December 26, 2007
Winter evening melancholia
Longing for sunlight, a sandy beach, green trees, blue water, vivid colors...
December 25, 2007
Christmas streets
Merry christmas everybody!!!
Here are just some impressions of Berlin during the pre-christmas days. Many rushed to get last minute presents and some others enjoyed the many small christmas markets everywhere with Glühwein and Bratwurst and christmas music (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mulled_wine).
First three pics show Schlosstrasse in Berlin-Steglitz.
This one shows the artificial slide in front of the Potsdamer Platz station, where Paris Hilton took a sledge ride a couple of days ago..
And here's the nice inside of the Sony center...
Here are just some impressions of Berlin during the pre-christmas days. Many rushed to get last minute presents and some others enjoyed the many small christmas markets everywhere with Glühwein and Bratwurst and christmas music (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mulled_wine).
First three pics show Schlosstrasse in Berlin-Steglitz.
This one shows the artificial slide in front of the Potsdamer Platz station, where Paris Hilton took a sledge ride a couple of days ago..
And here's the nice inside of the Sony center...
December 12, 2007
Illuminated trees
If you live in a place where half of the year the trees look like dead without their leaves and where grey daylight is visible only from 10 to 2 you have to be creative. So somebody invented the illuminated trees a couple of years ago.
It's nice and definitely an eye catcher. During the days of the UN world climate change conference it's questionable somehow, though.
Well...most things in life are a compromise between reason and fun :-)
It's nice and definitely an eye catcher. During the days of the UN world climate change conference it's questionable somehow, though.
Well...most things in life are a compromise between reason and fun :-)
November 28, 2007
Berlin Victory Column
Some pictures from the days before the current ice age hit Berlin (actually they were taken October 13th:-)
That day I had decided to climb up the Victory Column with my camera. Only about 250 steps, but I was dead when my untrained legs took me to the observation deck.
Usually I see at least one traffic accident somewhere when I drive through the huge roundabout, but this time it was a calm place...it was a Saturday..
The view is very nice. The column is right in the middle of the Tiergarten, the green heart of Berlin. Five major streets are connected by the roundabout.
The view toward the Brandenburg Gate and the TV tower. On this part of the Strasse des 17. Juni all of the Love Parades took place and the public viewing during the Soccer World Cup attracted one million party guests (including me :-).
The view along Hofjägerallee toward Potsdamer Platz. Not much to identify, I need a tele zoom lens...
Eventually the west view. On the left side we see the Teufelsberg, an artificial hill made from war debris, with the former NSA station on its top.
That day I had decided to climb up the Victory Column with my camera. Only about 250 steps, but I was dead when my untrained legs took me to the observation deck.
Usually I see at least one traffic accident somewhere when I drive through the huge roundabout, but this time it was a calm place...it was a Saturday..
The view is very nice. The column is right in the middle of the Tiergarten, the green heart of Berlin. Five major streets are connected by the roundabout.
The view toward the Brandenburg Gate and the TV tower. On this part of the Strasse des 17. Juni all of the Love Parades took place and the public viewing during the Soccer World Cup attracted one million party guests (including me :-).
The view along Hofjägerallee toward Potsdamer Platz. Not much to identify, I need a tele zoom lens...
Eventually the west view. On the left side we see the Teufelsberg, an artificial hill made from war debris, with the former NSA station on its top.
November 26, 2007
Dark Berlin
This is how Berlin looks in the morning and in the evening: dark. Living in darkness can cause major mental illness...I hope I can bear it somehow for the next months :-)
Autumn blues
Nothing much to report from the recent weeks, I'm sorry. Right now I'm trying to fight the autumn/winter blues with different tricks. Candlelight and red wine proved helpful :-)
October 24, 2007
Dresden - At Night
Last but not least a couple of nightly impressions of Dresden. Firstly another view along the Elbe..
...and then two different views of the Semperoper at night.
...and then two different views of the Semperoper at night.
Dresden - Details
Martin Luther looks skywards in front of the Frauenkirche. He is probably as surprised as I am because of the suddenly appearing blue sky.
The next pictures show a couple of architectural details to give an impression how playful the (remaining) old buildings of Dresden are designed.
And finally here it is as a whole: Europes newest old building, the reconstructed Frauenkirche. A truly beautiful building, inside and outside. Why don't we construct more of that kind nowadays?
By the way: only the very dark part of it on the left hand side was remaining after the war until very few years ago...
The next pictures show a couple of architectural details to give an impression how playful the (remaining) old buildings of Dresden are designed.
And finally here it is as a whole: Europes newest old building, the reconstructed Frauenkirche. A truly beautiful building, inside and outside. Why don't we construct more of that kind nowadays?
By the way: only the very dark part of it on the left hand side was remaining after the war until very few years ago...
Dresden - Views
A view along the river Elbe...
