Auf Wiedersehen Berlin, Merhaba Istanbul.

I've been like Alice, free-falling down the rabbit hole into magical places and marvelous things.

Today was about saying good-bye to some of the incredible people I've met during these Berlin days, then afterwards, sitting in a Berlin cafe near the Brandenburg Gate, listening as the Palestian professor talked with the Paris-based professor who grew up in Haifa; listening to the German Florence-based professor discuss an exciting series of conferences, listening to my friend - the other German-based professor inviting me back for a project involving a well-known contemporary dancer/choreographer ... it seemed time to discretely pinch myself hard.

Tonight it is madness.
I thought I had packed the wrong Istanbul tickets then realised I hadn't.
It's been about ordering a 6.30am wake-up call, trying to find a last minute cash machine and then there was dinner ... but too late, it's corn chips and cola tonight.

Berlin has been friendly, not just those I was photographing but there were the strangers too.

There was the Greek student who struck up a conversation with me on the underground metro today, and then last night there was this interesting Berlin-based English woman who exchanged histories with me during our very short 3-stop trip together oh the S Bahn. Oh and the woman who spoke to me in the street near the reception last night, telling me her story of growing up in East Germany ...

But tonight ... tonight has been about packing and repacking, gluing email addresses and cards into my journal - with notes about who is who, and then there's the elation, the despair and the 'I think they're okay' as I look through my photographs.

My head is spinning with all that has to be done before landing in Istanbul in less than 24 hours. Lisen and Yakup will be at the airport and there's talk of home-made Borek for breakfast on Thursday. Even nicer, Lisen is vibrating with plans for my 10 days back in that city I love and a new Berlin friend is contacting an artist and a man involved with things sufi to see if they will talk with me ... mmmm, my head is a whirl as I write this at midnight.

I hope alles goed in your world tonight.