You know a city has a rich history when there can be a building like this and I don't have any recollection of what it is, why it's there, or whether or not it is even that significant in the grand scheme of things. But Berlin is like that, kind of like Houston in a way (ever heard of the Eighth Wonder of the World, folks?).

But Randall, the dread from Australia who splits his year between Berlin, where he gives bike tours all summer, and Guatemala, where he works in a program which supports impoverished urban youth, is the real reason I chose this shot. Basically, Randall is hilarious. And I wish I could remember all of his one-liners, which he has undoubtedly perfected after a billion tours given (it seriously is like a stand-up comedy routine with these people...they have an act, they have material, they have audiences that make or break the show, and very few, if any, have much money).

Here are the two that stand out.

1) In front of a remnant of the Berlin Wall, which was subject to a lot of vandalism in the immediate wake of reunification, mostly because everyone wanted a souvenir from the legendary David Hasselhoff concert on the Brandenburg Gate: "And as you can see, this former part of the Wall is now itself protected from the public by a wall -- kind of ironic, don't ya think?"

Maybe you had to be there.

2) During his intro speech about Berlin: "Now, Berlin is no longer the Germany of the Reich by any means. In fact, it's one of the most diverse cities in the world. Berlin has the third-largest gay population in the world, as well as the world's third-largest Turkish population. I haven't seen the figures just yet, but by my calculations, that would give Berlin the most gay Turks in the world."

Huh, huh? That one is funny no matter where you hear/read it.