Advent Time, Christmas Plans
Comment Replies
@Moerp: Danke schön!
@pasqualegiò: Thank you!
@schokolandeneins 1: Just imagine there is a gap large enough between the two stations. Then, Lübbenauer Tor falls in the middle. 
Thanks for commenting!
@Hellken: Thanks! I tried to be quite picky with the buildings style, but there is a point when anything fits... It is difficult to establish a style threshold in this case.
@timmie: Thank you! Roughly once a week I go around this area with friends to have some beers, so I get quite first-hand inspiration.
@Huston: Thanks! With all my modesty, I'm quite proud of how that panorama picture turned out, I really like it.
@Jamonbread: Thank you! Lots of users are remarking the parked cars on the streets as a big point on this "recreation". In my opinion, without these lots, there would be no update. Parked cars on the streets is European cities leitmotiv, I would say.
@RepublicMaster: Thanks! Say the same I replied to Huston.
@Gugu3: Thank you!
@#1SithLord: Thank you! BTW, may the force NOT be with you!
@UndercoverNinja12: LOL, that's why watching CJs is useful! Thanks!
@2b2gbi: Thank you! People's reaction was quite spectacular too!
@simcityplayer15: Thanks! Motokloss stuff is highly recommendable, and for generic W2W Eastern European buildings, SimCityPolska is The Place. Mostly everything looking a bit Euro-styled has a place on this CJ. I also have installed some cool landmarks from Reddonquixote and ill_tonkso.
@CGMozart118: Thank you! I just put them like this to have a realistically-sized station and allow the avenue to run underneath. But aesthetically, it looks better than I first thought. This is why I decided to plop buildings around this area, this way Lübbenauer Tor was born.
@spursrule14: Thanks! Me too, definately. I'm much more fan of panoramas than mosaics, but this is just an opinion.
@Benedict (x2): Oh, thanks! 
@GreekMan: The magic is created thanks to these lots Again, Motokloss providing high-quality stuff so I can run this CJ!
@scott1964: Thank you! 
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This update is inspired by NMUSpidey's CJ. I just found that this format was better for the story I wanted to tell.
One more dark, cold winter night in Kreuzberg. After dinner, the four inhabitants of a small students flat facing Skalitzer Strasse are, as every day, having a small chat having some beers or tea. After that, each one will retire to their rooms. But today, Ashley opened an interesting topic:
Ashley: "Soooo... Have you guys finally made your plans for Christmas? Are you going back home, you stay in Berlin...? Please, tell me you don't, I don't want to spend the holidays here all alone..."
Khalil: "Don't worry about that, I'm staying here." -said Khalil, keeping his eyes on his cell phone.- Flying back to Al-Qurayyah is quite expensive, now, and we don't really celebrate Christmas there, you know...
Miquel: "Nevertheless... You have holidays at TU, right?" -inquired Miquel- "You could just grab a plane and go see your family. Don't you miss them?"
Khalil: "Yeah, sure I miss them. But this is why we have Skype, after all..."
Ashley: "And what about that feeling of being home? I mean, Al-Qurayyah."
Khalil: I miss AlQu, but not really that much. Berlin is so different, so exotic, so exciting, if you see it that way...
Kirsten: Oh, ja, super exotic! -said Kirsten, with her strange German accent.
Ashley: Yeah, but you're from here, you don't count on defining how exotic Berlin is... -laughed.- I bet you definately would find Khalil's place so exotic...
Khalil: Definately... You know, it's not even close something you may find around here. And also, not even cold... Right now they must be like at, I don't know... 15 degrees? I miss this. You could say, I miss home, yes.
Miquel: How it is? -Miquel got risky with that question.
Khalil: More or less, are you a bit aware on how Al-Qurayyah is?
Miquel: Skyscrapers and rich people?
Khalil: And also poor people, unfortunately. My family and I are fortunate enough to live in Al Qir, one of the cool suburbs on the Uptown. You know, single-family attached houses, two or three cars at the door, pools full of water, palms some time... And not a single shop in kilometers. Al Qir could compare to the suburbs of any other city, really.
