Past week it was my time to say bye to Berlin and my homiest place there, Prenzlauer Allee’s McFit -gym. I do not even exaggerate when I call the gym my homiest place in the town: During my 2 years and 9 months in Berlin I officially lived in four different addresses, even my office moved once but I went to the same gym at the same place all the time. In addition to that, during the last 9 months I for sure showered more often at the gym than at my home.

During the years I got used to the German, Berlin or McFit gym culture: The crazy obsession to towels (“Bitte mit Handtuch trainieren” – do not even imagine lying anywhere without the sacred towel – and in case you forgot yours, go and buy one from the wending machine), desinfecting cardio machines after even 5 minutes use (even the treadmills), being the only lady among 40 guys lifting weights (and feeling like a cow among bulls – but hey, why would I die on people staring at me) and wearing flip flops in the shower.

The smallish group of people who was there every morning between 7 and 8 am felt in the end like a family or at least like a group of friends, even though I can’t name many of the people or barely talked to anyone. Still, somehow in the end of my Berlin gym career, which came unexpected suddenly, I felt like I should have informed everyone that I hadn’t abandoned the gym, the people or my fitness regime, but had left the country for good. My last morning in Berlin, even though I did not go to train to the gym, I still went there one more time just to see the place and feel the athmosphere.

Next challenge for Stockholm: Finding the perfect gym. No place can take McFit’s place but maybe there is something different and somehow even better around the corner.