I was on the train on the way home from a lovely; though slightly cold busk from the Eisenachy. I had a pocketful of geld and had made some nice connections with people who sat and listened for most of my set. I looked up at the mini TVs which show the weather for the next few days and burst out laughing when it said it was going to be 15 degrees on Sunday! I laughed and smiled to myself all the way home.
The next day on Saturday I woke up at 06.30 with the smile still on my face and such an excitement to feel the first warm day of the year. I was so ready for it. I perused the second hand shops that day and found me a lovely suit for 15 euroes and almost felt like burning my winter coat as a show of readiness for the spring. I did a little busk in the evening and looking suave and feeling good; I went to see a great band at artliners.
It wasn’t just that the gig was great, and that I met some lovely people; it was the fact I didn’t wear my coat and went on the S-Bahn drinking a beer and the ritual of the summer was starting to re-emerge. It was a slightly wet night, but still quite warm. I was so happy! Just being outside and your body not tensing up and shivering was such a blessing.
The next day on Sunday I woke up and looked out the window to see beautiful blue skies and fluffy white clouds. I jumped out of bed, made me a coffee whilst singing and smiling and knowing there was only one place where I would be going today – Mauer Park. First I would have a little mooch around the Flea Market in Steglitz looking for a pair of shoes. Most of the stalls have lots of cheap second-hand shoes, but there were none that suited, so I ate a little toast and with a hot sun on my face, I drunk my first beer at around half eleven and headed North East.
It was bliss. I went to my usual spaty and got me a Staropramen and slowly wondered around the park hoping to find some nice music. There were the usual Mauer ensembles but nothing took my fancy so I had a little look through the markets. Most of the ground was muddy and waterlogged so I took a sharp turn and headed back to the park. A big grey cloud had just appeared and suddenly the sparkle that brightens everything and makes things shine had disappeared and things looked grey and muddy.
Sirens burst into my ears as two police cars rushed through the park and so I followed them to see what the show was. It was an arrest of a black dealer who – I don’t know if he was trying to get in the car or out, but there was a struggle and one policeman got his truncheon out, put it around his neck and hand-cuffed him. It was a slightly dark moment that ruined the magic and memory of Mauer park but not long after that the sun re-emerged and I took a seat on these rectangular stones.
Here I met a lovely lady called Simone and we talked for over an hour about the need for this first sunny day after the winter and the highs and lows of Berlin. It was a very nice moment and then her friends joined and we drank a beer and then parted ways. I meandered on mixing with many different people, sharing a joint, listening to the music chatting away. After 8 hours of being outside and soaking up a lot of vitamin D, I went to my favourite Doner place and treated myself to a large one.
It was just so wonderful to feel the sun and remember what it is like in the spring and summer here. The winter is a hard challenge as a street musician, to go out and busk when the wind and rain is blowing the trees sideways takes a lot of guts. But, I did it. I got through the winter and now I can appreciate the light and sunshine at the end of the dark tunnel of winter in this beautiful city. Prost!
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