Berlin, first week of the year

I always forget the special state of Berlin during the first week of the year. As I walked from the U-Bahn station to my flat, pulling my small bag, I had to dodge around large brown patches on the pavement. I thought at first that all the dogs in the neighbourhood had had the runs over the past couple of days. In fact they were bits of cardboard half disintegrated by the rain and left over from the fire works and shooting that took place on New Year's. Always good to realise one missed this particularly loud and smoky night of festivities in Berlin.
The other adornment of the pavement at this time of the year is abandonned christmas trees. I don't think it's quite legal, but people obviously don't want to bother with their trees once they've lost interest in them. Piles of them lie on the side of the road. During the rest of the year, we get piles of computer screens, dead babies, car parts and statues of Napoleon.