The tile floor in the foyer of our building.

There’s only time for a quick recap since we’re already on to the next day’s adventures:

Our studio apartment in Prenzlaurberg is charming and adorable. High ceilings, a wall of windows and french doors that open onto a tiny balcony just big enough for a table and two chairs. Clean white walls, crisp white linens on the bed, light wood furniture (IKEA done tastefully and in the European environment it was originally intended for). A well-equipped kitchen, in which I just finished assembling a picnic of ravioli, brochen, goat cheese, olives, tomatoes and bell pepper.

But I digress. That’s today. Yesterday: we woke up late to the beautiful morning light and I went for a short run in the nearby park. Then we walked 20 minutes thru the leafy cobblestone streets of babies/yuppies/ex-pat-friendly former East Berlin ‘hood of Prenzlaurberg to Cafe Godot, where I was first introduced to Käsefrühstück (literally, “cheese breakfast”) 5 years ago on my last visit to Berlin. Wabes made an unexpected appearance on an unexpected bicycle and saved us just when we were about to concede defeat to the vast quantities of cheese on our table. Then we wandered the open market at Kolkwitzplatz, buying produce and fresh pasta, then back to our apartment for afternoon naps. A light salad for dinner, eaten on our balcony, then out to meet Wabes (our personal Berlin concierge, yes!) at an exhibit closing party on the balcony of an art gallery. It was see-and-be-seen, all fancy artsy twenty-somethings dressed in their artsiest best, half a dozen languages being spoken over Absolute vodka-sponsored cocktails. Michael Stipe strolled by in a blue pork pie hat.* We watched some video installation art. Finally, late night kebab and falafel to wrap up the evening. We fell into bed to the sounds of a noisy party on the balcony across our courtyard, but greatest hits of Whitney Houston blaring until after 3am were no match for my earplugs.

*I tried to convince Wabes to stalk him in the bathroom line, but she was too classy for such behavior.