Livin' for the city

"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness." -Mark Twain

So many cities, so little time... I can't seem to travel enough.

There is just so much to be seen, tasted, played upon, pondered, touched, and roamed around. Two weeks ago I returned to Berlin and loved it just as much as the first time I visited years ago. Except the biting cold. This time we stayed in West Berlin at a friend's house, in a cute neighborhood just a few blocks from any restaurant, store, theatre, or coffee shop you could ask for. Did I mention it was cold? I didn't last long wandering around, and actually decided to spend a whole afternoon alone in bed with a new book. That, to me, defines a true vacation. We went to the Berlinale, which is the international film festival held there annually. Out of the hundreds of films showing, we s

aw a Swiss one! I guess they do make movies here after all. Meng filmed some interviews and other odds and ends, and I enjoyed the people, sites, and sounds and gawked at how inexpensive everything was.

Sticker shock regularly happens when I exit Switzerland now; I can't believe I'm growing accustomed to paying $40-60 to eat out! Rather, I don't often eat out! I picked up a few random things to take back (like mac n' cheese powder mix for those need-comfort-food days), had coffee at Brandenburg Gate, and jetted around the streets of East Berlin. What a diverse and eclectic city! Meng took me to Potsdam to meet some old friends,and we did a toasty warm car tour of the city and grounds of Sansouci, the royal palace built by the King of Prussia. Though it was winter, it definitely is a site I will go back to see, hopefully when it is flip flop weather.

We finished out the week with a night of friends, Spanish cuisine, great conversation, laughs, pitchers o' sangria, and some sweet serenades. Viva Berlin!

Are there certain characteristics that make a city great? Or is it just chemistry, you just know it's a fit when you're there? I have my own list... some of my favorites so far are Amsterdam, San Francisco, Munich, Vancouver, New York, Florence, London, and Seattle. How about yours?