unter den linden

When I first flew in to Berlin, what struck me most was the number of trees.  I know know that most of them are in the Grunewald forest, which covers 3,000 hectares. However, there are also plenty of trees in the city centre. One third of these are linden trees (a type of lime) which have a beautiful scent. The main street is called Under den Linden ("under the lindens") and the trees here were replanted in the 1950s after the ravages of WW2.

The photo above was taken in the Tiergarten, just next to the Brandenburg Gate, where I had been to a huge environment ("Umwelt") festival. I also visited the DDR Museum this morning - an excellent portrayal of life in Communist East Berlin.

Now back in Edinburgh, looking out of the window onto Arthur's Seat and Duddinston Loch. Green spaces make cities better places to live :-)