Tiergarten

Emerging, bruised and scathed, from the jungle of tourists at Brandenburger Tor, I desperately seek a recluse. A pack of hyena laughing children make for my direction as I sprint off into Tiergarten. My panic subsides as the traffic noise recedes behind the trees and leafy green. Some days, like Monday mornings, it's easy to forget how beautiful it is to be alive. In Tiergarten, the birds chirp, the grass rolls around green and people are smiling. You may find yourself unconsciously skipping gleefully along the path. A reality check is recommended on existing the park. It's a dog it dog world out there.

Tiergarten, or “Animal Garden” gets its name from its origins as a game park for royalty. The area was landscaped into its present form in the 1830s, deforested during WWII by incendiary bombs and a populace desperate for firewood, and a massive Soviet war memorial was plunked down in 1945. Today, it’s the garden of earthly delights it was always meant to be, and contains many an interesting statue and monument commemorating its storied past. Tiergarten is also alive with people, and not just tourists. Real Berliners actually come here. On any given summer day, naked people – ubiquitous in Germany on warm days - can be seen sunning themselves on the wide rolling lawns or cooling off under convenient open air showers, while others flock to the Café am Neuen See for a traditional beer garden experience or to splash about in row boats. Throughout, labyrinthine trails offer amusement for bikers, joggers, idle meanderers and many a dog which seem to romp everywhere leash free. The truly nice thing about Tiergarten is that it functions as a lively but peaceful oasis for all Berliners - even those who are just passing through - right in the heart of the city’s government, diplomatic, and sight-seeing center.

You could walk around Tiergarten and marvel at nature's glory but you're in Berlin! Grab a bike and hit the trail. Rental places around Mitte are not too far away by bike, you get a great view of the city, ride through the center of The Brandenburg Gates (previously saved for the Royal family) like the King or Queen you are and you're at the park. You can still appreciate nature but you'll cover more ground. You can whizz past the Riechstag, Ride to the zoo, I'm too old for most zoos but Berlin did it right. There are tons of African large game, birds of prey, jungle cats and the likes. I saw creatures I either never heard about or thought I was seeing things. After that, you may be a little tired but head the couple of blocks on bike to Schleusenkrug. The sausage is everything you think it will be when you get off the plane in Berlin and the beer is fan-freaking-tastic, try the berliner weisse, less alcohol and delicious fruity syrups are added. Try and sit on the canal, you'll see tour boats pass through the canal lock, which was cool. If you're tired off the Cold War stuff, WWII noise, can't look at another cathedral or painting, or blew too much money at Ritter, stretch your legs and try something new.