Berlin: Barreling Down the Street

Here's one of the things everyone loves about Berlin--the Ampelmännchen, or "little walking men" created in 1961 by traffic psychologist Karl Peglau. The green one saunters along like he owns the world, hat tilted back on his head. The red one reminds me of the robot in Lost in Space; arms spread, hat on very straight, he means business.

Wandering the neighborhood, I come across these gentlemen celebrating the opening of a new bakery. As baklava (or something like it) gets passed around, they make music . . . and notice the man playing a bagpipe--one boasting a bright red Scots tartan. Another thing I love about the place: blasts of many cultures everywhere you go.

And nobody's shy. They'll tell you exactly what they think:

Berlin is to be savored.