Zoo

There is nothing like a visit to the Zoo, our Berlin artist friends may poo poo the place, but it's the only place I can take Julie and enjoy her little exclamations of joy, like little hic-cups, at the sight of each new, perfectly manicured, species all afternoon (zoo animals have their own tv series here- they are stars- even when they shit). I also like it because in urban terms, it used to be the centre of West Berlin, and what better thing to put at the centre of any human enterprise to demonstrate our civilization or lack of it, but a zoo. Half the time you are looking at the animals, half the time you are looking at us, and we don't come off too well. I also like it if we get to visit the zoo in the rain, as today, so it's quiet and romantic.

I'm not being soppy, however at times like these, when we both have to acknowledge a certain sense of 'This is It' to both our lives, I mean a certain understanding of the distance already run, and the rather different situation ahead, when you get to a certain critical age, a meander round a zoo is very soothing.

And of course, the animals are no more in prison than we are, and we would love to see the Zebras run unbridled across the savannah, just as we would love to see ourselves do the equivalent. And strangely when you are in the zoo, and you see these wonderfully dignified creatures in very restricted circumstances, you can only realize that us humans are different, we have free will, we could organize things a bit better, we should use our brains.