It rained last night, it was raining this morning too, heavily at times. A far cry from the warm, sun-blessed weather of the three weeks I spent with Ben. I'd set the alarm clock for seven, so that I'd have time to work out in the hotel gym, have breakfast, pack, and meet the designer at 10.45 in the store just of Kurfurstendamm. So directly after working out, I went into the hotel restaurant for breakfast, still dressed in my shorts and tank-top. For the hour or so after working out, I generally look very pumped up (it's about the only time when I have a chest I'm proud of - sadly it deflates back to normal size after two hours). So when I walked into the restaurant, in my gym clothes, all six foot six of me, I felt like I was walking on stage. All the stolid German families turned to stare, and I overheard someone mutter "Amerikan fussball spielere" (American football player).

Packing was something of an adventure, due to the numerous pairs of pants I seem to have acquired on my travels. But I got it done in time, and generated a shopping bag of extra clothes that Jean-Marc has volunteered to take onboard the plane as carry-on. (Traveling inside Europe by plain is very difficult for me because of the checked-luggage limit of just twenty kilograms. I mean two pairs of my jeans, and a pair of my shoes and I'm half way to the limit already.)

My timing of the morning was just about perfect although I risked being ten minutes or so late meeting the designer, because I fell into conversation, outside of the hotel, with a middle-aged couple from Walnut Creek, close to San Francisco. They were the sort of people I remember meeting when I was a student in London, long before I moved to the U.S.: well-dressed, friendly, very American. It was a pleasure to chat with them.

Anyway, I had to dash afterwards to make my appointment. One route was to take three different subways; but after the first, I decided I didn't have time, and didn't want to risk keeping the designer waiting. So I dashed out of the subway station to hail a taxi. But the taxi driver refused to take me the short distance, and suggested the bus which was supposed to stop just opposite. The bus soon arrived, and I climbed on. The transit system in Berlin (and in the whole of Germany I suspect) is so well run and user-friendly. Even on the buses, you know where the next stop is because a digital indicator tells you. I made it to the store exactly on time.

The designer was there, along with Wera, the owner of the store. The designer, Kathleen, looked the part of the exotic German fashion-designer, with her funky, black clothes and decidedly unfeminine hairdo (I was half- expecting someone to say "Hier is der time on Sprockets ver vee dantz".) She was rather shy, and didn't speak much English, but between my German, and Wera's translation, I think she got the idea of what I wanted: an adaptation of one of her designs - a sleeveless, mesh t-shirt made to fit. Once Kathleen had departed, I worked with Wera to design one of her custom belts (each belt has a unique serial number on it), which she'll include in the package with the shirt, along with pairs of dog-tags (one stamped "Keith", one stamped "Ben"), stamped using the original equipment used by G.I.s in the occupation period here. Quite a shopping spree.

Sitting outside Planet Headquarters, with Wera, and her dog, Black

It was a cool day; Fall was gathering pace. While it felt like Summer was the perfect season for uber-romantic Paris, Fall was the right season for unglamorous, fascinating Berlin. It was a nice day for wandering the cafe-strewn neighborhoods, crunching leaves underfoot. Ever since getting back to Berlin I've been in a wonderful mood. Do I like Berlin so much because of my mood, or is my continuing good mood a product of my enjoyment of Berlin, and the cool weather? Maybe I'm on a shopping high? Or maybe I'm just excited to be heading home soon. Through the afternoon, I explored parts of the Mitte section, including the Hackeschen Hofe, a set of inter-connected courtyards, each containing a mix of small fashion stores (some of them with the designers in an annex working away), restaurants, galleries and cafes. Later on I went back to Prenzlauer Berg to finish up my shopping expedition.

I was planning on writing that I spent the rest of the day shopping for gifts, and visiting the Vitra Design Museum, and then sort of glide past the fact that I did in fact do some clothes shopping for myself also. I actually did buy some great gifts, including a pair of sun-blades for Ben (a metal band you wear just above the eyes to shield them from the sun). But the Vitra design museum had closed down, and I found so many great clothing stores, that I ended up spending most of the day clothes shopping. Berlin is a shopper's paradise: so many unique, small stores, some with their own small labels; and for some reason, I'm finding the clothes fit me well. And the people in the stores are generally extremely helpful and good natured: one girl working in a store complimented me on my physique, something that has never happened in the U.S.

My favorite find of the day was something which looks kind of like a bullet-proof vest: very tight fitting, with a zip. Perfect for wearing with the exotic pants I bought yesterday. I think I've bought enough clothes on this Berlin/Prague section of my trip to file an extra suitcase. I never knew I was such a dedicated shopper. I think that it's partly due to seeing how adventurous Ben is in his clothes: it's inspired me to take risks I'd never have had the confidence for in the past.

Then, suddenly, the active portio of the trip of a lifetime was over; it was time to return back to the hotel to eventually meet Jean-Marc. All that was left of my trip was the journeys home to Paris tonight, then San Francisco tomorrow. I was early at the hotel, so I checked my email, and then sat at the hotel bar drinking coffee, eating apfelstrudel, and writing this journal.

And that's where you find me right now, still sitting in the hotel bar, watching the rain outside. My next journal entry will be written in California; either San Francisco, or Los Angeles, where I'm heading on Friday. Thanks for following along with the trip; I've enjoyed sharing it with you. What a trip. I think it's going to take me a while to get a full perspective on it. For now I know that in addition to many priceless, priceless memories, the trip has taught Ben and I so much about each other, and has brought us much closer together. I can't imagine not spending a long, long time - many years, if not the rest of my lifetime - with him.

For now, though, the main thing on my mind is waiting to see him on Friday - I find it can't come soon enough. I'm always impatient as the end of a trip approaches: the final day of travel seems to last for ever. As I make my preparations for leaving, it all reminds me of the day of his departure, and makes me miss him more. It's fairly ridiculous: listening to club music on the way back from the airport made me remember how he dances; even the way Jean-Marc put his bag over his shoulder attaching the velcro straps reminded me of Ben. Silly, but there it is.