Phew. So I made it. Crisscrossed Europe in a small and overloaded Japanese car, with the constant fear of getting crushed by my complete household whenever I brake too hard. Thankfully there was no snow and all ferries were running on schedule. Right now I’m sitting in my new apartment in a 1920s building in the Berlin district of Wedding, a former communist stronghold in the 1930s and the place where Erich Mielke was born. These days, it’s one of the poorest districts of Berlin, which means I can get a kebab for 3 Euros and a beer for 1.50 if I dodge the street gangs and drug addicts. Just kidding. The food is cheap here, though.

I’ll catch up with my writing soon, in general and about Berlin – for the beginning I already scored a few writing gigs. Watch out for a guide to renting in Berlin and more coming on Slow Travel Berlin this week. More soon.