Kirsten: This... Is exotic... -she said, standing up.- Anybody wants more tea?
Khalil: Me, please... And tell me, Kirsten... I guess you have no big difficulties on going back home this Christmas...
Kirsten: Hahaha -she laughed- Not really. Just getting a regional train at Ostbahnhof -pronounced in that way only Germans can pronounce it- and later walking 10 minutes from the station to home. Kein challenge.
Ashley: May I ask why do you keep living in Berlin if you study in Ihlingen these days. I mean, it's your hometown, you could stay with your parents...
Kirsten: It's a bit of everything... Kreuzberg is full of activity at all times, Ihlingen literally closes down at 5 pm. I also felt a bit like "in a cage" there. And also, I know people from different places and cultures, like you guys. This helps me with my English and with my career at HTW . But for example, Christmas and these Advent days are lived in a very special way at home... Everything is lit up, we have a bit of glühwein near a fire, stay calmed at home. Quite Familien stuff.
This year we still don't have snow, which if you ask to me, it is good news. My home, or my parent's home, is close to the river, and this makes it a quite freezing place during the Winter. If you put this on the pile of things I have said before, well, it feels good to live in Berlin city. But of course, I will go back as soon as we get holidays.
Miquel: How can "not having snow" be good news? -he joked.
Ashley: Oh, yeah, Barnanovese people. You can go back to Benson and grab a bit of snow if you want. In fact, you can grab the whole Rockies and bring them home! I have skyped with home a while ago, and it looks like it's snowing like hell.
Khalil: Isn't this sentence contradicting itself?
Ashley: You know what I mean... But I really miss playing with snow in my backyard.
Miquel: You only miss the snow?
Ashley: God, no! I miss almost everything, really... Miss my neighbourhood, in Benson's suburbs, miss my home warmness, my large room... But also, many things more. For example, some weeks ago for Thanksgiving, everybody were sending me pictures of the great times they were having, you know, with the turkey, beer, watching football, the whole thing. Instead, I was here studying and having a Beck's, which doesn't really taste like a Coors.
Kirsten: Of course, it is German bier. it tastes much better...
Ashley: Oh, I don't want to have that conversation again, Kirsten! -the boys laughed- We will never agree on that.
Miquel: And how are the Express doing?
Ashley: Its gonna be tough to get in the post-season, but we're trying. This is one of the things I really like about Barnanova, see? They also like football...
Miquel: Both footballs.
Khalil: Isn't it a bit strange to play American football in Europe?
Miquel: It is, but who cares, it's Barnanova. Not many things make sense there... We play American football since Ashley's grampa came to save us from the Nazis. And nowadays, the Almogàvers are so good that they have to play on the German league because there are no more teams in Barnanova to play with. It's a complicated story.
Kirsten: What do you miss apart of footballs?
Miquel: Girl, home! Yeah, sure it's not one of these single family houses you live. As I said before, Barnanova is different for almost everything. I live in a tall residential building, 21st floor, very near the Central Business District.
Not really an isolated place if you're looking for some tranquility. Everybody wants to live as close as possible to the CBD and the Old City, so the demand is so high that they build really tall buildings. On the other side, you have a train and Metro station just a one-minute walk from home, and almost all supermarkets and groceries can be reached by walk.
Khalil: You're going back, right? I saw you messing on a flights website the other day.
Miquel: Yeah, sure... I go back home, with my grandma food, my friends, our massive lunches on Christmas Day and St. Stephen's Day, a seriously crazy party on New Year's, the Three Wise Men coming on the 6th... Quite some complete days, if you ask to me.
Kirsten: But you have no glühwein. This ruins everything... -she laughed.
Miquel: No way! I'm bringing a bottle with me, to taste it with my family. I guess they will like it...
Ashley: For sure, when I go back to Benson I will bring a truckload of all the stuff I got addicted to here in Berlin! Man, this chocolate is way better than sex!
Kirsten: We put beer on it, Schatzi...
Khalil: Well, guys... I'm going to sleep... So, have a good night!
Miquel: Yeah, I think we're also going. Good night you all...
Kirsten: Guten Nacht!
Ashley: Good night!
-
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