...and the famous Brühlsche Terrasse.
And here's the Frauenkirche behind the roofs. All pictures are taken from almost the same point.
...and the famous Brühlsche Terrasse.
And here's the Frauenkirche behind the roofs. All pictures are taken from almost the same point.
Grey evening in Dresden-Friedrichstadt
Just a 20-minute walk from the city center of Dresden is the quarter Friedrichstadt. It mainly consists of many empty buildings, a freight depot, a supermarket and one apartment house with holiday apartments for rent...where I stayed for the weekend. The weather was mostly grey and cloudy and the eventing was very quiet.
Hotel room Zwickau
A hotel room in Zwickau where I stayed for two nights. Not much more to say about this one...
October 16, 2007
Couple at odds
It seems a relationship can get difficult after hanging next to each other for a couple of centuries. At least she tries to turn in his direction...with a sad look on her face. Maybe she's regretting something she'd said 150 years ago, but he is still hurt... :-)
A sunny Sunday afternoon in Berlin
And it was quiet in the neighborhood.
The autumn sun is not very high, the rays barely made it to the ground.
Only the broad alleys like Unter den Linden got some light.
Nevertheless a perfect calm Sunday to forget the workdays rush.
And then the sun hit the road and the sweet weekend was already over again.
A little eye exercise: which building made it to 3 of the 5 pictures by thievishly popping up in the background? :-)
The autumn sun is not very high, the rays barely made it to the ground.
Only the broad alleys like Unter den Linden got some light.
Nevertheless a perfect calm Sunday to forget the workdays rush.
And then the sun hit the road and the sweet weekend was already over again.
A little eye exercise: which building made it to 3 of the 5 pictures by thievishly popping up in the background? :-)
September 30, 2007
Berlin Marathon 2007
This morning I woke up by the noise of a helicopter flying over the house. Oh, yes, it's the day of annual Berlin Marathon and the 40.000 participants of the race will pass my street. So I took my camera...
I wasn't quick enough to catch the best man (no wonder, he finished later in world record time) but I took a picture of the later female winner (in white stockings).
Watching the runners reminded me of my participation two years ago and made me feeling proud and a little bit sad at the same time. Maybe my first was not my last Marathon (....I guess the remembrance of the pains is fading away :-).
I wasn't quick enough to catch the best man (no wonder, he finished later in world record time) but I took a picture of the later female winner (in white stockings).
Watching the runners reminded me of my participation two years ago and made me feeling proud and a little bit sad at the same time. Maybe my first was not my last Marathon (....I guess the remembrance of the pains is fading away :-).
September 19, 2007
The summer leaves
As in every year there comes a time when the leaves change their colors (and it's suddenly dark already when I'm driving home:-). 
It looks so nice but unfortunately we all know what it means: the rainy and windy autumn and the cold and dark winter are about to enter the stage.
But still there are some sunflowers alive...
It looks so nice but unfortunately we all know what it means: the rainy and windy autumn and the cold and dark winter are about to enter the stage.
But still there are some sunflowers alive...
Restaurant boats
First I was surprised but at the second thought it is perfect logical. What's next following the invention of the urban beach bars? Right: restaurant boats. 
Few tables, but very special...and I like the sensation of the slow rolling in the waves when another boat passes.
Few tables, but very special...and I like the sensation of the slow rolling in the waves when another boat passes.
September 11, 2007
Hotel room series: Cottbus
Just to continue the series: this is the Radisson SAS in Cottbus. Unfortunately I just spent the night here on the travel through, got no time to discover the city...
September 02, 2007
Open Air Classic
One of the best locations to enjoy a concert of classical music is the beautiful Britzer Garten. Right in the center of the park is a small lake and in front of it a small hill, which is a perfect natural grandstand. So every year they construct a stage and invite 12000 people to enjoy a big orchestra and some famous singer artists. There are some seats in front of the stage but the real fans enjoy the slope of the hill, the best seats in the house :-)
It is funny to see how some of them are prepared. They bring chairs and even tables, blankets, food, coffee and wine, candles and other equipment to spend a great evening.
Of course it is sold out every year. And when the sun sets, the crowd gets silent and the music starts, everybody is certain about coming back next year.
The yearly culmination of the evening is the performance of the Fireworks Music by Georg Friedrich Haendel, accompanied by real fireworks which is fired in time with the beats of the music. Awesome..as the Americans say :-)
It is funny to see how some of them are prepared. They bring chairs and even tables, blankets, food, coffee and wine, candles and other equipment to spend a great evening.
Of course it is sold out every year. And when the sun sets, the crowd gets silent and the music starts, everybody is certain about coming back next year.
The yearly culmination of the evening is the performance of the Fireworks Music by Georg Friedrich Haendel, accompanied by real fireworks which is fired in time with the beats of the music. Awesome..as the Americans say :-)
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