Perhaps Berlin is best explored in Spring or Autumn. The size of the downtown area requires plenty of time for exploration and the current temperatures, though nothing like Phoenix, are enough to make using public transport very uncomfortable. I have enjoyed seeing the different architectural styles in different portions of the city but overall I think that Berlin is too vast and too industrialized to be somewhere I would return to. My purpose in being here was the World Cup final and I was thrilled to be a part of that amazing occasion. There was so much excitement and such an incredible atmosphere for each minute of the game and I will never forget the rapturous response of Italian fans to their victory. To be fair to Berlin it is a city loaded with museums, history, an incredible night life, and hundreds of places to eat and drink. For any big city lover I am sure it would be marvelous but for me now all that big cities have to offer has lost any allure. And on a traveling budget I had no desire to pay the high prices for entering the museums.

If you see the pics I have added to Lovable Quirks for Berlin and the World Cup Final you will notice some strangers in the mix. I met Kate, Ashley, and Alex at the campground and got to spend my first days here hanging out with them. They are all from Adelaide (hope I spelled correctly) in Australia and were out to support the Aussie team in the Cup. I am so glad that I met them as they were a marvelous bunch. Kate and Ashley are traveling Europe as I am and we got to compare notes on where we are going and have been. Alex is Ashley's brother who was out during his summer break from school. Over the weekend we all took a look about the town and enjoyed some marvelous soccer games. It was wonderful as always to get to share my time with other people as especially in a city this size it can be a bit lonesome. We also got to share the incredible experience of seeing the final with all of the crazy fans from around the world. My new Aussie friends left Monday to head to Prague for a week and then further south. I am off to Frankfurt Oder this Friday to spend a few days with someone I have connected with there.

Take a look at the pics from Berlin and the Cup final on Lovable Quirks. Hope you also watched the videos from the post two days ago.