Weekend in Berlin, Part 1.

V joined me in Berlin this weekend and we spent three days exploring the city. We had fun, because we always have fun together, but we found that we did not love Berlin. Maybe it was the crummy weather (rain or threatened rain pretty much all weekend), maybe it was the fact that about half the Germans we met were kind of dicks, maybe it was that all tourist attractions were educational and sometimes you just want to turn your brain off.

On Friday we took in my personal favorite sight. The East Side Gallery is a stretch of the Berlin Wall, along the Spree River, that is decorated with murals by artists from around the world. Artists first painted the murals in 1990, when the wall fell, and were invited to repaint/restore their murals in 2009. Let me share with you a few of my favorite murals.

Halfway through the mile-long gallery, we happened upon the Mercedes-Benz flagship store! V is not a car-obsessed dude, but he's still a dude, after all.

The name's Bond. V Bond.

A few more murals, then a pause for a selfie.

The highlights of the remainder of the wall. The wall wasn't tall, only about 12 feet, and you could only imagine the despair of the trapped inhabitants of East Berlin who walked past the wall each day and couldn't move beyond it.

Then we saw some 30-something dudes who were part of a French bachelor party. They were on rented bikes, some holding beers as they rode, and decided to bike down about 20 stairs that ended at the river. I had to avert my eyes most of the time as I was worried about an incipient head injury or broken arm. On the bright side, though, I was pleased to find that Americans haven't cornered the market on doing stupid shit.