The the plan for what has since been dubbed “the great marsupial escape” was executed in three steps. A hairy wild pig known as ‘the boar’ is said to have first breached the  Rheinböllen Wildlife Park’s outer fence. The exact time of the security breach is unknown.

The second part of the plan was executed by a small spritely dog-like mammal known on the street as ‘the fox’. The Fox entered the zoo through the hole in the outer fence and proceeded to tunnel under an enclosure and into the kangaroos’ cell…ahem, I mean pen.

The kangaroos, Jack, Mick, and Skippy, then made a break for it. They managed to hop fifteen kilometres before being spotted by a civilian who alerted the authorities.

Jack, Mick, and Skippy, tried to jump for it, but they hadn’t counted on the physical prowess of the heroic policewoman who rushed them like she was Reggie White.

Disclaimer: The lead photo for this post is not one of the actual kangaroos discussed. It’s just an artsy photo by Mugley.

The post A Fox and Boar Break Kangaroos Out of a German Zoo appeared first on XpatMatt.

Place

Berlin, Germany

Berlin Location

Berlin is in northeast Germany.

Geography of Berlin

Berlin is a city of 4.4 million people located in northeast Germany about 60km from the Polish border. The city itself covers nearly 3,900 square kilometers, approximately one third of which is comprised of rivers, lakes, parks, forests, and gardens. Berlin sits in a low-lying marshy woodland on the Northern European Plain. Both the Spree and the Havel (which is more like a chain of lakes than a river) run through Berlin, making it one of the wetter landlocked cities in the world.

Berlin Weather and Climate

Berlin has a humid continental climate. Summers are hot and wet with average highs around 23 – 26°C. In the winter the average highs are just above zero while average lows dip down to around -2°C.

Berlin Description

Berlin is one of the most-visited cities in the European Union and, as such, flights to Berlin are frequent and affordable. Few of those visitors, however, are visiting for outdoors adventures. Despite being a relatively flat city, Berlin does offer some opportunities to get your blood flowing. In the summer the numerous lakes and forests provide great hiking, swimming, kayaking, and canoeing. Kiteboarding and windsurfing are also popular and, although there are no mountains, there are numerous indoor and outdoor climbing walls to suit climbers of all abilities.

Berlin Outdoor Adventure Activities

• Sailing
• Kitesurfing
• Windsurfing
• Sky diving
• Bungee jumping
• Hot air ballooning
• Kayaking (river and lake)
• Canoeing
• Hiking/trekking (leisurely)
• Rock climbing (indoor)
• Abseiling/rappelling (indoor)
• Mountain Biking (novice to expert)
• Horseback Riding
• Skiing and snowboarding (about 4 hours away by train)
• Cross-country skiing (also can be done in the vicinity)

Budget Travel in Berlin

Inexpensive accommodations at a hotel in Berlin start around $8 – $10 USD per night for a dorm bed in places like Goldmarie and Hostel Die Etage East.

Check out this site for more information about hostels in Berlin.

Travel Insurance

I like to use World Nomads. It’s not too expensive and signing up is fast and straightforward. They also have pretty good coverage for sports equipment like surf and snowboards, but it varies depending on your country of origin, so be sure double check. You can get a free quote on their website.

Berlin Photos

[nggallery id=56]

Images (in order) courtesy Werner Kunz, Matt Biddulph, MorBCN, Werner Kunz, Vitorio Benedetti, Alexbip, autoreverse_, Alexander Steinhof, helter-skelter, loungerie, loungerie, and Pensiero on Flickr.

Suggested Reading

Click on the images for more information

Berlin Map

View Larger Map

Disclosure: If you purchase insurance, book a hostel, or purchase one of the recommended books on this page using the links provided, I will receive a small commission. I do not, however, recommend these products simply to make money. I recommend World Nomads travel insurance because I use it myself and feel that they offer a good product that suits my needs at a fair price. I recommend Hostelbookers.com because they have the cheapest booking prices that I have seen online and a large selection, and I recommend the selected books from Amazon.com because they have reputations for quality information and were up to date at the time of writing. If you have found my blog useful I hope that you will consider purchasing some of these products using the links on this page to help me to continue providing free information about adventure travel around the world.

Berlin Vacations

The post Berlin, Germany Adventure Travel Guide appeared first on XpatMatt.