in my first post post-arrival (hah), i exclaimed over the fact that people actually run here. this may not seem that surprising to you. after all, running is a lovely way to see a city and get some air, etc. but there are a few factors of berlin winter that would deter even the most avid jogger from making a go of it. for example, it is cold here. yesterday, it was -10 Celcius, which is no joke. this winter is, i read somewhere, the coldest winter berlin has had in 30 years (MY LUCK, OF COURSE), and the sidewalks are frozen solid. i mean, ALL THE TIME. it is a little like being a toddler taking one's first steps again. and, conversely, old people cannot walk here because they risk falling and breaking something. bjorn told me that this weekend, in only one hospital in berlin (there are a lot here, so this is significant), there were 150 people in for falling injuries because of the slippery sidewalks that mimic ice skating rinks (don't tell anyone, but i already biffed it royally once. would not like a repeat of that one, please).
that was a little tangential, but my point is that today i went on a run! a 45 minute run all over kreuzberg. well, ok, i did have to walk sometimes because it was either that or run on the road and get hit by a car, but i managed to make it without falling. i think i figured out that when running here, you just have to be extra light on your feet and not put too much feeling into a given forward step. that way, if your foot slips out from under you, you'll quickly recover your gait by lightly jumping forward again. niftily successful, if i do say so myself. of course, this isn't a metaphor for life: i'm just not that deep.
next time i go on a run, i'll take my camera with me! the spree (the river that runs through berlin) is eerily half-frozen right now. there are these giant ice moats (sp?) all over it that seem to be hanging precariously, about to break apart and float away.
til next time
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