Spring is in the air.

I try not to talk about the weather in Berlin, it always seems so irrelevant to the inhabitants. Whereas your average Englishman could start 20+ conversations in one day with a remark about the weather, most Berliners tend to find such comments useless and interpret it as an attempt to ask for money. But, anyway, the fact is inescapable: the snow is now apparently gone for good. And that deserves a mention.

The people are outside, the dogs are pooing on the pavement and the parking police are out booking cars again. In fact, some guy in Wedding was so excited about it all, he decided to just bust out and take his couch out to the tram stop. Whether he actually spent time sitting there waiting for the tram or whether it was just a good-natured gesture to the people of Berlin, we will never know. Either way, it's definitely my number one spring time photo.

Of Polar Bears and Albatrosses

So, Hertha Berlin's fans like a bit of rough and tumble. Tell us something we didn't know already. But while football fans are destroying the Olympic Stadium in sheer frustration, there are other sports teams in the capital just busy winning games.

Look at the Eisbären for instance. The two-time defending champions are now leading the Deutsche Eishockey Liga again - this time by 25 points. Wow. Now, I find ice hockey a bit dull to be honest, but this team really is without doubt, the best in the country.

Alba Berlin is another top sporting team from the capital. Despite the disappointment of missing out on Europe's top basketball competition, the Euroleague, the Albatrosses are top of the BBL table and also doing well in the second-tier Eurocup.

Both teams play in 02 world - a brand-new stadium built in the area that used to be death strip behind the Berlin wall. It's small, but packs in a lot of people. Which makes you wonder: if Hertha started playing in there, could they perhaps avoid relegation this season?