Chapter 136: Lions and Tigers and Doctor

nerd blog post #166

Well, life is good. On Saturday, we went to one of our fave markts and looked around. Then we came home and got all dressed up for dindins at Massai, the African restaurant close by. I wore a party dress and Steve wore a tie. The food was really good and the atmosphere was nice. I also remembered how good plantains are! What a treat. In the evening, a friend of Michael Murphy's came over. He's a playwright and had one of his plays translated into German and it's being premiered in Berlin later this month. His name is Daniel and he's a nice guy. We had some wine here and then went to a little bar in the hood.

On Sunday, we saw another friend. A gal from Queen's named Wendy. With her, we went to another markt, and then checked out a part of the Wall we had yet to see. It had cut a cemetery in half, and abandoned a church. Now, they have built a new church dedicated to those who lost their lives trying to flee. There was also a look out that we climbed to see a replica of the death strip down below.

Yesterday was a clear day, so Steve and I headed to the Reichstag. After waiting in line for 20 minutes or so, we went up the elevator to the dome on top. It's all free and provides an excellent history of the building, as well as a terrific view. We were both happy we had waited to do this as we now know the city quite well. And so, from the top, we could identify the buildings, churches, parks and monuments we've explored from the ground over the past couple of weeks. It was really neat, and well worth the visit. From their, we headed to the Guggenheim Museum, which is free on Mondays. It housed a small exhibit, but a goodie.

Today is a special day because I got to go to the zoo! I like looking at animals, and hadn't been to a good zoo in years and years. The Berlin zoo has a ton of animals, and you can get quite close. Also, being off-peak season (and a rainy day), we had the place to ourselves. The hippos and lions (my fave animals) and seals were a hit!

And tonight, Doctor arrives. I really can't wait. I have made a sign that's on the wall and Steve and I have been planning some things to do and eat and everything. I have missed Doctor this month, and it will be so good to see him. I leave in ten minutes to pick him up from the airport.

Und that's all. Hope this finds you well.

Signing off,
Hincks.