Dear Berlin,

I have never needed a fantastic vacation as much as I do now. I’ve had many great vacations – vacationing well is one of my talents – but it’s been a tough year and it’s a tall order. Still, I believe you can do it – I chose you specifically because I trust your ability to deliver.

I’m coming to you as I’ve never come to Europe before. That tough year I mentioned has impacted me personally and professionally, left me unhappy, frustrated, super stressed, questioning what to do with my life, strongly dissatisfied with my career. You get the drift.

Please work your magic so I can put all these troublesome emotions and difficult decisions behind me and have a fantastic time for at least seven days…hopefully more.

Can you manage that? I’ll be arriving in less than 24 hours so final preparations should be underway.

Here’s what I need – is it too much to ask?

•  Let’s start with an easy transition into your time zone
• Sunny days and comfortable temperatures every day but especially the day of my trip to the Baltic Sea – I’d love the chance to wear my cheeky polka-dot bikini at least one more time this year
• A great time at the football match tomorrow with happy, friendly fans and a Hertha Berlin win (how could I ask for anything less?)
• Cooperative animals when I visit the Berlin Zoo – out and about, active – especially the tigers, you know how I love them
• Lots of history and culture to explore, to turn my mind in different directions (this is a given, I think)
  • Visits to Ravensbruck and Sachsenhausen should do wonders in shifting my perspective
• Great photo opportunities, no hazy or overly cloudy skies; sun, sun, sun! (see the second bullet above)
• Friendly people everywhere who smile and indulge my limited efforts to speak German
• An easy time on the public transportation system and a good plan to get the most value out of my Welcome Berlin cards
• A drink I can enjoy that’s not beer or wine – if Germany had Mike’s Lemonade or Smirnoff Ice that would be fantastic but I realize that might be asking a bit too much – you let me know
• Safety when I go out at night which I don’t usually do in Europe but plan to do in your purportedly safe environs
• Let me successfully coordinate that one bit thing I’m trying to plan – you know what I’m talking about
• An exceptional experience at the Berlin Philharmonic concert on Thursday – I suspect this is also an easy request
• A friendly flirtation with an attractive German gentleman or two or three or four…

In return, I promise to:

• Treat your city and all Berliners with respect, courtesy and friendliness
• Spend lots of money – I’ve been known to singlehandedly boost economies with my spending – I’ll do the same for you
• Write raving posts about you on this site, providing lots of good press (#Berlin) while I’m there and long after I’ve gone
  • Blog readership is up so this is more meaningful now than it might have been just a month ago
• Share beautiful pictures from around the whole city (the pics will be much more beautiful if you’re able to comply with my request above for sunny days)
• Encourage all my friends to visit

Do we have a deal?

Thank you ever so much!

Tamara

XXOO