Beatiful Lands

Urla- Agean Sea - Me swimming

Photo Credit-The Sister :)

Sometimes I feel like I am born into the most wonderful piece of land in the world. It's one of these weeks despite all the odds, -heat, stress, weird traffic- I feel so grateful about where I am. I love love love my hometown. I am glad my parents chose to live here. 

Swimming and allergies

We went to swimming here yesterday. Krumme Lanke, image via here. Oh and in winter you can skate on it!

Kaan has fever and infection in his throat and lungs. My sister has rush all over her body. They are both so far away -physically- I cannot do anything to help but just think about them and listen. I do hope that they will feel spectacular in a few days, and will take good care of themselves.

On the other hand I was so fine until yesterday night, then I either came down with a cold or horrible allergies. I cannot stop sneezing and my nose is a waterfall. But I feel fine. Planning to go Strandband Wansee for a swim. I was in the library for couple of hours (high five :)) Will I be able to run through the lit gardens tonight? We'll see. I really like where I live in Berlin. 

Not undercover nowadays..

No undercover story for a while... As I cannot be undercover nowadays..

I know, I know... Just because I am studying Einstein's relativity theory does not mean that I had to look like him at some point. I am so not feeling female-like nowadays and could not care less...

My iron deficiency makes my mind so slow, and my attention is quite distracted. I have to finish the paper I am working on in couple of days so that I can prepare my talk.. Ugh, it feels so difficult. But I think I only need couple of days also for my iron level to become normal, then I can speed up.  I cannot even write here correctly, I have a vague feeling that I am not writing well, neither in English nor in Turkish. But I cannot reason, feelings can still work despite  the iron defficiency :)

I do not know if I will be able to keep up with the blogosphere for the following two weeks, if I cannot, don't worry, I am only travelling, reading, writing, thinking, studying, rebounding, travelling, packing, unpacking... you know the rest.

London

London... image from here

My first visit to London did not leave me good impressions... It was ten years ago and I could feel the loneliness of the people in the city. My other visits were involved lots of judging and thinking. This last time I felt an embracement from it... I was too depressed to think about anything. When we landed in London, I sat on the plane even after everybody left and thought about going back with the same flight. Who knows, it was Ryanair and, maybe nobody would notice me in the seats. Then I decided I was being quite unreasonable and forced myself to leave the plane. I was on the edge, "about to cry" all the time and of course like every big cosmopolitan, consumer city London fell in love with me... I had lovely days, and loved the crowded subways and streets and consumption. Well I gotta be honest here right. Consumption feels great unfortunately. But fortunately, fortunately I did not have the disposable income to purchase unreasonably.

Today I arrived to Berlin, another cosmopolitan big city. It feels much more different than London. You do not feel the need to consume, you learn the virtues of waiting and embracing the extreme...Then I stopped thinking... I am thinking too much about every place I arrive and live. I think, I judge, I make comparisons and expect too much from or despise the city. Just wanna relax a bit and feel the rythm without any judging... Only if I had not travelled in two days...

Undercover in Fig and Olive...4,5

Fig and Olive... Angel- London.. The best cheesecake ever! Yup, Undercover in London..

I was hiding…  Hiding from the world… When I feel depressed, I try not to make decisions, not to write publicly, not to make a big deal about it. It’s like being drunk. You cannot see anything clearly through it and you make a big deal of really tiny stuff.  It’s the same thing with being too happy in this sense. But anyway, the clouds are lifting ,quite very slowly… but they are lifting…

What about  the secrets of universe then? I just realized today that I will be contradicting with my conclusion if I actually conclude what I will be concluding. Yup..  Basically, I will still write it but, watch it, I will eventually be against theorizing... And how will I argue against it? By theorizing! Hilarious…

Crazy weekend :Berlin May Day

It was a crazy weekend which cannot be told but can only be lived. I probably need couple of days to recover from it. 

Photos are taken in X-Berg. We were in the middle of the riots almost all the time.  But it felt safe. Cafes did not care, drummers did not care, guests did not care, so we danced near the canal in a garden of a lovely cafe while there were Molotov cocktails being thrown at the police only in 50 meters away. 

This morning as an attempt to integrate to my normal life, I gathered the tools and fixed my bike. It had couple of missing screws, needed oil and some adjustments. Then I took it to the gas station and washed it. It looks brand new- oh no I just want to believe that..

Oh and I got beautiful old style embroidered linen sheets and pillow covers from the Ostbahnof Fleemarket yesterday. They kinda look like this:

I was looking for these, so happy to find one. Image from here

Berlin in the weekend

Everything started with a pink balloon

Then came the currywurst!

