I know I say this about a lot of places, but I really do love Berlin, even in early March when winter is still firmly gripping this mostly grey, gritty city. What Berlin lacks in color and aesthetic consistency, it easily compensates eclectically with exceptional vibrance.

As with most metropolises, Berlin is not very representative of the country in which it is the capital of. Sure, the basic German societal structural stuff is here, too. But the famously rigid Recht und Ordnung coexists symbiotically, if not friendlily, with a level of capricious chaos and reasonably peaceful anarchy I’ve not experienced in any other German city. Come to think of it, in any city I’ve ever been to so far (342 and counting).

Every visit to Berlin feels both liberating and inspiring. And even as I grow older and my interests and needs evolve, I still find plenty of stuff to keep me coming back. Currently it’s the contemporary art scene along Augustenstraße in the Mitte district.

Much like New York and to a lesser degree London and Paris, what I think makes Berlin so remarkable is the longevity of its allure. Much of which is achieved through a unique,  indiscriminate ability and fearless inclination to evolve and reinvent itself as times change. I love how Berlin refuses to be defined, be boxed in or become boring. Which is a frame of mind I can dig into wholeheartedly.