photo: Christian Schirrmacher / CC
Every year around the same time – yes, let’s say, every year in November – the darkness is creeping up on us. Sometimes slow, sometimes fast, sometimes without us even realizing – until it’s to late. First the time goes away, almost unnoticed: only one little hour, one hour of light, one hour of Summer. When the Summer sun leaves us and the November nights become longer, never-ending – you slowly take our breath away. Your grey covers are like a thick blanket, ready to tuck us in and push us down. You are ready to rest, but are we ready yet?
You catch us off guard, we’re not ready yet, but you pull us deep – every time and there is no end in sight, not yet. With the light moving away, we start to slowly lose the needed energy. People pushing in the U-Bahn – I can’t breath. People pushing in the clubs – I can’t breath. people pushing for the sun – I can’t see. Things slow down and we get tired. It’s still a long way to go and when a friend from Istanbul, who is facing his first Berlin Winter asked me what to expect with his tired and hopeful eyes I had to hide away my knowing smile: Just hold your breath a little longer, dive deep, take your time, create your own little space with sun because this is the beginning of the cold.
It seems easy to escape, to simply leave, but do yourself a favor: Hold on, take a deep breath of the cold November air! Because it’s only temporary and if you get to know the cities true soul you will learn: We’re in this together – Berlin is fighting, too. Fighting for Summer days and sun. But there will be no light without darkness and no beautiful Summer without a tough winter and so the metamorphosis begins once again…
