Berlin, Germany

Returning to Berlin always feels a bit like opening a well‑worn book and finding new pages tucked between the old ones. I’ve been here multiple times, enough to know the rhythm of the city, but this visit I wanted to see it from a different angle. Instead of retracing the usual landmarks, I stepped into the German parliament for a live session, watching politics unfold not as headlines but as voices, gestures, and the quiet choreography of democracy in motion.

With a museum pass in hand, I let the city’s cultural depth pull me in. Berlin’s museums are endless, layered, and sometimes overwhelming, but this time one moment stood above the rest. I finally saw the bust of Nefertiti in person. For years I wondered why people spoke about it with such awe, but standing before it, the answer was immediate. The craftsmanship felt almost alive, the face serene and impossibly precise, as if time had paused for her alone. It is, without exaggeration, one of the most beautiful and life‑like sculptures I’ve ever seen.

Outside the museums, Berlin was wrapped in winter light and the glow of Christmas markets. Stalls filled the air with spices, roasted nuts, and the soft hum of festive music. Wandering through them added a playful warmth to the cold days, a reminder that even a city known for its grit can feel wonderfully cosy in December.

Berlin may be familiar to me, but it never stops offering new angles, new stories, and new reasons to return. Each visit adds another layer, and this one, shaped by art, politics, and winter charm, felt especially memorable.