in Mags’ room trying to figure out where we should fly next weekend. Then we saw the tickets to Berlin, that were reasonably cheap. And I got so excited to be back with my first love after 5 years. We bought the tickets, booked the hostel and we were so ready to go. Of course it meant something more to me than it meant to them. I would be going back after 5 years, I grew so much since then, the city changed so much probably…

Since my schedule at school was quite flexible, and I did the right thing during the registration. I put all my hours on Monday and Tuesday, so I was free from Wednesday morning. That’s why I went a bit earlier than they did, I needed some time alone with my love.

So my first day was a flashback to 2012. First I went to see my school and visit my neighbourhood. I walked up and down, it felt different. I don’t know if this was because I was different or it was because the neighbourhood didn’t look the same. The places we spent our days, were not there anymore. The corner pub where we were meeting every day was a sushi restaurant now. All those emotions got back to me, once I was there, you know the anxiety to find friends etc. I also remembered when Andrea and Charlotte took me to the U-Bahn station to say goodbye because I was leaving…

After walking a lot, and feeling so many emotions at the same time, I got hungry and sit down in a cute bakery on the street which again was not there in 2012. But honestly, I don’t remember what was here back then.

Later, I, of course, went to Alexanderplatz. I stopped at Alexa, my favourite shopping mall back then. I was never a shopping mall person but this one had my favorite store Nici. It is amazing though remembering everything one by one with the help of fragrances, atmosphere. I am still amazed by this fact. Memory is a complicated thing.

Vapiano has been some kind of a safe, comfortable spot of mine, whenever I travel. Sometimes instead of trying something local and new, I will just end up in Vapiano. So I stopped there had some food and I just watched people and Berlin living. It was such a peaceful moment.

For the dinner, the girls arrived and I took them out for some Italian pizza. That’s funny but I never had a bad pizza in Berlin before.

Here I want to leave 3 cafe recommendations for you:

1. Schiller Backstube

This is the cute new cafe I mentioned on my first day. Where I had a croissant and some coffee. It is located in Schonhauser Allee. I am not really sure if this is a typical German thing, but wherever I went to Germany the seats are facing the street. They enjoy watching people passing, and they don’t get offended if you look at them in the eyes. Watching people and enjoying my coffee in a cute bakery, what could I ask more?

2. The Barn

The second one is The Barn. It is such an astonishing place. I knew about this one because they are quite popular with their coffee beans. The place itself smells coffee, the atmosphere is pleasant. A bit small but enough. I think I have spent 3 hours here. I had a slice of cake and some coffee was watching people passing on the street. The people working here super helpful, they even gave me some local tips on where I should go if I have been here already and seen the touristy stuff. And you can buy some ground coffee as well to take back home.

3. Chipps

The final recommendation is the brunch place we found on a very hangover day. It is called Chipps and it is in Jaegerstrasse. It is super central close to the Brandenburg Tor. They have a wide menu of breakfast options, the names of the omelettes will take your attention for sure. The omelette I had was called “Walk of Shame” Having some mimosas might be my cure for my hangovers. If you enjoy brunch as much as I do, and don’t mind spending a bit more time on it, this might be the place for you.

Berlin is not a city that you can visit once and be done with it. It deserves several trips. You can categorise your trips, one can be for clubbing, one can be cultural… It has something for everyone. I believe everyone will find something they love about Berlin. To me it is everything. It is the diverse atmosphere, it is the German culture mixed with international cultures, it is the people, it is the dark rainy weather, it is the rain itself that comes on mid-July. I am truly in love with this city. Vielleicht werde ich eines Tages ein Berliner