Der Herbst kommt

Summer 2023 fades in Berlin

I’ve spent the last two days riding all over my home area – the old West Berlin boroughs (Bezirke) of Charlottenberg, Wilmersdorf and Schöneberg, where I live – running errands and enjoying the sudden shift in the weather. Fall – der Herbst – approaches. In fact, there’s only one day of summer left in Berlin, and it feels like it.

Of course, most of Berlin’s summer felt like fall in California, with only a handful of days that I would call even remotely “hot.” Still, there’s a certain feel of fall that’s not just cool…it’s a feeling of change, of something coming. There’s an edge on the breeze, and a freshness, even as the leaves fall. There is, perhaps, a little foreshadowing: The party's over, get back to work, and don’t forget a sweater. And a beanie. And pretty soon, gloves.

I’m on my bike full time – as I was most of my time out west as well – and loving how easy life here is. I roll from appointment to shop to gym to appointment, stopping for some Thai food, and an espresso on Ku…