I still vividly remember my first visit to Berlin. It was August 2017, almost nine years ago. A lot has changed since then. Berlin has always been part of my journey. Not as the main character, but as a recurring character that somehow always gets good screen time.

When I first visited in 2017, the city felt rustic. It felt gritty. It did not feel sophisticated or settled. I still remember the smell of the city. It’s vivid in my memory. I remember eating Pizza Funghi for €5, getting a döner for €4, having to pay for almost everything in cash and walking through neighborhoods that looked run down but had so much character.

I was lucky. I had a friend who was completely immersed in Berlin culture back then. The kind of person you would imagine when you think of Berlin. I was excited to follow him into every corner of the city, to experience the underground techno and art scene and to witness things I have never seen anywhere else since. It all felt different.

I loved every bit of that experience. That was the beginning. Back then, Berlin felt like a place to escape to. A place to hide, to get lost and to simply be yourself.

A few years later, around 5 and half years ago, my visits became much more frequent. More than a tourist, but much less than a business traveller.

The Berlin I experienced then was different.

It felt a little more modern. I heard a lot more English. Card payments were finally common. There were more tourists, more expats, more cultures mixing together, more interesting places to eat, more new streets, 20% Berlin just getting started and an almost finished new airport.

Those were the middle years.

By then, the friend who had introduced me to Berlin had moved on. I had different friends now. Friends who enjoyed cooking, reading, sitting in cafés, trying new restaurants, watching movies, swimming in lakes and walking through parks. Simple things that aren't uniquely Berlin. They're just things people enjoy everywhere.

Now today, Berlin reminds me a little of neighborhoods in New York. It still carries some of that old gritty charm, but not as much as before. It feels more developed, more global and more trendy. Some of the famous Berlin clubs have closed. New, modern square buildings have appeared all over the city. People from every part of the world are here. Some are running away from difficult pasts. Some are simply enjoying life. Most are here because it's Berlin.

And with them comes change. I like that.

This version of Berlin feels like a hub of globalization. People from different cultures, backgrounds and skin colors live together and shape whatever comes next.

These days, I look forward to discovering a new restaurant more than finding another underground club.

Maybe that's because Berlin has changed.

Or maybe I have.

But every now and then, I find myself hoping to catch the scent of the Berlin I first walked into.