It is November. The year is coming to an end, but even before that, my time in Germany is finishing. I got my flight booked, going back to Mexico in exactly four weeks. Together with the foul weather (rain, rain, every day, plus rapidly cooling temperatures), and the diminishing daylight, I find myself in this interesting melancholy. I wouldn't say I'm suffering, more like relishing in watching the end unfold before my eyes... while being okay with it.
On the Edge of Berlin.
As I mentioned before, the part of Berlin where I found a place is right on the northern edge of the city. Heading up into North-Northwest from Französisch Buchholz, there is not much else, except for fields and woodlands, and a few kilometers later Brandenburg. A nice place to see the sunset, whenever you can see it. Otherwise it offers a view of the road that is the last trace of the (sub)urban development of Berlin.
When I arrived here in April, everything was the exact opposite: Spring was just about to spring, I was getting to know my new surroundings, and was generally full of hope and enthusiasm. These days, however, I find myself going for afternoon walks, to look at the constantly gloomy overcast sky, where I assume the sun should be setting, each day a little bit earlier.
The Elisabeth Aue is only a kilometer from where I live. Leaving behind me the mix of one-family homes and modest sized apartment blocks I walk past the final stop of the tram line 50. Finally there are a few trails going around an empty pond which may have had some water in it at one point. I assume the Betreten verboten sign (do not enter!) to refer to the pond bed, wanting to protect its ecosystem...
On finer days you can find a lot of folks going for walks here, and even in the rain it's a popular place to come with dogs. Adjacent to this little wild park there are some of the garden-clubs this area has been known for before it became mostly residential, and on the other side there is a refugee camp made up of containers.
A Bench Looking West
The place that offer this bleak view of the end of things is a lone bench placed literally on the edge of the city. I can imagine the local teens to come here to make out, or to have a cook-out (judging from the burn marks on the right side). The forgotten soda bottle also reminds us that at times this bench is used, making me wonder what may be mixed into it...
To the side there is also a little pavilion which is in a similarly bad shape. Still, you can see that some effort has gone into building it. The amount of trash littered around it suggests that there must be a constant effort to keep it clean, while new garbage accumulates at a comparable rate.
It's All About the Light We See Things In
Clearly, I am probably presenting this entire place as much more gloomy and decrepit as it really is. But as I said, this was precisely my intention. So together with the grainy pics in the evening light under the overcast sky, and the mix of container camp, final tram stop, and edge of the city, I hope I managed to create a proper atmosphere of the end of something.