My second day in Prague is coming to an end. I haven't written anything about Berlin yet, have I?

Berlin isn't really my kind of city, even though I don't regret going there. I don't go to clubs, I hate techno, I can't tell my Bach from my Beethoven and I don't like beer that much. But I love their public transport and Berlin has great museums and churches.

Dom zu Berlin cathedral is wonderful (in an area called Lustgarten), and the Pergamon Museum is a must-visit. The latter is so named for the Pergamon Altar (from - well you can guess) with it's 113m long frieze depicting the Greek Gods laying the smackdown on the Giants. Zeus takes on three of 'em (including their leader) and special mention is given to Athena. Too bad some of it was being restored. The restored Reichstag is majestic but there are always hordes of people queueing to get into the observation decks. Most of them came from the nearby Brandenburg Gate; all it welcomes these days are tour buses.

One of the first things you notice is the Fernsehturm or TV Tower. although I suspect in German it really means "Big Eyesore". The tallest structure in Berlin is visible from every d*** where. So while you can get nice views from on top, everywhere else it's annoying. Like the aunt who insists on appearing in every photo you take during family reunions. Imagine a large concrete golf ball tee. Cut it in half, stick a disco ball (appropriately sized) in the gap, paint the tee above the ball orange and let it be the antenna and there you have it. It's irritating. Like having Max Palevsky appear in every photo you take at the UofC.

This past weekend, the Christopher St. Parade happened -- largest gay pride parade in Germany and I missed it. I thought it was on Sunday when it was on Saturday. So while the parade was happening I was watching the Swatch-FIVB beach volleyball Women's finals. I stumbled onto them by accident, honest. USA vs. Brazil -- Brazil won. they had better supporters anyway. What's odd is that Berlin is nowhere near a beach. In fact the playing area (with tons of beach sand trucked in) is next to the ruins of a palace. And there was also a sand sculpture exhibition somewhere in Berlin, nowhere near any ocean.

My hostel was in the former East Germany, and it looked appropriately run-down. I did go round looking for remnants of the Cold War period. Checkpoint Charlie no longer exists, but a 300m long section of the Wall still stands covered in all it's graffiti-ed glory. Also found out that while the Wall was up, the West German trains (S-Bahn) had to pass some stations in East Germany on their routes and those had to be walled up and guarded for years. Soldiers in ghost stations watching forbidden trains speed by.

Beer is cheap and good - which it is neither in the US. And the names sound cooler too. You could lean over the counter and ask for a timid-sounding "Bud" (which is a poor version of the real, better Czech Budvar) or a mundane "Miller", but over there you can demand a FRANZISKANER! Or a WARSTEINER! Nothing like German to make alcohol sound cool (dare I say, macho?), even if sometimes you wonder if they're not just replacing c's with k's and spelling things differently to irritate the English.

Beware when crossing the roads -- there are usually two traffic lights at crossings . One in the middle of the road and one opposite you. The catch is that the middle one and the far one don't always match. One can be green and the other red. Those nefarious little red and green midgets, immortalised in souvenirs all over Berlin! Nearly got run over near the Siegessaule (Victory Column). You have been warned.