Great weather again today – it’s been nearly perfect since Sunday afternoon. My taxi driver this evening said I’ve been very lucky in that regard – I’ll take it, as I’ve had very little luck otherwise in the last few months and I did ask Berlin specifically for sun, sun, sun!

The highlight of the day was the concert this evening at the Berlin Philharmonic. Conducted by Simon Rattle, they played Schumann followed by Brahm’s First Symphony. The music was fantastic, my seat was very good and I sat next to an older gentlemen from Brazil who was in Berlin for four concerts by the Berliners. He was very nice and so knowledgeable and enthusiastic about the music. The entire audience was enthusiastic – while I know that many American audiences truly appreciate classical music it’s a different level of appreciation here. It was so nice to see classical musicians treated to so much enthusiasm.

The concert hall itself was very intimate, with the audience much closer to the orchestra than is the case in Philadelphia’s Kimmel Center (at least in the large hall, I’m forgetting its name for the moment).

My only complaint had nothing to do with the concert itself but the lack of taxis afterwards. I ended up hopping on a bus headed to Zoo Station, very close to my hotel. However, “very close” seems a bit farther when you’re wearing 3-inch heels. I made it but would have preferred the door-to-door service of a taxi. You’d think they would be lined up waiting for passengers after an event like that. I must say, too, that I felt completely safe walking from the station to the hotel. I’ve felt completely safe the entire time here in Berlin and I don’t know if that’s always been the case, at least at night, when I’m in Europe.

The bus was jammed full with concertgoers so I was thankful that the ride wasn’t long. The fact that it was later in the evening also made the temperature bearable, at least for that distance.

It was a music-themed day in other ways besides the concert. On the train to Oranienburg (to visit Sachsenhausen) this morning, a young man with an accordion jumped on at one stop, serenaded our car until the next stop, asked each passenger for money and then moved on to another car. He was actually pretty good but I didn’t give him any money, as I didn’t request the music. I’m not sure you’d find the accordion being played in too many other countries, so that part was very cool.

There was another young man playing the saxophone outside the café where I ate supper. I thought he might have been pretend-playing (lip-syncing if he were a singer), he was that good. But if he was pretending he was pretty good at that too. After a few selections, he also came around to individual tables looking for money but quickly moved on to other tables and the café next door. I wonder if musicians like that make any money. They both seemed really talented – I know the accordion player was definitely playing but I’m still not sure about the saxophonist.

My hotel neighborhood is suddenly extremely crowded. Apparently there’s a big Apple release coming up. There’s a huge Apple store right around the corner from my hotel and tonight there are people camped out on the sidewalk all the way down the block. I’m not sure how long the line stretches at this point because when I walked out of the alley from the bus station, the line was already stretched well beyond where it was when I left. I’m sorry, I’m definitely a fan of Apple products but you would never catch me lining up on the street for a product. Don’t they know they can order it online and get it the day it’s released? I guess it’s just a scene that doesn’t appeal to me but obviously does to many others.

My concern is the street-level noise, which will definitely prevent me from keeping my window open tonight.

I made a quick stop a KaDeWe again today and saw the same beautifully sad dog and his homeless owner outside the store. Still couldn’t quite get a picture with my camera but their image is emblazoned on my mind.

Tomorrow’s my last day in Berlin. I’ve had lots of fun and I think I can figure out a way to have fun for another day. We shall see…