Tales from the old days

Met a wonderful little old lady while having brunch on Saturday. She was 87 and had been at school in England before the war, so spoke perfect English with a home counties accent. She was an Ossie and regaled us of tales of how it was when the Russians took over the city (in particular how lucky she was to speak Russki as it saved her from being raped) and of travelling throughout the Soviet Union 'as far as the Chinese border' just to see what it was all like. A woman after my own heart.

Much as I'd like to see the central Asian republics right now I'm thankful to be getting the chance to explore Berlin, which just gets more interesting the more time you spend here. Thanks to this fab little Indian summer I've been able to sample some of the beach bars I was planning to get to when the rains came in August. Who knows, if it lasts a week or two more I might even get to a lake.