I stepped off that last train into Berlin extremely hungover and exhausted. I was already on a three day bender. It was around noon and I needed to get to my hostel so I could sleep it off for a few hours; at least before doing it all again... I remembered that another girl I had met in the Canary islands said that if I were ever in Berlin to give her a ring. I sent her a Facebook message because I didn't have any of her contact info. I arrived at the hostel, went through the usual walkthrough, and hit the pillow hard. I woke around 4:30pm with a message from your one saying, 'hey its nice to hear from you. i don't have messanger, so you better write me message' and gave her number.

Luckily she remembered me and we agreed to meet at the Berlin Frankfurter Allee train stop near my hostel at 6:30pm. I love traveling by myself but it's so nice to at least know one other person from that city who can give you a very immersive experience. So we met for the first time in 6 months and she was even prettier than I remembered. She had straight brown hair, blue eyes, and a perfect slim figure. She was originally from Kazakhstan, moved to the Czech Republic as a child, and now lived in Berlin. 

She wanted to take me to somewhere called 'Party Mile' and I excitedly told her I was up for anything. It ended up being a long strip of clubs, bars, and drugs surrounded by warehouses and food stalls. She grabbed some weed off an African guy and we sat at some steps to roll a spliff. I was enthralled by it all. The public drinking, the lax take on drug consumption, and club music happening all around created such a free environment. There was no room for judgement in Berlin because no one really cared.

We found ourselves a reggae type bar and sat outside sipping delicious German beer and discussing whatever popped into our heads. I forgot how easy she was to talk to. I told her I was very tired and explained my recent travel adventures. I then asked if there was anything I could grab to give me a little boost of energy. A call to an acquaintance and a short walk to a gang of street punks on the Oberbaumbrücke and I quickly had the energy back that I was missing. She and I stayed up until 7:30am outside of that bar talking about the universe, religion, and anything else that came to mind. I think it partly had to do with the party favors but mostly to the great connection we had. I then faded quickly and we both took cabs home to our respective dwellings.

I woke the next afternoon around 3pm with an unexpected smile on my face. In this case my mind was fighting my hangover with happiness. It's amazing what your mindset can do to your body, both good and bad. Your one texted me again to see if i wanted to meet and show me the city. Of course I agreed and we spent the afternoon grabbing beers from the spätis, going neighborhood to neighborhood. She knew a lot about her city which made the experience a whole lot better. We ended the night sitting at the bar Klunkerkranich located on the top floor of a supermarket parking lot. The view of Berlin as the sun went down was absolutely beautiful. We continued our unstructured conversations about everything and nothing. Just happy to be alive. Unfortunately, it was a Sunday and she had to go home early because she had work the next day. She walked me to the train and again we parted ways. 

I spent that Monday on my own. I tried a kebab at the infamous Mustafa's Gemüse Kebap. It took about 25 minutes in line and the kebab was very good, not the best. I was adventurous and grabbed an Ayran, a Turkish salted yogurt drink. I figured I'd like it because I was a HUGE fan of Lassi on my trip to India. The Ayran definitely didn't do it for me. I took the train to the Brandenburg Gate where I met for a free SANDEMANs tour. I always look up free walking tours whenever I visit a city I would like to learn more about. It's also a good way to get some insider tips for food, nightlife, etc. from the tour guide. I liked the walking tour and my tour guide so much I booked a paid tour to Sachsenhausen concentration camp the next day. That ended up being a truly unforgettable experience that I will be sure to write about at another time. I took the rest of that day to chill in the hostel and have a few nightcaps before bed.

After going on the very emotional tour to the concentration camp the next morning I came back and met your one in the early afternoon because her workday had ended early. I was very excited to see her and I was starting to feel that she wasn't just being accommodating. I am terrible at realizing these things so somewhat shrugged it off. I met her near a section of the Berlin wall and we went for a stroll admiring all of the murals to commemorate it's fall in 1989. Again we grabbed street beers and continued onto neighborhoods I hadn't already seen. We then decided to stop for dinner at a tapas joint. It was just another perfect carefree afternoon. I told her I wanted to go back to Klunkerkranich to watch the sunset. She agreed and told me there was live jazz that night. Sold.

We both found ourselves a nice little nook overlooking another glorious sunset over the city. I was explaining something, we both caught each other's gaze and I just went in for it. In the back of my mind i'd been wanting to kiss her but only then just realized it. We both had ear to ear grins and she asked me why I didn't do that sooner. Talk about crossed signals...

I spent an absolutely amazing night at her flat completing the connection we knew we had early on. A chance encounter at a hostel 6 months earlier on an island in the Canary's to now... I love how this world works. I had to wake up early the next morning to go check out of my hostel and get ready to fly back to Dublin. She was free for lunch so we would meet one last time before I left. I had the biggest smile on the train ride back to my hostel, dopamine still flooding my brain. 

We ate lunch together followed by many high schoolesque make out sessions up until the minute I had to hop on the train to the airport. I was so sad to leave but also the thought that I wouldn't have that feeling for a while made me respect it even more. I'm not sure if that makes sense to everyone. I arrived at the airport and right before I entered I remembered the party favors! A frantic search through my back pocket, backpack, and hidden crevices resulted in nothing. I thought I remembered tossing it out the night before but couldn't be sure. I tore through my bag a few more times and came to the consensus that I did throw it out. Case closed.

I was still sweating walking through security. They seemed to be checking each bag thoroughly. I got to the conveyor belt, took out all of my liquids, and proceeded through the body scanner. On the other side I waited nervously as I watched the belt go backward and then forward and the TSAs eyes squint at the images that appeared on her computer. Then I saw it; my blue bag was coming toward me through the rubber curtains. All was well in the world. I grabbed all of my belongings, thanked TSA, and headed to my gate. Many emotions were going through my head. I just wanted to get home.

3 hours later I was headed back to my gaf on a Dublin bus. As soon as I reached my room I took all of my clothes out of my backpack to throw in the wash. I grabbed a pair of pants and made sure nothing was in the pockets that would go though the wash when low and behold, there they were, the party favors made the journey with me back to Dublin.