2nd September Berlin

**  Good morning Berlin. My last full day in this most interesting city. I realise that in reality I should have stayed at least another week. There is just so much to see and do here.

** Currently at the Alexanderplatz. It's sort of  sprawling central location with Meyer & Target type shops.  Found a small shop to have breakfast, called the Wiener Feinbacker. The Cafe Ameticano is good but the strudel thing will certainly blow my sugar budget for the day. It consists of everything that is most probably bad for me yet at the same time is full of almost everything I used to like to eat. What a conundrum 😅👍

** Just minding my own business, walking through the platz after breakfast when I heard the most melodic and harmonious sound. A 19 year-old, by the name of Leanda, was sitting on the ground playing what initially looked like a large frying pan lid, with dings in it. It turns out that the instrument was developed about 30 to 40 years ago in Switzerland. It is called a HandPan. And it is just amazing. The base of the instrument can be used for lower notes. Stuart RD - you would have loved to hear this

** The animal symbol for Berlin is the Bear. Having been here for 4 to 5 days I had not thought much about it. Today the bear has been in my face. It is used for attracting tourists by being full size, painted and jolly.

Other views of Berlin

A specialist whisky shop. It surprising how cheap single malts are here.

** The Water Tower (the tall round house) was built in the mid late 19th Century and originally supplied water to the burgeoning population and the local breweries.  There existed a tall thin tower with reservoir long before this date. After 1933 it was converted into a concentration camp. In more modern years it is a place if peace where parents and their children can play securely and where art can have a place.

This round building, which has a very dark war history is now an appartment building. I have been given information that I believe to be accurate, that the top floor is occupied by a Jewish lady who was the real life person that the main female character in the Netflix show Unauthodox was based on.

** Had a nice lunch with some newly made friends at a restaurant called "Pasternak" (named after the Russian Nobel Literature Prize winner). The food is Russian based I would say. Although it was tasty, the company was way better. Thanks guys. I will really miss our chats during the remainder of my travels.

** Tomorrow morning I leave on the 7:28am train to Leipzig and tonight I pack again, for the 8th time during my cultural tour of Western Europe. Reminded again of that song from Evita - "another suitcase, another hall". By next Saturday I will be four more cities further along my journey.