Ich bin kein Berliner

No, I'm not a Berliner, or a pastry, or anything remotely close. But we did have a fun time riding the trains around the city, walking for miles and taking in all different parts of the city in all kinds of weather. There's certainly a New York-ish (in European terms) feeling about the city, compared to other places we've been.

I can't quite figure out what my fascination with East Berlin, the DDR, and the Wall is, but I certainly liked going to all the touristy "Checkpoint Charlie" type things. Any of you who knows me well knows that I dearly want the signboard in this photo to reflect my reality rather than just my vacation.


I suppose I can call it "practice."

The whole city seems very alive, and we really only saw a small, touristy slice of it. I did find this ad rather amusing. In case it's too small to make out, it's an anti-AIDS campaign promoting condom use for Germans (the potato) traveling overseas (gee, where do they grow such tropical fruits? Hmm, Thailand??).



I mean, I've seen MANY Germans in that part of the world, in those parts of town. I'm just glad that they recognize this as an issue in the Vaterland.

Next is Prague!