A day in Berlin

Thursday was free of meetings, so I bundled up, and headed out for a walk across Berlin, taking pictures along the way. The good: This post is full of pictures! The bad: It may take a while to load.


Getting to the city required a walk past the lake::

And through the woods::

To the most deserted-looking train station ever::

So deserted that I wasn't all that surprised when a fox strolled through like he was making his daily rounds::


I would have thought that I was in the wrong place if it weren't for the fresh cigarette butts near the bench, a clear sign that someone recently waited for a train... at least I hoped that's what they were waiting for::


Once on the train, I love to get a sneak peak at the German allotment gardens {this picture doesn't show just as awesome and neatly maintained the allotments are, but the wikipedia link provides a few more shots}::

I hopped off the train near the Berlin zoo, and peaked in at the animals as I walked along its perimeter::





I soon left the zoo and took off through the Tiergarten, once hunting grounds where fox was prey::

I continued through the center of the Tiergarten::

And then found a nice bench for lunch::

I walked through the Brandenburg Gate::

And continued towards Mitte, the central borough of Berlin, passing by the Berlin Cathedral along the way::

Once in Mitte, it was time for a rest. After the long walk, I need both a bathroom and internet access...enter Starbucks, definitely not a truly German experience, but it was fun to order a "Lebkuchen Latte" and comfortably relax before heading back out for some shopping::

***the picture taking stopped for a few hours while I visited some of my favorite {and some new to me} shops for a few stocking stuffers****

By the time I filled my bags with goodies, the sun had set and it was time to make my way to the evening's hotel. I passed through the market at the Hackescher Markt Station::



I picked up some raspberries for an evening snack, and then headed into the train station for one more ride::