I originally was going to do a big post about our time in Berlin, what I will miss, what I won't miss, but that relied on having time to write up such a post - over the course of the last week or so, I simply haven't had that time! my intention also had been to bring this blog completely up to date by the time we set off on our travels, but that hasn't happened either - though I have gotten very close, it is only roughly a month behind when previously it was as much as 6 months. There is probably only 1 or 2 more posts to add - Prague, and some Berlin things. I will get to them - but I think I will not neglect this blog in the meantime because I think rather than try and do each segment as we go as I would in the "traditional" manner with fairly substantive posts, I will do it every few days with a shorter roundup type post as I did in the beginning of my OE as I made my way to the UK. This idea has kinda just occurred to me today so I reserve the right to change it tomorrow if I see fit!
But yes we've left Berlin. Maybe at the end of the travels I will do a big summing up of our time there, but certainly not anytime soon as now is not the time for me to be looking back but looking forward to the adventure ahead. It has been a mission to pack up our lives in Berlin over the last few weeks and particularly the last few days - I only finished work 2 days ago and now I've left the country! The suitcases are shipped to NZ, all of our belongings for the next 4 months are shoehorned into a big travel backpack and my smaller travel rucksack. plus a smaller rucksack and my camera bag. The flat was re-arranged back to how it was when we moved in, we cleaned it like crazy finishing that off yesterday and last night we stayed at Sam & Steven's flat in Berlin - Denise & David's friends from back in NZ who also moved to Berlin last year and whom we've become friends with also. We should have hung out more than we did, just like anyone we knew in Berlin but it was great to see them and hang out with them for our last night and morning in Berlin. After the crossiants-from-a-can breakfast Steven prepared (sounds weird, was delicious) we headed to Schoenefeld Airport and caught our plane with minimal fuss to Istanbul, Turkey taking off just before 1pm local time.