I am a Jelly Doughnut

Ever heard that belching after a meal is a compliment in Germany?  Apparently they had never heard that at this restaurant...

After returning from the mountain birthday celebration, Anne and Mark had a quick turnaround before making a trip to Berlin.  Berlin is one of the great capitals of Europe and probably the best city for Cold War enthusiasts, bohemians, and beer drinkers.  And that makes for a fun crowd.

Berlin's documented history reaches back to the 13th century, but Anne and Mark did not dig much past the beginning of the 20th.  But even since then, so much has happened in Berlin that nearly everything you see as you walk around has a story and historical significance.

On the first day in Berlin, Anne and Mark took a bicycle tour of the city.  The distance was not a problem, but Mark's ability to stay on the bike was questionable - especially when traffic caused multiple stops and slow riding.  Thankfully, however, the group avoided any major crashes and made their way around to the major sights of Berlin.

As you can see, the couple in the clear plastic parkas were desperate to appear on this blog and inserted themselves into nearly every photo taken on the bike ride.

The top photo was taken at the Reichstag which is the current home of German parliament and a significant location in World War II history.  The second photo is taken on the East Berlin side of the Brandenburg Gate.  This gate is one of the main symbols of Berlin and has been at the center of a great number of significant events.  Originally, Berlin was a completely walled city with a series of gates through which visitors and residents entered and exited.  This was the most grand of those and the one the king used (according to our guide, the middle of the 5 passages was reserved for the king only).

The statute of victory on top of the gate was placed there as a symbol of peace.  Later it was stolen by Napoleon during a French military invasion, so apparently, it was not terribly effective as a peace symbol.  Years later, the French decided they didn't want it and sent it back for store credit.  In appreciation of this act, the square near the gate (where Anne and Mark are standing) is named after the Parisians.

Interestingly, the US Embassy in Berlin is also located next to the gate (a corner of it is visible in this photo - it is the tall white building on the left of the photo).  Not that long ago, this territory was very difficult to even visit for Americans.  In fact, when Kennedy was in Berlin to give his famous speech (the one containing the line that the title of this post is referencing), he only saw the other side of the Brandenburg Gate, and not where the embassy now stands.

Later in the visit, Anne and Mark also saw the other (West Berlin) side of the gate.  They went back to this area on Saturday night.  Berlin is a large, vibrant city, so it is not surprising that a large festival was taking place.

This particular festival was called the Christopher Street Festival, and it was a celebration of gay rights in Berlin on or near the anniversary of the Stonewall riots in New York.  As noted earlier, Berlin is a very Bohemian city.  Anne and Mark ran across more than one building that was described as "residences for artists."  The city's values tend to run in favor of tolerance and away from formality.  Anne and Mark would not have been surprised to see a "Keep Berlin Weird" sign posted somewhere.  So it was quite livable and liberal.  Not quite 'clothing optional,' but don't be surprised if you see a little skin now and then.  For example, while at the festival, Anne noticed a party-goer having a good time:

Sponsored by Lufthansa

Although the photo above has a bar in the way, Anne and Mark can report that the gentleman on the Lufthansa party bus with the angel wings was a bit "cheeky."  At first, Anne and Mark chalked this up to party revelry.  However, they also saw this at a shopping mall:

 For those of you who cannot see what is going on here, the woman on the left is topless and the gentleman with the black t-shirt is painting her.  Not painting a portrait of her, actually painting her.  Obviously, this is not the type of thing you would expect to see at a mall in the U.S.  This was set up as either a performance art exhibit or some type of advertising gimmick or something outside of the electronics store immediately to the right.  In either case, it appears to be for the purposes of gathering attention.  What is amazing about this episode is that no one paid much attention.  The shoppers (and yes, the mall did have shoppers) just went about their business as if nothing unusual was going on.  Maybe, for them, nothing unusual was.