I don’t know if it’s like this every weekend, but there was a huge afternoon party today in the Tiergarten, on the section that begins with the Victory Column and ended at the Brandenburg Gate. Everybody and their brother and sister were there this afternoon and the music was blaring, the alcohol was flowing, and the crowds were huge but not unruly. There were thousands (it seemed) of portable toilets and 80% of the people at least were dressed if not in costumes, then in a weird and wacky way. Glitter abounded. It was definitely geared towards gay pride, but there were lots of themes going on, it seemed to me.

I must admit that when I pictured the Brandenburg Gate in my mind before I got to Berlin, I didn’t see it as a stage for a drag queen rendition of Queen. But, my introduction to the august monument was just that!

A little further down the avenue that runs through the Tiergarten stands this beautiful and impressive Victory Column.

After walking all this way and dodging crazy crowds, I needed to rest at a cafe and there, right in front of me, was a reminder that everything is global. This guy had on a current Taylor Swift t-shirt and I have no doubt he attended one of the shows.

Walking back to my hotel I passed the Berlin Zoo, which is very famous. These are some gates! I love the elephants!

And, tired though I was at the end of my first full day in Berlin, I wasn’t too exhausted to notice a street sign that told me to “be creative.” I love a city that reminds its people to do just that. From what I’ve seen, there is a lot of creativity here!