My name is Emilia.

I am nine years old and I live at the corner of Gotlandstraße and Bornholmer Straße in Berlin.

Today I want to visit my grandmother.

She only lives two crossings away.

Of course, Leon is coming with me.

Leon is my best friend.

And already three years old.

My mom is still at work.

So I leave her a small note:

Dear Mom,

I'm at Grandma's.

Love you.

Emilia

Then Leon and I set off.

Right in front of our building begins my favorite part of Berlin.

A little forest.

Large old trees grow there.

Flowering bushes line the sandy path.

Everywhere I hear buzzing, humming, and chirping.

The path even has a name.

A small wooden sign says:

Old Bornholmer Road

I have no idea why it is called an old road.

To me, it is the colorful road.

Because everywhere something is blooming.

Suddenly, Leon stops.

He refuses to take another step.

"What is it?" I ask.

Leon sits beside a blue cornflower.

His tail is wagging wildly.

"Oh, I see!"

I laugh.

"You want Grandma to have flowers!"

Leon jumps up with excitement.

I pick the cornflower.

Immediately, he races toward the next flower.

Soon we have a small bouquet.

Then a bigger one.

And before long, I am carrying flowers in every color.

The walk takes forever.

And as usual, we keep stopping.

Sometimes because of a butterfly.

Sometimes because of a bumblebee.

Sometimes because of a flower that is simply too beautiful to ignore.

At one point, we even follow a butterfly as it tumbles through the air like a tiny piece of colorful paper.

Suddenly Leon barks loudly.

Woof!

I stop at once.

In front of us is a small street.

Several taxis are slowly passing by.

They move so gently that you can easily see the passengers through the large windows.

In Berlin, vehicles have been driving slowly on neighborhood streets for many years.

Children, animals, and plants all share the city.

Safety comes first.

Even so, Leon never takes any chances.

He sits directly in front of me and refuses to move.

Only when the last taxi has gone by does he look up at me.

"Thank you, Leon."

Then we cross the street together.

On the other side is the Korean restaurant Arirang Bulgogi.

Behind it rises a tall building covered entirely in green.

The whole wall is alive.

Mosses.

Ferns.

Flowers.

Plants whose names I do not even know.

A small waterfall flows down the building.

And when the sun shines just right, a rainbow appears in the spray.

I could watch it for hours.

Eventually, after nearly an hour of walking, we arrive at Grandma's house.

The bouquet in my hand has grown into something enormous.

I press the doorbell.

The door opens.

"Emilia!"

Grandma beams with joy.

"And Leon is here too!"

She hugs me tightly.

Then she notices the flowers.

"Oh my goodness, they're beautiful."

"Leon picked them."

"Of course he did."

Grandma laughs.

Then she looks out of the window toward the trees.

"You are growing into such a wonderful young person."

She pauses.

"Very much like Berlin."

I am not entirely sure what she means.

But that is okay.

My grandmother is the best.

And her apartment looks like a museum.

There are old books.

Old photographs.

Old lamps.

And all kinds of things from a world that no longer exists.

Best of all, she has made fresh Berliner doughnuts.

Still warm.

The best in all of Berlin.

Just as we are about to eat, I remember something.

"Grandma?"

"Yes?"

"May I charge Leon?"

"Of course."

She points to a socket beside the window.

I plug Leon in.

"Doughnuts aren't really your thing anyway," I tell him.

Grandma starts laughing.

Because Leon is not a dog.

Leon is a small robotic dog.

A birthday present from my mom three years ago.

And my very best friend.

🌿