Although Sasha and I are fairly adept at showing people around Berlin now, this particular time afforded the opportunity for us to take our cameras with us and get some general Berlin photos which we do take from time to time. So, since this blog is usually very heavily full of the things we do around Europe when we leave Berlin, here is some Berlin scenes from that weekend!
We had been encouraging our friend Nicole, from London to come and visit us in Berlin at some point. She was on a European passport, so could stay in Europe as long as she wanted - but we'd found out during one of our previous visits to London that she'd made the decision to call it quits and head home to Australia in November. She did make the time to come to Berlin in October, so we had a great time wandering around the city, showing her the sights etc. It actually wasn't her first visit to Berlin, but her 2nd - and she didn't like it the first time she was here and thought she didn't particularly like Berlin. By the end of the weekend though, she'd changed her mind on the city - and we had a blast having her come to stay! Although Sasha and I are fairly adept at showing people around Berlin now, this particular time afforded the opportunity for us to take our cameras with us and get some general Berlin photos which we do take from time to time. So, since this blog is usually very heavily full of the things we do around Europe when we leave Berlin, here is some Berlin scenes from that weekend! The Victory column bordered by autumnal trees from the Tierpark - the column dates from 1873 and commemorates Prussian victory over the Danish. It was moved to its current location (and raised on a new higher pedestal) by the Nazi's in the 1930's, one of the few actual traces that exist on the ground from the Nazi's plan to transform Berlin into Germania. Getting a bit arty in the Tiergarten after our picnic in the park More artyness with butterflies and bokeh in the Tiergarten - one of the rare times I used my 35mm prime lens! Cruising the markets in the RAW Gelande - a former railway workshops complex which is now one of the "cool" areas of Berlin, with various Art Studios, Night Clubs, a Craft Beer pub, a vintage furniture reseller, Rock Climbing facility and massive skate hall. This whole area is best described as grungy, but its all very safe feeling (after you realise the staring Gambian guys that hang around this general area are just trying to sell you marijuana). That little Gold telephone booth in the corner? That's a Teledisko, one of 4 and all are the smallest Disco's in the world, all of which are in Berlin (and yes Sasha and I have been in there - a bit cramped!) It wouldn't be a visit to Berlin without seeing some of The Wall. This is the best and longest stretch of the wall left - the East Side Gallery, now decorated with artwork (which has been restored). As an aside - the building on the far right is one of my work buildings where I was based for a while. Arty Bokeh with The Wall - the boat of refugees seems poignant given what the Wall stood for Gendarmenmarkt, where the Concert House is framed by two almost-identical churches on either side Fassbender & Rausch Chocolate store - upstairs is a Chocolate Cafe which has the most delicious hot chocolates and chocolate coffees as well as chocolate desserts, and downstairs is the shop with all the chocolate for sale and a variety of Chocolate sculptures. These sculptures range from Berlin landmarks such as the Reichstag, the TV Tower, the Kaiser Wilhelm Ruin Church, and transport items such as the Airbus A380 or as in this photo, the Titanic! Outside of the Humboldt University on Unter den Linden there is often trestle tables with books for sale, sometimes during the week but always at weekends unless it is raining. On this day however the book stalls spread into the courtyard of the university as well, the biggest I've ever seen it. I like this book market and think its location is especially important since across the road in front of the main Humboldt University building which housed (or still houses?) the Library is where the Nazi's piled the books they tore off the University Library's shelves and burned them. I think its a neat mark that at or near a place where someone tried to abolish books and knowledge, people are still making sure books are available to all and anyone who wants them. One of the weekend markets near Museum Island, this one sells art and craftware typically. One a few streets along usually sells 2nd hand items - from books and records to a range of white elephant, including old DDR coins, bank notes and various communist badges. If you're after genuine DDR material and not the tourist replicas found near Checkpoint Charlie and other places, then this is the market for you. The Berliner Dom on Museum Island lit up in autumnal afternoon sunshine, with the TV tower poking out behind and a statue from the Altes Museum visible. Can you spot the guy sitting at the base of the horse reading a book? The river Spree, which flows through Berlin and around both sides of Museum Island. The back of the Berliner Dom is to the left, on the lowest level on the right is the entrance to the DDR museum, and sightseeing boats in between! The Neptune Fountain and the Berlin Rathouse (Town Hall) behind it, at Alexanderplatz - when Berlin was divided, this was in the east and so this was the Town Hall of East Berlin. It is now the town hall of a unified Berlin. So that was a variety of scenes from our Berlin wanders with Nicole - and a few group shots of us wandering around thrown into the mix there. Oh and if you'd like to play a bit of a spotting game, go back through the photos and try and see how many times you can spot Sasha and Nicole in the various photos! They're not in all of them, but they are in some...
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A Kiwi out travelling in the UK and surrounding countries Archives
August 2019
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