The postcards of today have been mostly taken in and around Mauerpark, Berlin. I love coming here to look at the graffiti, as most of them will be gone by the next day.

Where do you get to practice on a wall that was part of the death strip? Occasionally the structure comes down. Then it looks like this:

English can be a funny language somehow as it doesn’t really allow for gender-neutral terms. Maybe ‘people at work’ would’ve been more correct, as I was lucky to spot a few ladies here and there as well.

As for the male people, here’s a fun fact from Germany for you. Ascension Day this week is mostly associated with Männertag. Indeed, one day for all men, not just the fathers. While traditions vary, around here men decorate their bicycles with lilac and other tree cuttings and ride around with their buddies. It generally comes with loads of beer and the occasional BBQ.

This is the one day a year cops in Germany turn a blind eye on drunk driving on bicycles; as you would lose your license drunk, no matter what vehicle.

(One year for Männertag, I was the dedicated driveress and once we hit the breathalyzer and I told the male Cop, of course, I was sober cause this day is only for men, I swear Cop on duty nearly dropped his face.)

Others will walk around a lake. This involves teams of two, carrying a crate of beer together. The team that finishes the distance and all the beer first wins. Hurray. A modification of this is the famous Ringbahnsaufen in Berlin. There is a circular train all around the inner districts of Berlin (A in puplic transport terms). Same principle as with the lake but without all that walking.

This has become less popular since drinking on Berlin public transport has been prohibited. (Not like you ever get fined or anyone really cares.)

40 days after Easter, Ascension Day always falls on a Thursday, which makes for a great long weekend (and probably the oportunity to recover from all that … fun.).