Weekend Trip to Potsdam or Possibly A Freezer

This last weekend was my first trip any real distance from Berlin, albeit not very far. A train ticket to Potsdam cost me only about 7 dollars, as Potsdam is covered as part of the surrounding Berlin area by its train system. It's three sections, A B and C. Potsdam is in the C area, so instead of getting a very expensive regional train ticket it cost me but a few Euros.
Potsdam feels to me like a big small town. Not a suburb as many outlying areas near large US cities might me, almost like another big city in and of itself, just scaled down. The buildings were only a few stories high instead of in Berlin where they'd be a few taller. There was a tram system, but the trams were almost adorable in size and it was supplemented by buses.
I had two goals in mind with my visit: One, see some street I'd heard of that doesn't allow cars and has a lot of neat stores and restaurants, and Two, to see the Potsdam Biodome on account of how cool that sounds.
I was fairly lucky to find the street (whose name escapes me if I ever even knew it) that has all the pretty stores and such, as I stumbled across it by accident. It so happens there's a second Brandenburg Gate there. I had no idea there was more than just the one, but yep, it's there, a bit smaller but quite accurate in its construction. I had a wonderful lunch in a ice little cafe with a simply splendid "Italian Drinking Chocolate" that reminded me of the thick hot chocolates available in France. It was very nice.
During and after lunch, I asked about 5 separate people how to find the Potsdam Biosphere, on account of my not understanding the directions from any one. I did eventually piece together a rough idea of its location and hopped on a tram, actually ending up exactly where I'd intended. Score one for me!
The Biosphere was very nice. It was warm, there were lots of tropical plants and some animals in little exhibits (mostly spiders, iguanas and the like) and plenty of signs in German telling about the exhibit. Unlike some of the other attractions I've seen so far (well, a museum anyways) this place did not cater to English-speakers so I had to get around on German, which was all well and good. I had no idea what most of everything said but I had a wonderful time looking around and trying to read the German.
I left after dark and made my way back into the heart of Berlin with only minor trouble, to slumber. The next day I really wanted to visit another Flohmarkt, or flea market.
I woke up early enough to get to visit a few flea markets in different parts of the city. I mapped out my routes and the locations so I could find them easily. I left, cursing the biting cold. It was -15C Sunday, and pretty much the same on Saturday. I arrived after a while at my first flea market, to find it completely empty. There was a British couple taking pictures of one another in the park where the flea market meets, but no other people. I could see where the stalls usually were. There was a sign on the street saying (I think) where to park on Sundays if you have a stall. Yet there was noone. I was out in the cold when even Berliners would not be. I felt proud of myself even while I could not feel my ears. I looked around for a bit and saw nothing but residential blocks so I made my way back to the U-Bahn (subway) and took it a stop or two in a random direction, and got off.
After a bit of walking I ran into a pretty little park with a few hills, and a small frozen lake. People were ice skating, sledding, and having a great time. At the top of the hill was what clearly was a restaurant, looking much like a restaurant one might find at the top of a mountain used for skiing. I made my way to it and inside, and it looked gorgeous, just like a ski lodge. It was a Sunday brunch too, and so I got in line to be seated. The place was full and I made some idle chitchat with a mother of two while I waited on a table, learning she was from Nicaragua and had been here for almost a year. We spoke of each of our homes, talking about how much warmer it was there than here, and I felt for one of the first times I was having an actual natural conversation with someone. Sure, it was slow and my vocabulary is terrible, but she understood me for the most part and I her.
Lunch was delicious if uneventful, followed by a meager attempt by me to continue exploring the area before I began risking hypothermia, or at least losing an ear or digit. I trudged home, to relax in the heat and study. All in all, a good weekend if not filled with flea-marketness.