Mostly settled in Berlin

Well, that went by pretty fast. My last post was a plea for help in finding somewhere more permanent than a series of Airbnb flats to live in.

And now, in the last few days of May, I'm now settled, not in trendy Neukoln, but the slightly less hip, though-very-central Mitte.

Running past the Reichstag

I have to say, I love living in the centre of Berlin. Any fears I had about missing London's comforts have mostly proven unfounded - there's a fantastic coffeeshop on my street. I live next door to a cocktail bar, and if I'm prepared to leave the safety of my street, I'm surrounded by decent restaurants in every direction.

When I have gone running around the area, to burn off my last döner kebab (it's totally acceptable to eat them when the sun is up over here), even short runs have taken me past the Berlin equivalent to of the houses of Parliament, the Reichstag, or past the Berlin Wall.

I've even found that Berlin has a small, but growing craft beer scene, so it's possible to drink more than just Pilsner, Weissbier and lager when you go out. Hell, there's even a meetup group for friendly beer nerds I've discovered through a friend. Result!

Still working as much as London

Part of the attraction of moving to Berlin is the improved quality of life over London, because life is cheaper over here. So far that part is delivering, but I still find myself working about as much as I do in London (I am doing more than eat and drink and run, I assure you).

Now that I:

• have a roof over my head
• I legally exist in this country
• I have an idea how much life costs over here

I'm hoping to spend a chunk of this summer learning more than the shameful amount of German I know presently, discovering the city properly.

Come visit!