Wednesday Vacation Blogging: Berlin
Taking a break from politics for a while, here are more in the continuing series of pictures meant to bore you to tears from one of my recent vacations. This past weekend, I put on a jacket I hadn't worn in some time, and in one of the pockets I found a ticket and a map to the Berlin Metro. That seemed like a sign to me. We were only there briefly, on a one-day stop from Prague to Amsterdam (and that largely thanks to a much-appreciated recommendation by John from blogenlust), but we got out and saw some sights and took pictures as much as we could. I'm sorry now that we didn't spend more time there; we'll definitely go back when we get a chance.
As always, click on the pictures to get a larger version.
The Reichstag.
The Bundestag is still pockmarked with thousands of bullet holes, especially around the windows, from the fierce street fighting in 1945.
The building that probably fascinated us the most, the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church. It was bombed in World War II, and has been preserved, unrestored, just as it was then.
From another angle, with the new bell tower.
...And again.
The night view.
Close-up of one of the stained glass panels on the new bell tower.
Not sure if this is supposed to be "Heil Hitler!" or "Hello, sailor!", but these fiberglass bears, painted in different styles and colors, are all over Berlin.
The Brandenburg Gate, at one time the border between East and West Berlin.
A diorama about a hundred yards in front of it depicts the scene in 1945.
The Holocaust Memorial.
Public art, bulletin board, trash can, or combination of all three?
We found Jesus in Berlin. He's apparently quite successful there as a jeweler. Who knew?
We didn't ride in it ourselves, but we saw this balloon making numerous excursions up over the city.
Because so much of Berlin was destroyed in WWII bombing, today it's very much a modern city, with lots of very interesting architecture. It was probably the most modern city we saw in Europe.
More public art, with the Kaiser Wilhelm Church in the background.
Auf wiedersehen!
As always, click on the pictures to get a larger version.
The Reichstag.The Bundestag is still pockmarked with thousands of bullet holes, especially around the windows, from the fierce street fighting in 1945. The building that probably fascinated us the most, the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church. It was bombed in World War II, and has been preserved, unrestored, just as it was then.From another angle, with the new bell tower....And again.The night view.Close-up of one of the stained glass panels on the new bell tower.Not sure if this is supposed to be "Heil Hitler!" or "Hello, sailor!", but these fiberglass bears, painted in different styles and colors, are all over Berlin.The Brandenburg Gate, at one time the border between East and West Berlin.A diorama about a hundred yards in front of it depicts the scene in 1945.The Holocaust Memorial.Public art, bulletin board, trash can, or combination of all three?We found Jesus in Berlin. He's apparently quite successful there as a jeweler. Who knew?We didn't ride in it ourselves, but we saw this balloon making numerous excursions up over the city.Because so much of Berlin was destroyed in WWII bombing, today it's very much a modern city, with lots of very interesting architecture. It was probably the most modern city we saw in Europe.More public art, with the Kaiser Wilhelm Church in the background.Auf wiedersehen!
posted by Generik at 7:32 AM
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