This past week has been tranquil and relaxing, to say the least. I had two vacation days from work, and it was nice to have some me time. On Monday morning, I visited one of my favorite local cafés in the neighborhood. There were quite a few people working on laptops and some just enjoying their friends’ company. I remember one of my colleagues mentioning that her husband works with a company that offers a very flexible work schedule, allowing him to work from coffee shops during the week. I think this would be a really nice, laid back lifestyle. After enjoying a cappuccino, I prepared a picnic for myself to enjoy in the Tiergarten. We have had incredibly hot weather this week, which I love and hate at the same time. When outside, it’s lovely in my opinion, but when I’m on the U-bahn, I wish nothing more than to be in an ice box. After enjoying the sunshine and fresh Berlin air, I went for a walk around the park. There’s many open areas with people and their friends and numerous paths taking you in all directions. After walking aimlessly for a while, I came across the victory column which is a symbolic statue in the center of the Tiergarten. I’ve always seen it when trailing on the S-bahn, so it was cool to see it up close this time. I managed to maneuver through the round-about traffic and found my way home after a very chill day.On Tuesday, I got back to the office and continued with my usual assignments which extended the duration of my three days of work. My logistics supervisor will be returning from his vacation this week, so I will have the opportunity to meet with him and discuss my findings from my most recent projects.

Wednesday night, I was invited to Emma’s colleague’s home, which was a fun surprise and something different. We watched a movie and just talked about our lives. Preena is originally from South Africa, so it was cool to hear her perspective on living in Germany. She’s been living and working in Berlin for four years now, so she’s had a lot of experiences to reflect on.

I went out to dinner with one of the other Pitt students after work on Thursday. We went to a Mexican restaurant to finally satisfy the burrito craving I have been having all summer. Mission complete. Afterwards, we went for a walk through Potsdamer Platz and found ourselves at the Brandenburg Gate. The place where we started our first adventures in Berlin. I had my second vacation day of the week on Friday, and spent yet another day relaxing. I met up with one of the other Pitt students for lunch, and afterwards I brought her to the Tiergarten to show her the spot I found on Monday.

There was a lot of commotion going on in the neighborhood Saturday. It turned out to be the weekend of Berlin Pride. Among all the madness, I went shopping with one of the other Pitt students and we visited some of the local Berlin shops. There’s quite a few brands here that I’ve never heard of prior to my trip. That night, we had dinner in an American style diner, which was a nice bite of home for a change.

We woke up bright and early Sunday morning to travel to Stranded Müggelsee and spend the day at the lake. This was my first time visiting this part of the city, and among the other two lakes I’ve been to as well, this was by far my favorite. Shimmering water, sunshine, and blue skies: the perfect day. After our time in the sunshine, we dined at Marina Sol, located adjacent to the waterway with a lovely view of the marina. This was definitely one of my favorite restaurants thus far on the trip. Who doesn’t love dinner with a view?I can’t believe I’m going into my last week, and almost about to embark on my journey home. Stay tuned for my last adventures in Berlin. This isn’t goodbye just yet. Bis bald!