Sometimes dreams are constant, but with alterations.

As of lately, the heavens have opened up and let out all of the tears, who knows if summer is already over? The return of the wet shoe season, the socks are having their own little “pool party” inside. Eventually, I am thinking some pairs more up to the rain task, wouldn’t be so bad.

All of my Brezel cravings been diligently met through a Backstube in Oslo, naturally, a wet Brezel moment strolling down Skippergata assumingly one super teary day. I waited underneath something of shelter, but in vain, as when you cry sometimes you cry some more.

You know what I miss, the bigger city feel, the feeling of getting lost in a new neighborhood and when the neighborhood does not feel like the “whole city.” This 1910 side-street Kurfürstendamm loft is exactly after my own cup of tea, the older the better. I’ve been stocking up on German magazines and language tools, lately. Wanna try another Franzbrötchen at Friedrichstrasse, and let the laptop rest for a change.

Images via: Sotheby’s International Realty (click the link to view the rest)

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Typing while it rains, the newfound luxury of something new.

Feels like ages ago when my first Mac broke down, just a few months though, you know when you’ve built a relationship and it just ends in a moment of surprise. That’s how it felt like. All these libraries visited instead to browse and to be educated on a variety of topics. It shows, my black boots are faded, I’m gonna keep them that way as a reminder of all the walking.

All the occasions where I stood under trees waiting for the rain to stop, one moment in particular at a cemetery when the rain slowly transformed into a sunny feel. When a moment feels like an eternity and you just wait, then the sun appears, what a transformation.

I have this beautiful brick church I use to sit by while drinking something hot and eating cinnamon rolls. It is surrounded by older houses, very charming and a great retreat from the modern structures by the Opera.

While the computer broke down, I got to live a little more vintage by spending the evenings filled with books. One thing I learned, you get to read tons.

Images by: Kajsa J. Andersen

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From the noise at Otto-Braun-Strasse, to the solitude.

A room to myself for four nights, it was quite the difference from the shared experience at Otto-Braun-Strasse, Berlin. A street covered in traffic, which made it hard to sleep in the morning, to the solitude at the hostel Haraldsheim in Oslo. Slumbered in my red “pajamas” while waking up early for breakfast, only to get back to bed afterwards without a single soul in the room. Like a night and day, really.

Once you´ve experienced the noise from Otto-Braun-Strasse, this felt like a retreat of a more quiet kind. Even a late-sleeper like myself, setting the alarm to wake up earlier to enjoy the complimentary breakfast, a highlight. Quite the difference from the mega dorm in Berlin, where I got a runny nose and started coughing.

Once you get some time and space, you get a gap to reflect on issues, hardly time strolling a suitcase all over Berlin. My resume is far from perfect, it is what is, it´s who I am, I don´t have an impressive LinkedIn profile, but I have traveled to both Egypt and Azerbaijan on my own, even to Russia partially alone, I would probably be more comfortable in a job a little outside the box, not given up on Berlin and finding work. For instance, helping in deporting fake refugees is something I would like to do, the refugee crisis is a myth, it´s artificially created by Angela Merkel, the EU and the UN. Unfortunately, the job of dismantling the reception centers it´s a hard one. There was one incident with a family and railway tracks in Hungary, it was staged and comparable to the concept “Pallywood.”

I came to Berlin from Athens literally with nothing, I slept outside on the floor of police station at Schönefeld airport, all I have is myself but I know the refugee issue well enough. In Athens I slept at the airport, all I could afford, it made me tougher. Perhaps on such a hard task, some real life experience is not as bad rather than having a flawless resume. In Hurghada I was dragged on the side of the bus taking us the hotel by the driver, in Athens I ran after male robbers who took my backpack and in Baku I walked alone at night.

First and foremost, I have experience in answering political questions on Twitter and other social media, I can deal with various political topics including Islam. I spend much time reading about each topic, to know better how to respond. Twitter is a great tool to interact. Anything from Ukraine, Azerbaijan to Israel, for instance Vladimir Putin uses Kremlin trolls to spread misinformation on social media about Ukraine. I have tweeted  Vladimir Putin, Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the Syrian Presidency to mention some. Twitter is as mentioned a great tool. I might not have this on paper, but I have learned alot still. Yes, I get the odd image of a severed head, but it´s not an issue, having seen numerous uncensored ISIL execution videos to be more prepared.

Having been a little over a month in Berlin recently, been confronted with a chador-ish outfit at the Mall of Berlin McDonald´s, but also an Islamic prayer at one Kamps Backstube, think it´s safe to say Germany got some issues to work with. 
Image by: Kajsa J. Andersen

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Between a bloody duvet and mega dorm, looking towards Friedrichstrasse

Nowadays the road to my dreams seems long, like the dreams of the people who lived in “Ørkenen Sur,” where everyday life is of little glamour and its all about making it to the next one. Several Norwegians ended up in “Ørkenen Sur” around the time of the Great Depression, making homes on a landfill site in Brooklyn.

For some the hopes of wealth and prosperity instead ended up being quite reversed, and going back to Norway could have been a defeat and instead chose to stay. Between a bloody duvet and a mega dorm in Berlin, the return to Oslo it hasn´t exactly been the cure, perhaps though the ever-changing days in Berlin made me more prepared to meet more.

While I was sitting inside the Starbucks by the subway station Friedrichstrasse, I was very much reminded of dreams I´ve tried to bury both a little out of fright and also if I deserved it. Nonetheless, having dreams and pursuing them two different stories. 

