On Thursday I decided to go to Berlin.

Naja, ish.

While it is true that I decided to go, it wasn’t entirely my decision. I was invited to a meeting. The sort that it would be silly not to go to. Some of you know why, some don’t. It’s not entirely relevant. The only relevant part is that I need to be in Berlin on Thursday.

Wednesday is the 1st of May. In Germany it’s a national Holiday. I decided to take Thursday and Friday off work, get the train on Tuesday evening or Wednesday morning, go to the meeting on Thursday and spend the rest of the time being a tourist before coming home on Sunday. I’ve been in Berlin before, but only briefly and I didn’t walk around much.

On Friday I took my holiday form to the person-who-signs-holiday-forms’ secretary. She looked at it and said she was going away the same week. As the polite, interested person I am, I asked her where she was going.. I didn’t really particularly care, but it’s always good to have secretaries on your side 🙂 and talking to them beyond “hello, here you are, thanks, bye” always helps.

Turns out she was going to Berlin.

AND has a spare seat in her car.

AND is willing to take me with her 🙂

AND is going to bring me back with her on Sunday.

BINGO.

She’s leaving on Monday afternoon, so I added Tuesday to my holiday form before going to celebrate my good fortune in a beer tent 🙂

I spent today on the phone. Practically everyone I know in Berlin has ‘offered’ to have me over to stay 🙂

I’ve also invited to a lecture, to look round 2 glassblowing workshops and to some kind of concert/party, as well as to join in with whatever’s going on on the 1st.

Watch out Berlin – here I come!!