On the day that I arrived in Berlin, the traceurs that I’d contacted were training in Kreuzberg in the city centre. Across the road from the U-Bahn station Platz Der Luftbrücke is Familienzentrum Mehringdamm, a complex of white buildings with white walls and distinctive yellow window frames. It seemed an ideal spot: in addition to the various rails and wheelchair ramps there is a small playground with a sandpit, perfect for drilling flips. Training was undisturbed; being a Sunday the family centre was quiet with only a handful of people passing through.
The scene in Berlin felt tight despite those training together having different focuses and interests. Some drilled complex but efficient sequences whilst others worked specific jumps and flips. I really appreciated that one of my hosts, Basti, trained entirely in bare feet. I was made to feel incredibly welcome despite wandering around like some mute zombie, having only had a tiny amount of sleep the night before.
My thanks to Basti, Eric, Panda, ToBe, Tomek and everyone else training that day.