"Du bist so wunderbar, Berlin!"

"Berlin! Du bist so wunderbar, Berlin!" This is the chorus of the 2003 song by a band called Kaiserbase, which translates to "Berlin! You are you wonderful, Berlin!" It was popularized nationwide in Germany through its use in a television commercial for Berliner Pilsener beer. This period coincides roughly with my time as a graduate student at the Fritz Haber Institute, and hence it has become my unofficial anthem of this indeed wonderful city.
I haven't found the time to visit Berlin since my return from the US of A, even though thinking about it did make me quite homesick. Finally, my friends Heather and Jon, who are avid Berlin lovers just as much as I am, came back for a visit, or actually in the case of Jon for a (short) work-related stint. With my good friends back on "home-away-from-home turf" I had a good reason to kick my rear and hop on the next train to our capital.
In a way it felt different, but many things have remained the same. The difference is that this time I strolled around the city with a sense of accomplishment, which replaced the previous feeling of belonging. While being a student I often pictured my first return, imagining it must feel great, if not triumphant, to enjoy Berlin without the ever-pending pressure to succeed in the pursuit of my doctorate ... In fact this wasn't entirely untrue, but the former connection, arising from a lengthy task that required my day-to-day attention, has diminished. It also plays a role that many of my former colleagues are no longer there. The student who took over my office space told me that she is now one of the most senior students in the department.
Nevertheless, it was a great experience to come back, even for just half a week. (I arrived on thursday afternoon, and left on monday after lunch.) No doubt the seven hours one-way train ride was totally worth it! Of course the main reason for me was to reunite with Heather and Jon, but I was also taking advantage of the location, trying to revive as many memories as possible. By a pleasant coincidence my hotel was on the same subway line I had to take when I first interviewed for the position as a graduate student, so the route itself already brought about some forgotten memories. One particular sensation was recalled at the Spichernstraße subway station, where the air is moved heftily by the trains on the platform of the U9 line, but is notably cooler and less turbulent at the top end of the escalator to the U3 line that intersects there with the U9. Another significant "reenactment" was having an Italian gelato at the Potsdamer Platz Arcaden shopping mall, which is so highly reputated that during daytime the waiting time is at least 15 min! (And yes, I definitely got a sweet tooth!) Since my arrival in Berlin was on a short notice Heather and I would not meet until the second night, so I engaged in my favorite passtime: watching a movie at the Cinestar Original movie theater; "original" referring to the fact that the movies aren't dubbed, but feature the original English audio.
I revisited a number of sites, as depicted in the phtot collection, including (a) my old house (I used to live on the third floor to the left of the entrance that is to the left of the big window), (b-c) the Hauptbahnhof (central train station) ((b) a view from the platform for east/west-bound trains on the top floor, all the way down to the platform for north/south-bound trains on the bottom floor, the two being a solid 25 m (82 ft) apart, (c) a sign announcing an inbound over-night train from Berlin to Paris, which has its only stop en route in Saarbrücken, my birth place), (d) a meadow just across the street from the Fritz Haber Institute, where I used to play pick-up soccer (with real goals that we would bring along, built in the institute's own workshop), (e) the fountain at the famous Alexanderplatz (Alexander plaza, named in honor of a visit of Russian tsar Alexander I.), sporting the nickname "hooker's brooch" (Berliners have a reputation for their potty mouths!), (f) the Reichstag building (home of the Bundestag, the "national" chamber / "lower house" of the German parliament, the other being the Bundesrat, or "federal" chamber / "upper house"), (g) a night out with (from left to right): Wiebke, another Fritz Haber alumna (and also one of my former office mates), Tia (originally a friend of Heather's, now also of Wiebke's), and Heather, along with their respective significant others, (h) a placard advertising the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup, in which Germany is the host nation (the slogan translates to "Guys, we will avenge you", a reference to the men's competition hosted by Germany in 2006, where the German team came out third, while everyone had hoped for the championship - unfortunately the German women's team got kicked out as early as in the quarterfinals), (i) the façade of KaDeWe (Kaufhaus des Westens, english Department Store of the West, the second-biggest department store in Europe after Harrods in London (which of course leaves KaDeWe the biggest department store in continental Europe)).
To sum up, this short getaway did quench my homesickness for Berlin for a while (and it also remined me of the less pleasant aspects, such as the very long commutes across the city that are additionally impeded by the many urban rail stations under constructions). Yet a part of my heart will always be in Berlin (just like in Chicago!), and I will always need to return every once in a while ...