Winter is gone, the sun is shining and the trees are coming back to life. Within weeks the city has completely changed in appearance and attitude. Cafes formerly unnoticed have spawned endless tables and moved onto any free speck of sidewalk. I imagine there is a mild sidewalk turf-war between the various cafes - but this could be the result of an over active imagination.Beautiful people are everywhere; fresh faces that hid away during the gray cold have migrated back since old-man winter left town. Italian and Spanish school groups choke the sidewalks in the central districts during the day - only to be replaced by hookers mingling with drunken British stag parties at night.
Parks proudly display acres of fresh green grass, interspersed with splotches of milky white flesh, hidden since September in wool sweaters and heavy jackets. Beautiful, blinding and mildly disturbing all rolled into one. The liveliest place is Gorlitzer Park in the district of Kreuzberg. Wives and daughters of conservative Turkish families, allowed only to show the skin on their faces, are mingling with German girlfriends sans bra and boyfriends sporting techni-colored banana hammocks. Conflicts? We will see. The May Day celebrations are always fun-filled, and I have a feeling this year will be especially wild.
For now, I'm basking in the sun and enjoy the blue sky I haven't seen in months.
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