Warm Tiergarten, Cold Tiergarten

New Sinti-Roma Holocaust Memorial

What does one do when it's -7C outside? Why go jogging in the Tiergarten of course! Because if -7C in the second week of Berlin winter deters you, then you may as well just give up, hole up in your apartment, and disappear for the subsequent 15 weeks. It's not about being bad-ass, it's about remaining human.

Berlin has split personalities, called summer and winter. In summer, or even the first semblance of mild weather, people are out on the streets frolicking, smiling faces pointed toward the sun absorbing its warmth, drinking in the parks and dancing at outdoor parties. In winter, they're bundled up in Jack Wolfskin coats and scarves, hands buried deep in their pockets, with faces pointed toward the ground to avoid the snow and wind. But we endure it, because the pay-off is pretty sweet. Just a short 5 weeks ago, the Tiergarten looked like this. Sigh.