Saturday dawned cold and windy, and a light drizzle fell as we made our way down the Spree river on a boat tour of the city and outlying areas. Our vessel, the mighty Moby Dick, featured a full restaurant (which came in handy when it got too wet to ride on the open air deck--bockwurst and bread with mustard) and a bow and stern decorated to look like the famous white whale complete with giant teeth.
Seeing a city from the water gave a new perspective; we passed modest but tidy vacation homes, campgrounds, recreational boaters, and clusters of lawnchairs and umbrellas on the shoreline--all that was missing was the sun.
We traveled under countless bridges on the three hour trip, some so low that the wheelhouse had to be lowered to allow our boat to pass. Navigating the lowest bridges, all passengers on the top deck had to sit down for safety. I didn't catch the captain's announcement in German the first time he warned us, but luckily I saw the other passengers ducking and followed suit.
After shopping for some gifts in the afternoon, we attended the Qi show at the Friedrichstadt Palast theater. Qi is similar to Cirque de Soleil, and featured amazing acrobats and trapeze artists as well as a variety of dance routines. The trapeze performers in particular combined power, grace, creativity, and courage. I picked up a copy of the show's DVD for my daughter the dancer. The Friedrichstadt Palast is located in the former East Berlin; before German reunification the venue was reserved only for political elites which made spending an evening there even more memorable for me.
Top deck of the Moby Dick.
Vacation homes along the Spree River.
The great white whale.
