Day 21 in Europe (Berlin)

At this point I'd given up sightseeing in Berlin, so on Sunday I decided that at least I should head to Tiergarten for a nice relaxing day.

I have to say this place is rather amazing. It's like a forest in the middle of the city. It could be a beautiful summer day and a few steps later there's nothing but trees and shade. Absolutely wonderful.

The other thing to note were the sunbathers. I'd heard about them from people at the hostel but it was still amusing to see. I'm not sure that it was meant to be a *gay* area exactly but certainly there were only guys lying around, and in a certain area of the park they were also naked! Yep, naked men lying in the grass in the middle of Berlin! Winner!

I can deny it all I want but I suppose it was partly the reason that later in the afternoon I decided to revisit Tiergarten. Nonetheless it was very worthwhile, as I ran into a couple of the guys from the hostel, one of whom is a Tai Chi instructor, so I got an introductory lesson from him. The experience was rather magical; the yellow rays from the sunset piercing through the trees, the soft grass beneath my feet, a quiet afternoon reconnecting with my chi.

Dinner in the park followed, the venue being a beer garden that could have felt at home in some small Bavarian town. I actually forgot to take pictures but it was the perfect way to cap off my day. (Oh and I should note at this point that in the spirit of Oktoberfest I have consumed more beer in the last three days than I have in the last three years - I'm more of a wine person.)

Briefly went to a club called GMF as I was told it had some nice views from the Terrace. Took some pictures and had a drink at which point, being the lightweight I am, I got pretty drunk. Luckily one of the guys had to go leave early as well so I got home OK. All in all, a pretty damn good trip to Berlin even if there wasn't much sightseeing involved :)