Today I cross into west berlin to be a tourist. Checkpoint Charlie turns out to be facinating. I much prefer recent history to dusty stuff. I had intended to take a couple of snaps and move on, but find I've spend 3 hours in the museum. Feeling peckish but lacking even the most basic German I opt for a Starbucks where I have some expectation of the menu. This is true of the coffee but they offer an interesting baguette of ham and cheese that has a german touch to it (well I suppose the bread, the cheese and the ham are all German, and offering it warm makes it different to a French cheese and ham baguette anyway). Starbucks is also not packed. Most places in Berlin seem quite spacious. Similar places in London or Paris would just be smaller and thus harder to find a nice table. I noticed the same thing last night, the restaurants I looked at were all spacious; even though they are not in the absolute centre, it is as close as say Notting Hill Gate is to Oxford Circus.

So after lunch I think I had better visit the Photo exhibition which I saw in the easyjet in-flight magazine. Apparently it is a special exhibition for November and only a few meters from Checkpoint Charlie. The artist featured is Richard Avedon who is American. The name does not ring any bells but I recognise some of the pictures, particularly the bee man. It is an inspiring collection of photographs. Unfortunately the book of the show is €49 and while nicely produced, is a little too much to spend. Google him and have a look at some of his stuff. I didn't buy any postcards as I didn't feel they could capture the full tonality of the fullsize Black and White prints, so the web may also fail to give a true impression of their power.

It's dark by I leave the gallery. Just near there is a surviving bit of the Wall. It's less high than I expected. After checking my e-mails and resting a little I head out to dine. I can't see any reason to head further afield than walking distance of the hotel. Tonight (being Friday) the whole area is buzzing with people and cafes and restuarants much busier than last night. My lack of German makes choosing from the menu boards very difficult; I just have no recognition. I just choose on the ambiance. Its a nice place and €17 buys me a garlic cream soup, knuckle of pork with sauerkraut and potatoes, a fruit beer and a pilsner beer. The food is gargantuan, I can barely manage half of the main course.