Berlin Day 3

The weather in Berlin was a lot nicer today than it had been since we'd arrived, so I decided I was going to spend as much of it outside as I could. First up, a walk around the Großer Tiergarten, the huge park in the middle of the city.

I caught the metro a half-dozen or so stops along the U2 line and got off at the zoo (much more easily that time than the next time I went there; more on that in a few days) and just started walking.

There's a Scandinavian-themed hotel near my apartment block. Hence the moose.

Highpark, where I was staying.

The park near the zoo.

The path goes alongside the zoo, and you can see inside a few of the enclosures.

This swan was asleep when I spotted it and tried to sneak up for a photo, but it woke up.

For some reason the Spanish Embassy is in the middle of the park.

Some kind of shrine to Michael Jackson. Like I wrote in an earlier post, Europeans seem to view him differently.

Wait, what's that thing? Guess I should head in that direction.

This is the Berlin Victory Column. It is still up today because the victory it was erected to commemorate (winning the Danish-Prussian war - yeah, I hadn't heard of it either) wasn't one would upset a lot of people to think about.

You go under the road to get to it, much like the Arc de Triomphe. Though that's on much bigger roundabout.

You can pay 3 euros and go up it. And I did.

There are quite a lot of stairs to get all the way to the viewing platform. But the views are spectacular.

Back down for some more park wandering. Found a scum-filled pond.

The carillon.

Mushrooms.

The Memorial to Homosexuals persecuted under Nazism

Back to the Brandenburg Gate.

The Bundestag in better light.

I went on a walking tour. It was very informative about Berlin's history and, as seems to be consistent amongst these cities, did not try to hide any of the unpleasantness that happened here.

Some wall.

Back at my apartment. It had its own balcony.

Doubly impressed - a) Pizza Hut was a thing here, and b) I could have seen the Blue Man Group?

I couldn't decide on what to have for dinner, but I happened across a Mexican place so I went there - chilli con carne and a serve of nachos, with a side of sour cream and a Corona. The chilli was excellent; the nachos only so-so.