That evening feeling

Wandering Kreuzberg in the early evening…⁣
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This night was one of the first warm spring eves of the year. Everyone was outside just enjoying the fresh air and the thrill of not needing to wear a heavy jacket after the last cold snap. ⁣
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The daytime had been bright and sunny...people were in that spring mood of freedom. ⁣
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You could feel it in the air. ⁣
It felt like the whole city had stepped outside, called their friends and gathered at the canal. ⁣
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It was still weird with the pandemic...all the streetside bars and restaurants still closed. Spätis open, doing a ton of business. People sipping their beers and eating ice cream, smoking, chatting, playing cards…⁣
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Maybe I'm projecting but it felt like there was a momentary universal sense of relief, a fleeting feeling of normalcy, or at least of being able to just ‘be’ in the city for a hot minute if nothing else.⁣
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Walking back to Schönleinstraße U-Bahn, pausing to stop midway on the overpass and look at the melancholic sun setting over the canal...bitter and sweet, all at once.⁣