Final Berlin Tidbits

Swamp:
The name Berlin didn’t come from the German word for bear as many think, but means a swampy place. Berlin is built on swampy land. Digging foundations usually meant hitting the water table fairly early. In order to keep things dry when digging and building, water pipes were built to keep the water pumped out of the lower areas and then eventually pump it back into the river. The water pipes run above ground and have been painted blue, in most cases. Our guide said they were also painted pink but I only saw one that might have been classified a dirty pink.

Bears:
And speaking of bears, the bear is the symbol of Berlin. There is a nice statue of a bear in the middle of the freeway when leaving the Berlin city limits on the way to Dresden. There are also bear statues in the city. These are large statues similar to the “cow parade” from Houston and also lions in Munich. Each bear is painted differently. We ran into 3 bears then we were in a souvenir shop on our last night in Berlin and they had a collection of around 20 bears. We sure missed a bunch in the city. Next trip must find more.

Germans and dogs:
I have visited Germany 3 times now. I have enjoyed every visit. One thing that impresses me is how many Germans have dogs and go about the city with their dogs. This means the trains, the buses, the restaurants, the museums, and just about any other place you can imagine. This trip was not any different. People with their dogs are everywhere. Wish I could get my cats to go places with me on a lease too.

Tiergarten:
It means a place of animals, or animal garden. In Berlin it was once a hunting resort for the rulers and invited guests. Now, of course, there is no more hunting although some hunting may have to commence again as wild boars have been seen in the park and in several other places around the city. We didn’t see any. Now Tiergarten is a family park and a place to enjoy being out of doors. Our guide told us that it is also a favorite place for nudists. And a favorite place for many of the Turkish immigrants to go for a family barbeque. Many of the Turkish women are conservative Muslims so dress accordingly. Our guide told us it is quite a juxtaposition to be in the park, see a Muslim woman covered from head to toe and watch a nudist fellow leaping up to catch a Frisbee behind her. That really paints a picture in the old brain, doesn’t it?