Meine Lieblingsstadt... My Favorite City

I came across this great stop-motion video of various sites in Berlin today.  It's a fantastic look at all the wonderful places that Berlin has to offer throughout the course of a single day.  This video captures the energy, life, colors, and vitality of this amazing city!

With about forty-five more pounds to go, videos like this help me to focus and keep me on track.

Monbijoutheater - A cool place I want to visit

Lately, whenever I feel like my weight loss resolve is being compromised or I need a boast to keep me going, I do some virtual sight-seeing to remind me what I am working towards.  For me, Berlin isn't just a place to take a vacation.  It represents adventure and the freedom to have new experiences.  This is also a big part of my motivation to loss weight.  Nothing fuels me more than imagining myself 100 lbs lighter, being able to roam and explore this city rich in history, meeting new people and experiencing a multitude of cultural events.  It may sound odd, but it works for me.

Yesterday, while I was doing my virtual sight-seeing, I came across the Monbijoutheater.  This open amphitheater is located on the eastern bank of the Spree River across from Museum Island in the Mitte District of Berlin.  This is essentially the very heart of Berlin in an area filled with museums, boat tours along the Spree, fantastic restaurants and beach parties complete with sand on the river.

The design of the theater has the look of a Elizabethan playhouse complete with wooden benches and open timber.   The performances range from concerts to Shakespearian plays.  In fact they are performing Ein Sommernachtstraum (A Midsummer Night's Dream) this July.   The entire venue is in the shadow of the Bode Museum at the tip of Museum Island.  It looks incredible and I'm looking forward to attending a show there when I hit my 100 lbs mark!

Gramin Velothon Berlin

In my Facebook news feed, I am subscribed to several Berlin-focused blogs and websites, which allows me to see several cool events, activities and new locations as they appear on these sites.

Recently on Visit Berlin, I saw the Gramin Velothon Berlin, a 60 km Bike race throughout Berlin.  It looks like a really awesome course to see a fair amount of Berlin.

Here are the details about the event:

The Garmin Velothon Berlin - that is Cycling for everyone at the highest level. Since its premiere in May 2008, the event has established itself as the second largest cycle race of its kind in Europe. The attractive route along major attractions and the concept of a city cycling race attract over 13,000 participants who create a cycling festival in the German capital.

• Completely closed roads for traffic
• Participation in a team or as solo-driver
• Race-Highlights: "Brandenburger Tor", "Potsdamer Platz", "Tempelhof Airport", "Eastside-Gallery", "Regierungsbezirk", "Siegessäule","Straße des 17. Juni"
• Two distances: 60-km distance for beginners and hobby drivers, 120 km distance for ambitious cyclists
• Attractive fair program on 7,000 sqm
• "Kid's Velothon" for children and young people
• "Straße des 17. Juni" as finishing line
• 250.000 spectators along the route

Here is a map of the course:

Taking a long bike ride through Berlin sounds like a great trip.  Berlin is fairly flat and is not overly congested.  It's filled with large spaces filled with trees and shade, and just outside of central Berlin are lakeside areas.

I don't think I'll make it there on May 18th of this year, but perhaps I'll have a chance to ride the same path next year.  Although I will most likely not participate in a large biking event like this (I hate crowds), this is a good way to plan for an extended biking trek.  Plus with Deutsche Bahn's Call-a-Bike program, it's easy for tourists like me to rent a bike.