Pizza, sun and ice.

About two doors from the hotel was an Italian eatery run, I discovered, by some pleasant Iraqi Kurds. As I planned to look for a Spree ride with a sightseeing ferry company, I wanted to get going fairly quickly. It was still sunny but bright outside, but I needed my jumper and jacket.

I went into the cafe and ordered a pizza. The girl was amused that I chose a Heineken on the basis that it was only 330ml as opposed to the 500ml of the Berlin beers. I apologised for falling over some of my words and having to ask her to repeat herself once or twice, but she told me my German was very good.

I sat at the table and sipped my beer. The next moment I noticed the waitress with her head down close to mine, looking with a slightly anxious expression into my face. I had dozed off sitting upright. I suppose she thought she might have to dispose of the remains.

The pizza was nice, but of elephantine proportions; however the very thin crust meant that it wasn't as difficult to eat as I had thought when it first arrived, hanging over the edges of a large dinner plate.

After lunch, I continued walking down towards the station again, photographing as I walked. I found the combination of old and new fascinating, and saw that it often reflected the joys and sorrows of this great city. Ancient mediaeval or early modern buildings sat side by side with Communist-era brutalist flats and Western shopping malls. The occasional patch of wasteland stood as a scar from wartime injuries.

 

It was not long before the skies turned leaden. 

View in the direction of Alexanderplatz station.

The rain threatened and disappeared, and threatened again. 

The river was calm in this section. Below: Berliner Dom (Berlin Cathedral)

 I hadn't gone far from the river when drizzly rain began to fall; next the sting on my cheek revealed that the rain was accompanied by hail.

I took shelter in the Hanf Museum's (Hemp Museum's) doorway until the shower passed and then set off once more.

The Franciscan monastery was seriously damaged by bombing in WWII.

It is maintained as a memorial and apparently theatrical productions take place here.

The Alexia shopping mall just goes on and on! 

I asked, "Wo kann ich ein kleines, billiges Regenschirm kaufen?" 

I needed a small, cheap umbrella, my previous one having disappeared somewhere in my travels.

The woman at the information desk sent me to the place, and I got one for 2.95 Euros

 I waited a long time by the riverside, hoping to catch the Reederei Reidel boat along the river, as their website had indicated (so I thought) that one of their tours was running that early in the season.

Unfortunately, it never came. The brochures at their tiny office didn't offer any encouragement to think it would.

Berlin is a city of parks, which are a lot more formal than most in Sydney

Someone was running boat tours!

A nice view along the river

Blue flowers beginning to penetrate the grass. 

I saw many rabbits in the park as the sun was sinking.

They saw me, too, before I could get good photos.

Tipi Centre.

By this time I was hurrying to find shelter from the increasing drizzle...

...which was also accompanied by more and more hail.

I sheltered by the Tipi Cultural exhibition centre's box-office until things eased slightly,

then headed for the street in the rain and caught a taxi.

I had to shake a quantity of ice off my umbrella, and the taxi's window kept icing up.

Nevertheless, I wasn't feeling particularly cold, with a jumper and my warm jacket on.

I was glad to get back to the hotel, though!