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Wednesday 7 October 2009

what counts (and corner view, too)







last sunday i turned forty and no, i'm not feeling older, or different, or melancholic - to be quite honest i still feel as much like a girl and perhaps even less like a grown-up than before. funny that. i kind of expected something to happen. maybe i was simply expecting it to happen in the wrong places?

i'm usually not much of a party girl, but this occasion seemed to justify something special. so i had lots of friends over, first at my place for drinks and a bit of catching up, and then at 'claerchen's ballhaus', an old-fashioned ballroom in berlin's mitte district for a bit of dancing. the pictures were not taken this last sunday (i was so all-over-the-place i didn't even load my camera with film...), but last year with my little digital point-and-shoot. they perfectly illustrate the evening though. lots of talking, laughing, eating, drinking, dancing. friends were there from school times, from university, from various stages of my working life, from london, from all over germany and from berlin.

i am so, so grateful to have people in my life who care about me, who are there when i need them, who are happy with me when the sun is out as much as when it's pouring down, who celebrate with me, who are my extended family. who take me as who i am. 

that's what counts. 

p.s.: for those of you stopping by to look for my weekly corner view - this week's theme, picked by epe, is 'your city's souvenir' - well, this post is a double-act... berlin has lots of typical souvenirs to offer. think television tower miniatures, cards and mugs with the brandenburg gate, (fake) rubble from the berlin wall, beer steins with city scenes (which is so odd, thinking that beer steins are a very bavarian thing and not berlin at all), berlin teddy bears (the city's crest has a bear in it) and even television tower or brandenburg gate cookie cutters. still, for me the ultimate berlin souvenir is a visit to claerchen's ballhaus. treat yourself to it when you're here! more info about it over on my other blog, mostly berlin.

25 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hiyah! Happy B-Day to you and many many years to come. Super pictures btw.
(Nothing special, just proud to be a woman of 40, aren't you??)

Anonymous said...

Happy birthday Kristina !!! Enjoy this time to be a woman !!! Today, it's mine... but i'm already 40 since...
Bises I really love your night fiesta photos ; )

Unknown said...

Happy birthday, Cristina, if I haven't said so already! Your party sounds fun!
I think you will, at some point, feel different. I have since I turned 30 (or maybe it's only me making this a bigger deal than it really is... also possible!)

Mari Mansourian said...

well happy b-day!!!!!!!!!!
and you know... i feel more free and youthful too since i turned 40, hum... i think it's that we just don't care about allot of stupid stuff anymore. glad you had a blast. :)

Polly said...

Belated happy birthday. Sounds like a perfect way to celebrate.

You are so right about the people, the are most important thing in our lives.

I hope you're having a good birthday week.

Px

Denise | Chez Danisse said...

Wonderful post--you are a wise woman!

Jodi said...

happy happy. me too 40. or I was in june. I agree about the "less like a grown-up than before" part. Glad you celebrated with friends and reflected on the important things. like NOT collecting too many souvenirs!

happy day!

jodi

;) said...

Happy birthday !!! I like your pictures !! They show the colors of the "forty" !!! The age doesn't matter ;)

asphalt and air said...

Happy, happy birthday to you!
And congrats on feeling like a "girl"....growing old isn't for people who are creative : )
we've got better things to do and more fun to have!
it looks like your birthday festivities were pure perfection!
wishing you a year filled with delicious experiences, joyful fun, incredible adventures, beauty and grace.
xoxo,
kristi

likeschocolate said...

Happy Birthday and to another 40 mores years!

la ninja said...

hooray! you go for it and I do not believe for a minute you have to feel different at all... you seem to be having far too much fun in life to worry about that, right? well, that's the spirit, really, the rest's just *********.

Alexander said...

Ein wunderschöner Abend. Danke!

Isabelle said...

Happy Bday, it looks like you had great time !!!

Ian said...

I think that night clubs abd cabaret are great souvenirs of Berlin.

julochka said...

happy birthday! and forty is the new 30, so don't worry about it. just think of it as thirty-ten. :-)

l i s e said...

HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY
joyeux anniversaire...

clairette said...

Happy B day! I love your pictures! We are as old as our memories but as young as our enthousiasm.

Anonymous said...

happy birthday! It was mine on Saturday...we are one day apart? neato.

I hope to have my Corner View up soon...

Kari said...

Happy Birthday!
Hmm fake ruble huh - interesting!!

april said...

alles liebe zum geburtstag kristina! wenn auch verspätet, ich umarme dich und freue mich mit dir, dass du immer noch mädchen bist und nie erwachsen wirst. mir geht es übrigens auch so ;-) es muss wunderschön sein mit allen freunden zu feiern! ich wünsche dir viele überraschende reisen, abenteuer, feines essen, gute musik, viel liebe und humor und leichtigkeit für jeden tag. ich hoffe ich komme bald einmal wieder nach berlin, ich würde mich freuen dich kennen zu lernen. liebe grüsse*

Ida/FarEastLogbook said...

Happy birthday! It looks like you had a blast!!

Anonymous said...

... you are tagged dear Kristina... if you accept ! You have to post the 10th photo of your 1st album and explain it... Thanks and have a great week ; )

et lille oejeblik - a little moment said...

it sounds like you had a wonderful birthday and that you have a bunch of great people around you. and you're so right, that's what counts!

happy late birthday, kristina :)

Jeannette said...

Ugggggh....I did write a comment...but it probably got lost. Where did it go???
Happy, Happy late Birtday wishes for you, Kristina! Big hug!

lea said...

happy birthday kristina! sounds like you had the perfect evening! i must visit this claerchen's ballhaus next time i visit berlin.

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