Bears & Beers: Day 2 - Up, Up, and Away

Josef and I planned to meet up with Gabor and Sam today, and we did well initially getting up with them at the appointed time, until we came across the famous Checkpoint Charlie:

So weird to think that this was the entrance to the "American Sector" -- and we had just left the Russian Sector from back in the day. There's a really great stretch of enlarged photographs with descriptions of this area just inside the Russian part.

Further into our journey south, we crossed a canal and had to stop to consult our map there. During the Mapschechstopp (that's some pretend German Compound wording for you), I was mesmerized by the canal and had to take pictures.

I dream that Atlanta could have the Chattahoochee as part of its cityscape. Maybe one day!

Something I always enjoy about exploring cities is finding random things like this that have been preserved (to the extent that it wasn't removed or destroyed, that is) and have now become art. By the way, graffiti isn't considered tacky or scary in much of Europe (especially Berlin).

I swoon over the way buildings used to be built. Berlin is full of swoon-worthy sights like this one!

We got to the place where Gabor and Sam are staying and enjoyed a view from 5 stories up, including this building across the street, with its rooftop garden going strong.

More sights from the 5th floor viewpoint

This Polish gothic cathedral is just south of where the guys were staying. We loved this clock face, shining brightly amid the dark gray stone walls!

Suddenly, we heard someone singing and noticed a procession of children and their families coming down the street. They had pictures of saint and altar boys were swinging incense. They came to a stop right in front of the church, and they had set up an outside altar just across the street from the entrance of the church. We didn't linger as it felt as if we were intruding in their special service, but it was neat to see this special event -- whatever it was these Polish Catholics were celebrating.

An aspect of Berlin to know about is how lots of different types of architecture can peacefully coexist beside each other. At least, you can decide whether or not the different types of architecture do in fact coexist peacefully:

Sometimes walking around can make you thirsty. Gabor certainly was ready for a drink after seeing the Polish Catholic service, so he pumped some water:

Then he lead us through a series of parks on the way to our destination. Which was:

Wait for it.... wait for it....

Tempelhof!

Until 2008, this was one of Berlin's airports. It's most well-known for the Berlin Airlifts during the Cold War, where aircraft took off in order to drop supplies to West Berlin, which was surrounded by East Germany.

Now that Tempelhof is closed as an airport, is a huge, airport-size park, including art exhibits, a biergarten, public gardening space, and more. Lots and lots of families with small children were out enjoying the flat, wind-swept terrain: flying kites, windsurfing on skateboards, and biking were clearly the preferred activities.

Gabor's rhubarb flavored drink matched his sunglasses, but the thing really that gets this Hungarian excited is:

A package of Peeps!! YES!! He wants to eat them all now!! (Seriously, though, he has a huge sweettooth. He had bought Dunkin Donuts 12 pack of donuts earlier in the day.)

Enjoying a lovely day in the biergarten in Tempelhof

It was a really warm day, and we thought that the clouds made beautiful patterns in the sky.

Above you will see an enormous dog park. The fence on the right side of the image, to the fence waaaaaaaaaaay in the back ground....huge dog park. Awesome.

No longer for aircraft: You can channel your inner airplane pilot in your mind and take off from this runway!

Bird Sanctuary between the two runways.

Amazing, crazy-looking garden space where folks grow their own edible veggies and herbs.

The poem is in English!

Fun with the focus ring on the camera

This is the Fernsehturm, also known as the Telespargel (Television Asparagus). It's good to use a geographic point of reference while traveling around Berlin!

Petting Zoo!

Oh, deer. Oh, dear.

Cluck, cluck, cluck!

By the way, this is free to the public. It's just in a park, you come upon it, and you can go in and see the animals and even pet them if you so choose.

Kind of like Brussels, there are cool murals everywhere in Berlin.

Susan-sized doors! Why do they need to be any taller?

Yeah, Ben Franklin! (Susan watched Slumdog Millionaire on the plane to Germany, by the way.)

We ate at a highly recommended restaurant called Curry 36. It wasn't that great, but being super-cheap certain increases its worth in our minds. While we were there, we saw some guys in their late teens, and one was wearing a t-shirt with an Atlanta K-12 school on it. Upon inquiring with them if they were from Atlanta, turns out they were, and one of them is going to college where Josef went!