B E R L I N

BERLIN
 a fascinating, vibrant, historically complicated yet fresh and exciting city.
we were so lucky to be invited to two wonderful, quite social thanksgiving celebrations with german/american expat couples. we stayed in possibly the nicest guest apt. with the best art  & photography collection ever. we met some amazing berliners - who all LOVE living there (and the younger ones all rave about the height of their ceillings & size of their apartments.) everyone kept saying : " you should move here, its fabulous.."
 with the exception of attending the holiday celebrations, the opera and  a never-to-be-forgotten  private house concert ( trio from berlin orchestra) on a lake we just walked and walked.
its the best way to see any european city, add in a bike ride or two  ( easily renteable now in all major european cities) to cover more ground.
this is my short list of not to be missed: 
*the berlin zoo, situated right in the heart of the city, a mere walk from our apartment.
i saw animals i have never seen in nyc, brooklyn and CA zoos, i was pleasantly surprised.
they had these very colorful, old fashioned carts ( see photo) to wheel your kids around in, makes one appreciated the way things used to be.
*seeing a concert or attending the opera in schiller theatre. we were gifted tickets to see mozart's la finta giardiniera. it was an amzing experience. the berliners are a tough crowd. 
 some - booing the director at the end. i had never experienced that before.
* walking around Kollwitzplatz  -  one of Prenzlauer Berg’s best-known and (arguably) most attractive squares.  saturday  is an especially fun day to be there - they have a most amazing farmers market...replete with typical german wool garments, baked goods, green groceries, wine stalls - its a fun people watching scene - with baby strollers outnumbering us all. the hip stores and cafes around the whole prenzlauerberg area are great for window shopping & eating.
* a meal at SET cafe  ( sitzen/sit essen /trinkin ) in the neighborhood of charlottenburg where we stayed