If you are going to wear one.. at least make it pretty!

We have done several helmet blogs in our time. Mostly rants about the law compared to other countries. Sometimes it's just easier to wear one so you don't get screamed at by every jackass on the street or in passing cars. This has been my stance of late, a big 'just leave me the heck alone'.  

Anyhoo my helmet was looking  shabby due to the fact I kept bumping it on everything and chipping the paint... 

So I stuffed paper towel in all the holes, covered the underside with some tape around the edges and went to town with the silver spraypaint!

After all if you are going to wear the bloody thing, at least make it match your shoes..

I also added a simple lace black headband so I wasn't such a chrome-dome..

Ta Da! Like new again. 

Aargh helmets, I'm wearing one, now if only all those same people (the yelling types) would at least give me a metre's space I'd think it worth it! 

Bikeling in Berlin!

We hadn't really put much thought into bike riding in Berlin before arriving in Berlin. We had met a few Germans in Amsterdam who told us that they wouldn't ride around on bikes in Berlin so our belief was that it was going to be overwhelming.  But we while we driving in the taxi from the airport it was clear from looking at the bike riders that this looked relatively easy.  We walked around the first afternoon and while taking in the sights also just observed the cycling rules and etiquettes we could see.  The road rules were much clearer to pick up on than Amsterdam.  There are bike traffic lights at every intersection with traffic lights and clearly marked bike lanes all over the city.  Turning left through an intersection seemed the trickiest but we watched and most Berliners cross at the pedestrian crossings instead, then get back on the cycle path.  So thats what we did.  And it turned out to be the best way to explore Berlin.  We did not use public transport once, we did everything you see here by bike.  The best part is being able to pull over and take pictures of the amazing street art of Berlin. 

This is a bike-hire system. Although we rented bikes from the apartments we stayed at.  

It was very easy to find somewhere to lock up in all areas we visited.

We went on a boat tour of the river Spree and saw the same bike-life as back home along our Glebe foreshore.  

Seriously this could be J-bot with short hair..

Bike love.

Girl gang.

Boy gang.

Bike twins.

More bike hire.  Some gears are necessary for Berlin but it is still very flat in most areas.

Awesome little vintage shops.

Our first bike stop was the East Side Gallery (Berlin Wall).  Someone came up while we taking pics of the wall asking us what this place was, aaah the hapless tourist. We got a little snap happy here...

At the end of the East side gallery is this fantastic old Germanic bridge... And a cycling hub too.

Bike shop stop...

Then I got to see my first ever Squirrel!!  Soo excited.

Then to the Brandenburg gate, with S-boy giving his best pose.

We rode out of the city a little to a park called Treptower park.  

Here we rode around the lovely greenery and came across an abandoned fairground called Spree Park. 

 It has a interesting history, and was spooky to photograph as it was all so quiet.

And this picture below is the first picture I took in Berlin.  Party bike going past just as I got out of the taxi...