Images via businessinsider.com, Photo: Courtesy of Charles W. Cushman Photograph Collection / Indiana University Archives

Documentary “Ørkenen Sur” NRK click here

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Reminiscing in maps and coffee shops

When you suffer from Berlin withdrawals, was most likely not “chance” leading me to the coffee shop Hendrix Ibsen with a coffee shop in Berlin, Oslo kaffebar, around Nordbahnhof. One month in the big city, ironically, got to this first arriving in Oslo. Developed a habit of diving comfortably in a chair at Dussmann das KulturKaufhaus to open a book or letting the mind wander by the Vertikaler Garten. The latter, a vertical garden containing numerous plants, on cold December days provided a pleasant escape.

Thinking back on my new favorite things, first Treptower Park with the exciting abandoned Spreepark and Sowjetische Ehrenmal nearby. Imagining how it must be during summer, with a cold beverage or just strolling around. Another newcomer, Flakturm Humboldthain in Volkspark Humboldthain. Saw it in the BTNG music video “Gewachsen auf Beton” and something I just had to see. Traveled on a very tight budget, but this was part of the park Sunday I had.

Images by: Kajsa J. Andersen

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The red suitcase gang meets again in Oslo

Back in Norway tonight, worked on my airport hair (let me tell you, it´s not as easy to keep up with hygiene in such a location) again at Schönefeld for a couple of nights before departing, it´s that kind of hair with does get a little extra glossy rather quick. Spent one week once literally sleeping, eating and living at the Athens International Airport “Eleftherios Venizelos, was in November last year.

Me, my biggest red suitcase and a purple backpack. One week with those two tagging along everywhere, it´s like a little family now of irritation and joy kinda. On the extra glossy hair, resorted to the hoodie as the week progressed, I never really got the washing right, so I just tried to hide the extra glossy strands of hair.

On one morning, it was a surprise for me waking up at a crowded McDonald´s, only to have remembered to have decided to stay there the other night. I rushed to the ladies room before realizing it, as I was just taken by the surprise.
Image by: Kajsa J. Andersen (Schönefeld, magazine is purchased)

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Sky view

After carrying my heavy suitcase up three flights of stairs late in the evening yesterday, I sat down in my bed for the night at Grand Hostel Berlin. The hostel got a timeless and historical design,  to preserve this I assume it only got stairs. Managed just fine though, even though I admit I got a little sweat from the arm workout.

The sleep though, slept like a princess. One month in Berlin, 16 hostels and two nights in other various locations, been quite a few rough patches. 16 hostels also means seen lots of the city from Moabit, Kreuzberg, Friedrichshain, Schöneweide, Prenzlauer Berg and more. There have been days where I´d though I could not manage another patch, I´m still here though. Having opened up the idea of having the capacity for more patches. Right before New Year I was in the outskirts of Berlin, Schöneweide, let´s say I´m not the most wealthy person, with no idea whether I even could get through the weekend. I did though, but it is an out of the body experience. It was a very sunny day down there, and walking across a bridge admiring these (perhaps not all in use now) brick buildings, it was just a lovely view to take in. Brick, got a soft spot for it.

Images by: Kajsa J. Andersen

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With the red suitcase out for a little fresh air

Found myself comfortably in St. Christopher´s Inn the last couple of nights, in the oasis. Meaning a little more privacy, plus the luxury of a kitchen right next door. You get more of a living in Berlin kind of feeling.

Today, I took a stroll around the neighborhood which is only a short walk from Alexanderplatz, although when you come here you´ll be met with a tad lower buildings, even got some homey Oslo vibes here and there. Oslo, naturally is the city I feel the most at home in. It´s just this feeling of sitting right where you can take a dive into water at Tjuvholmen, looking in direction of the Islands, it´s magical.

Images by: Kajsa J. Andersen

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From one morning waking up in the East

The wall nowadays only scattered in pieces around the city, still there is that East flair here and there. In the evening yesterday I took a brief halt outside the DDR museum on some bench structure, the majestic Berliner Dom and the River Spree were a haunting sight. Were I sat, it was pretty cold too, the Berliner Dom looked even bigger. It´s one of those buildings you can just look at, and never get tired of.

Berlin is a city with their layered history intact to see, a little old, a little Soviet and a little new. I often ponder on the thought what might have been if World War Two had not taken place, from the images seen perhaps it was a little more Paris, who knows?
Image by: Kajsa J. Andersen

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The sunny side of Oranienburger Strasse

Three nights in a row woken up at Oranienburger Strasse, staying at the lovely Generator Berlin Mitte. Years ago, I used to stay more around U Wittenbergplatz, making it Ku´damm a more natural place of strolling. This time around, I´ve come to find other places of awaken interest. Oranienburger Strasse is also very personal in a sense, me since the age of 13-14 having had an eye for the Jewish cause. The street used to have a more lively Jewish presence before World War Two, it currently is the home of the Neue Synagoge, a marvelous sight.

Far from every Jew is perfect nor an angel, but it´s been an interest for ages. It´s been a wonderful treat strolling from it down to Alexanderplatz or the Museumsinsel in the “morning” (got my own interpretation of what´s morning you could say, I love sleeping in if I can), a few raindrops and just take in the crisp December air. With or without my Jewish interest, this street has become another Berlin favorite. You definitely don´t need that interest to like it. Far from it. Image by: Kajsa J. Andersen (not a sponsored post)

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