love like you've never been hurt.

greetings from berlin! in addition to exercise there are few things in life that lift your serotonin levels like a trip in the company of great women.

ready to take off.

morning view.

i am not sure what in berlin strikes me as full of life. in itself the concrete gloominess is brightened only  by street art and tivoli lights marking restaurants and stores this time of the year. the magnificent promenades are not lined by lush trees as they are from spring till fall, but somehow there is a buzz.

prenzlauer berg.

friedrichshain.

kreutzberg.

the mecca of cheap breakfasts and beer (that is better value than water) is something of a haven for a foodie on a budget like myself. moreover, since the weather did not exactly favor long strolls around the city – it was piercingly cold and rather humid even when the rain was not turning into sleet – we took advantage of our cosy apartment in friedrichshain, the little bars in the neighborhood and a myriad of ethic restaurants.

elfida brunch buffet.

stella at the perennial favorite, elfida.

pie at the intimes.

margaritas as my favorite from last visit, santa maria.

little sweetness from downstairs: the nuss ring.

the neighborhood was familiar to the rest of the pack, but offered plenty of new for me. my last trip centered around kreutzberg and it was gratifying to dive into the nooks of new blocks and streets.

the most important part of traveling are without a doubt your companions. our group dynamic consisted of plenty of impromptu craziness, but also the power of life experience, sensitivity and intelligence that was not necessarily the academic kind. there was room to breath and to air out the most embarrassing and humiliating details without feeling crushed by a condescending attitude whether it was past hurts and issues of trust, the pain of missing our kids, the uncertainties of creativity or whether the store downstairs was too far for another round of drinks.

the travel records of my lovely companions can be checked out (in finnish only, i'm afraid, but with better pics than mine, naturally) at stella's, dorit's two and jenni's blogs.

love you all.

i returned home at 6.30 am from dancing and went looking for some love in the room next door. they took a picture. gee thanks.

neighborhood recommendation #23: bar.

ok, here's the news: i have finally found my bar.

when i moved to helsinki, my drinking dive of choice was slowly being strangled out of business. although the rumors were around, erottaja bar still closed abruptly and many of us felt stranded and without a base.

the worst thing still: nothing appeared to replace it. sure, we hung out at bars and met friends at various places. but nothing felt like home. none of them was quite right.

since i moved, i was aware of vaasankatu, a street of dread and debauchery. with its girl bars, massage salons, sex shops, etc. it had a reputation. i have a fairly low tolerance for the grimier things in life – i've talked about gentrification here before – but also firmly dislike nimbyism in both its elitist form and as a means of romanticizing slumming it. since i have actually lived in the bronx, it takes more than a few sex shops, winos or meth heads to unsettle me.

moreover, i did not realize the street was located so incredibly near my new apartment. and there it was: molotow.

it is a bar with comfortable collection of haphazard recycled furniture, oddities and the perfect soundtrack of new wave and britpop. beer is 3.80€, always, but they also offer an impressive selection of small brewery brews – in case you wanna splurge. the clientele is as eclectic as the interior, no attitude, no sneering, just a cosy place to sit down and have a drink or two.