And of course friends waiting in sunny cafes...

Ah soo comfortable...

Me helping out in the flea market... :)

Gorlitzer Park! Beautiful...

No partying today, although it was so tempting. Look at them!

These people know how to chill and party at the same time :)

Warschauer Strasse

Yeah, I feel so funny is this real life? :)

It was amazing weather, amazing weekend, and amazing experience. Sorry no library time spent and no sequel to my undercover story. But tomorrow is Monday and I will go to the library anyway. And from there I will report :)

I am sun burnt, sunstroked, extremely tired  and loving Berlin more than ever.. :) I already like it when there is no sun but when there is... and when everybody starts to live outside... I am just in love with it...

Have a great week everybody...

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Philologische Library (Brain)

This is the library I have been studying in. It's forbidden to take pictures. These ones are from its web page. I would have loved to show you the reading lounge. It's so cozy. Maybe someday...

I feel really tired. It's been a week that I moved now. I have been studying regularly for two days. I finished the readings of my discussion paper. And now reading about mind bugging rotating universes. Argghh my mind is so slow. I haven't been sleeping regularly for a long long time now. It affects how your mind works..

I practiced the ashtanga series today, but my mind was only half the time at the present. The breath, the breath... It's important. Swenson asks: "Can you ride the breath as a bird in the breeze?" Can I please?

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A Sunday in Berlin Mitte, looking so not like Berlin :)

Exhibition in Oranienburger Street. Above is an occupied house.

I forgot to take pictures of the flea market in Mauerpark. I arrived there quite late. It was SO crowded and a bit touristic. It's interesting to see such a big flea market but it was not my style. I found it a bit expensive. I am planning to check each Sunday a different one. 

Yesterday was a quite a Sunday like Sunday.. I liked it. G. gave me a review about relativity and quantum theory over coffee and croissants which helped me dozens! I am quite relieved about the topics. At least I know now which parts I will put in my talk.. 

I have to apply for residence permit and it is legendarily hard process.. I am supposed to go and wait in a line by 5 am. Aaaaaarrgghh too much pressure. I am waiting for my health insurance documents to arrive!  I just have to wait, and maybe wait for another day if I cannot get it the first day... It's all about waiting, relax...

Reminiscences of Sunday for relaxing now... 

Flea markt, Berlin wall sight seeing, coffees, heffe weisen, random laughters and encounters with friends...Nice....

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My sister has started her blog a while ago about Barcelona... She gives amazing insider tips about Spain. Don't miss it...Here...

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Wannsee (When Lake)  -- Looking like Sydney to me for somehow...

Lunch time (near Pfauen Island)

I was almost in Potsdam

But had to go back for studying..

On the way back I stopped by Big Wannsee again. It still looked like Sydney..

Did I tell you that I love Berlin and I love it more and more everyday?

It was a good day. The photos belong to yesterday.. I did not take any photos today but instead studied hard... OK let's hope that tomorrow will be as good as this one....

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If I were to tag this picture, I would say: Esra, Hat Salad-Thailand -Sea Shells, Kaan-Mexico, London

I felt like a geek and fixed the internet. Oh No.. Good bye quality time, or I had to be more disciplined... I used to be an IT-person, but the technology is too fast for me to catch up. But when I have to fix something all the knowledge comes back and can be utilized.. Nice..

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My new balcony

The new friend

The new wardrobe

The new table and a morning apple - a present attached to a lovely note :)

There are no words to express my exhaustion. I could not sleep yesterday as well.. But anyway everything went amazing today. I feel so grateful. Thank you:  the nicest people, the heros of today. 

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This is where I have been walking

This is how I have been working

This is how it smells

This is where I have been staying. (Jetpack Eco)

This is how the weather was 

I found a room. It's quite far from the center. But it's 10 minutes bike ride to the beautiful forest Grunewald and 10 minutes bike ride to the library and the university... I am moving tomorrow morning.. I need a bike immediately.. I should resume my study. I stopped by the library just for the sake of stopping by. Set up my internet account. Looked at my book, just stared. Then left for seeing my room. 

I carried my yoga-mat all day long for a chance to practice some asanas in the forest but it rained when I was willing and the weather became nice as I became exhausted. I practiced some warm ups and Surya Namaskars in the evening.. Tomorrow is full moon, no yoga.. I slept only 3 hours in 2 days and cannot sleep due to over-exhaustion.. Oh Well... All I need to do is to move tomorrow. And maybe a bit of library visit and a bit of handcraft practice and hanging posters for lecture giving... Oh Well... Just moving then..