THE YOUNGER ONE
(Photo by Joseph Dandurand, taken at Tempelhofer Freiheit)
The change of seasons here in Berlin is like the lifting of a veil. As the sun begins to appear with increasing frequency and the need for jackets and doubly-layered socks fades away, the inhabitants of this city emerge like bears from winter hibernation. They suddenly populate the sidewalks outside cafés, and the parks are dotted with blankets and barbeque pits.
Earlier today, a friend visiting from Milan and I ventured out to participate in the May Day festivities in Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg. The U1 metro line, usually so quiet during the week, was crammed tight with people, and the area around Kottbusser Tor was so packed that the crowd seemed to shuffle collectively instead of walk. We enjoyed vegan döner, wandered around the street fair on Oranienstraße and the surrounding area, and walked to Gorlitzer Park with friends. Every way we turned were hundreds of people, spread out on blankets with beer and bratwurst, listening to stereos or playing guitars. There were several DJ tables set up around the park, surrounded by groups of people dancing or bobbing their heads to the beat. Everywhere was smoke from barbecues and cigarettes, and bottles were lined up like soldiers along the bottoms of chain-link fences or else reclining with their backs against trees as they waited to be collected and cashed in.
