Crellerstraße

I follow Crellerstraße for a while, looking up at all the green-clad balconies while trying to avoid bumping into the few but hurried early-morning residents leaving their homes. It is not even seven yet; if one knows how to capitalize on it, the rather extreme arrival time of the night train gives you a somewhat unique window onto the real Berlin.

Half an hour later I have completed the circle and find myself back at Yorckstraße, exiting a yellow-red train. I know the terrain here all too well for my own good. Better to seek out a quiet café and isolate myself with the dissertation.

After a few hours of writing and pancakes at “Toronto”, I realize that this is inevitably set to become one of those famous last warm days that one should really spend outdoors. Therefore, and despite the heavy backpack with all its books, I head out for some election scouting. The German federal election on Sunday is only three days away. There are posters everywhere, but it would be a stretch to call it “election fever”. If nothing completely out of the ordinary happens, Angela will gain rather substantially on her result from four years ago. Right now, she and her CDU have a lead of about 9–13 percentage points over Frank-Walter Steinmeier and his SPD.

More interesting, I find, are the political slogans of Die Linke: “Out of Afghanistan”, “Tax the rich”, and the all-encompassing “Damit es im Land gerecht zugeht”. And of course, I simply have to mention this one, with a gorilla joining the fight against gentrification: