Photo Essay of My Travels: Part 2

Hello again! Here is the second installment of photos from my recent traveling, this time they're of my visit to Laura in Berlin. They are just a few of the many pictures I took, so if you're unhappy with the selection, you can let me know and I can always post more. So here it is: Berlin.

People in Berlin, like in Copenhagen, bike a lot. I just wish that Paris had bikes like this, all over the place. Perhaps when it gets warmer? I just think that if everyone had one, then a) the metro would be less crowded, and b) I would be able to find one for cheap. But for now I’m content to use mass transit. It is incredibly easy and does go everywhere (that’s a not so subtle jab at the transportation system in the Twin Cities!).

Laura had an amazing room. I’m so jealous that I had to show everyone the amazing place that she lives in. It’s just huge, artsy, with wood floors and beautiful, big windows. It’s ok though, I’ve over my envy. Well, sorta.

The Reichstag, which we climbed to get a view of the city and of the chamber where the parliament votes.

The dome on top of the Reichstag, with it’s incredible glass cone that looks right down on the seats of the representatives. It also has these really spirally stairs that made me a little dizzy. If it had been a clear night, we could have seen stars from the hole in the top of the dome.

The Fernsehturm, or TV Tower, Laura’s favorite thing in Berlin. She’s actually got about 200 some photos of it. I’m not sure if she has pictures of anything else in Berlin. We went up to the top, which has a rotating restaurant, where we bought beers and dessert (so German). It was an incredible view of the city, and better still, there were explanations (in English, no less) of what you were looking at as you went around the tower.

The really haunting remains of a church, bombed out during WWII. That was one of the most impressive things about Berlin, the combination of really new architecture with bombed-out, relics of the city that used to exist before the wars.

The castle close to Laura's apartment. In the spring and summer, I guess the gardens are great, because they're designed in swirls and patterns of different colors. We, however, were more concerned with feeding the ducks.

This is the really famous East-Berlin walking guy (not actually sure what to call it). I think these guys are so adorable. They’re also hard to photograph, because you have to stop in the middle of the road and they only seem to be located at really busy intersections. But don’t worry, I didn’t get run over, so all is well.

The Holocaust memorial, which doesn’t look really deep until you enter inside. Then you’re totally surrounded by these huge, tombstone-like structures that tower above you. I thought it was incredibly appropriate, because it takes a while to walk through, and you can easily lose your way or the people you’re with, forcing you to really just reflect. I know that it was pretty controversial, but I thought it really does what that kind of memorial should.

The Berlin wall, or at least what remains of it. We walked along the western side, which is I guess the side that didn’t have art commissioned for it, so it’s just really amazing graffiti. I just couldn’t believe our luck that, despite the cold rain, the sun came out and made a rainbow over the wall. I feel like that has to symbolize something, right?

Check-point Charlie, where you can pay to have your passport stamped by a guy dressed up in an army uniform (I opted out of waiting in a line of tourists). It was really strange to just be there, a place that used to be such a big deal. Now there’s a museum, cafes and tourist shops all around. But the sign still stands, letting you know which side you’re on. A little bit eerie. Especially since all over the city they’ve paved a line where the wall used to stand. Strange to think that Berlin used to be cut into two parts like that!

And that's where I'll finish for now. Hopefully I'll finish these posts soon, so that I can get you all up to date with my internship and life back in Paris. Enjoy the weekend!

Love,
Liza