I met J in Sydney during NaNoWriMo in 2015. I had hoped to meet her in Hamburg this trip, but she obtained an internship in Munich after we’d made bookings. So alas, we cancelled our Hamburg plans and added two extra nights to Berlin. Oh well, I thought, we’d see each other another time.
J had other ideas.
Though I implored her that I wasn’t worth the effort, she said “yes you are!” and booked an overnight bus to Berlin for 25 euro.
She arrived at 5am. We staggered out of the hotel at 8:23am and met her at the McDonald’s that I could see from our hotel window. We began with an enthusiastic hug!
The Husband in tow, J and I headed for a nearby café to catch up over hot chocolates. She insisted on paying! But we would repay the favour later. The café’s chairs made me feel like a child.
After 9am, J took me to a nearby shop, advertising its great notebooks. Sadly it had changed a bit, but J found a book and I some ribbon (purple with white polka dots).
Onto Museum Island! Alas, the Neues (New) Museum was still closed and the queue for tickets kept on multiplying. We sat on some steps, among columns riddled with bullet holes from WWII, soaking up the sun. I took a few photos and a few seconds of GoPro footage.
Eventually, we gave up and decided to go for a walk.
After we crossed back over from the island, at the Bode (Boat) Museum, we sat beneath our hotel for much-desired ice cream. An earlier search had proved futile – in a park with archaeological “lumps and bumps”. The park originally contained buildings that became ruins in WWII.
Lunch was obtained at Peter Pane, a burger place which had wonderful décor. Wooden curves arched above us, low-lying lantern-esque lights lit the scene and faux trees added some greenery to the cosy space. The food was good too. I had a mojito (before midday!) and it made me warm and chatty.
J and I spoke of NaNoWrimo, the importance of hashtags in social media and J’s love of Top Deck Cadbury chocolate. I must send her some!
It took an age to get the bill (The Husband settled it, despite J’s protests), though I hardly minded the wait, given how far I’d come to see my writing pal. We bade each other farewell outside the hotel.
I’ve spent my time since reading Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl (it saddened me so much when I read it as a child), in preparation for our visit to the hideout in 2 days!
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