And Finally ...

Unlike the outward journey, the return leg was uneventful, and I arrived safely home late in the evening with only my photos and a little collection of ephemera to remind me of the trip. I had never thought of collecting all these bits and pieces (tickets, restaurant bills and so on) until one day, in the lift in the Coit Tower in San Francisco, I heard a mother say to her little daughter "Now, keep your ticket safely for your scrap-book". What a brilliant idea, I thought, tucking my ticket away in my wallet; and ever since I've made a point of collecting as much of this throw-away stuff as possible. It's been of great use in reconstructing events for this blog, particularly as most receipts nowadays come with a date and time stamp.

Highlights:

• Cafe Adler for atmosphere and traditional German food
• Gasthaus Herz for schnitzel
• Antiqua for Swabian cuisine
• TV Tower for views
• Park Sanssouci (Potsdam) for autumnal melancholy
  
• KaDeWe for potential bankruptcy
• East Side Gallery for a sense of what the Wall meant to Berliners
• Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church for the astonishing 'broken tooth' spire
• Reichstag Dome as a symbol of the new Germany
• Walk from Alex to the Brandenburg Gate, where there is something of interest every few yards
• The Nikolaiviertel, for picturesque old Berlin
  

Last, but not least: thank you, Jenny!