Empty the flat, fill the flat

Saoirse is now back in the land of her birth. I don't know how much this trip will mean to any of us in the end but I realized when we were on the bus to Tegel airport that I'm starting to think of Kreuzberg as my hood.

Some facts,

Kreuzberg, meaning cross hill, (named for nearby Viktoriapark and the 1821 monument commemorating the Napoleonic wars) is primarily Turkish and other immigrants. The area was originally poorer, but in the SW 61 where we live it seems more renovated, with nearby Bergmannstrasse supplying the area with a variety of restaurants and shops that I'm told ten years ago didn't really exist. The area we often hang out in is the less developed SO 36, (south west 61 and south ost 36 being the original postal code areas) which is where Veda previously stayed when she came to Berlin, so she is more familiar with that area.

Also of note, Hans Christian Strobele, the only Green Party member of the Bundestag (or Reichstag as everyone else calls it) represents Kreuzberg. His crazy, hand drawn cartoon election posters are all over the neighbourhood for the upcoming election. In them he is pictured as a flag bearing pied piper leading people through the streets with rainbows and so far he has been re-elected twice so it must be working for him.

Last night Kim Barlow did child minding duties so Loree and Michelle could take Veda and I out for birthdays dinner. There is a good Argentine place just up the street where we went with Daniel and Pigi but it was unexpectedly closed so Veda suggested this Italian place on Kreuzbergstrasse called Osteria that we walk by all the time. It was the right choice. The homemade pasta with truffles was amazing and we could have eaten that all night. I thought the rabbit in tomato sauce was really good but the others thought it was overcooked, as well the wild boar also seemed overcooked and a little on the salty side but I still ate it because that's just the kind of guy I am, I don't like to waste food. For dessert there was flan and blueberries with vanilla ice cream and of course lots of wine and prosecco, and grappa, and grappa, and grappa. We had a great time and Veda looked amazing in this new dress she bought from this great shop, (also on Kreuzbergstrasse) called Blutgeschwister which roughly translates to blood sister. Afterwards, we walked home and drank some more with Kim Barlow who ended up staying over on the couch.

Praise be to Loree, Michelle and Kim for a great night, and we would've gotten away with it if it weren't for that medding Anders................................Anders......