Bright

Even up to September the flowers were still blooming bright in my MiL's garden. This shade of yellow is especially cheerful. Hope you've had a wonderful weekend!

Home for sale

My MiL bought this birdhouse a few years ago at the Christmas market. She puts it out faithfully every year, but no one ever moves in. She does get tenants in other boxes though, I guess the birds around here are just choosy!

KDW gate

If you get up early enough, you can see the gate in front of the famed KDW department store. Once it opens its doors, the gate disappears. Too bad, because it's quite ornate. It's Friday - hope you have some nice plans for the weekend. We are hoping to move into our apartment before Christmas so I predict a "working" weekend, but at least there's a target in sight! And don't forget to visit Good Fences.

Fancy bridge

I recently showed you the Oberbaumbrücke by night during the 25 year Mauerfall celebrations. Now here's a better look at the bridge in the daytime. It really is quite lovely, especially under a blue September sky.

PS: Happy Thanksgiving to all my American friends! Eat some pumpkin pie for me. 

An Italian in Berlin

The Carlos Giuliano Park is not far from the Mauer Garden which I showed you earlier this week. I did a little research and found that Carlos Giuliani was an Italian man who was shot and killed during G8 protests in Genoa, Italy in 2001. I'm not sure why there is a park named after him in Berlin, but there it it! You'll find more information on Giuliani here. And you can get your weekly sign fix at Signs, Signs.

Saint Michael

Here is a look at the remains of Sankt-Michael-Kirche in Mitte. Unfortunately, the church was badly damaged during the war and has never been fully restored, although parts of the building are still used. Sadly it wasn't open when I visited, but you can read more about the church here. Don't forget to take a look at Rubbish Tuesday for more old stuff.

On the fence

After looking through my archives, I have realized that I probably don't need to take any more new photos for months! But I suppose it is nicer when the shots are seasonally appropriate. Although it looks bright and summery, this photo was actually taken in September; we had a fantastic Indian summer in Berlin this year. 

I found the bird mural at the Mauer Garten in Kreuzberg. It's an interesting section of the city where many people live out of caravans or in other makeshift lodgings. It's Monday again, so don't forget to visit Monday Mural for your weekly fix!

Oberbaumbrücke reflections

Reflections of the Lichtgrenze from the Oberbaumbrücke. The focus in this shot is not quite as good as I'd hoped, I was using a wall for a tripod but the bridge was still pretty far away. I hope you have enjoyed this look at the celebrations in Berlin. I'll be out of town next week - I'm off to Spain for a week of golf. For more reflections, visit Weekend Reflections.

Balloons in black and white

You may not be able to tell, but this photo is black and white. The Brandenburg Gate is off in the distance.

Think!

There was a short film showing on a loop near Checkpoint Charlie in the days leading up to the balloon release. I find looking back at the times when Berlin was divided so interesting - the city has changed so much! Some parts of it are even unrecognizable from before. This was a sign the West Berliners put up to remind the young men in the watchtowers in East Berlin to think instead of shooting. Good advice, I think, but probably not heeded. For more signs, take a look at Signs, Signs.

Balloon wall

Another look at the Lichtgrenze on the evening before the balloons were released. This was also taken near Checkpoint Charlie.

Letting go

I got an excellent spot last night to see the Lichtgrenze fly away! I was right under a balloon - sorry it's not totally in focus, but you can see how they flew up to the sky. It was a really nice and moving way to celebrate such a big event. I feel so lucky to live in a city with so much history.

25 years!

It's hard to believe it's been twenty-five years since the Berlin Wall fell. It has been so interesting seeing all the films and interviews with people on how life was before the wall fell. I love the personal stories especially. This photo was taken at the Lichtgrenze last night at Checkpoint Charlie. I'm going back into town tonight to see the balloon release. Hope I can get some more nice photos of the event. Hope you are having a wonderful weekend!

Piece of sky

 If you look up inside the Neue Wache, you just might be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of sky like this one. It's Friday again - do you have any big plans for the weekend? Sunday marks the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall so I will definitely be downtown for the celebrations. Otherwise I'll just be working on my golf game. Don't forget to look at Skywatch for more skies from around the world.

Patent bear

I found this Buddy Bear outside the offices of a patent lawyer. So I guess his name Patent Bear is fitting! 

One year

It's hard to believe I've been in Berlin for a whole year now. In some ways it feels like I've been here longer and it some ways it seems like I just arrived yesterday. The city mostly feels like home now, although sometimes I miss the people and places left behind. Let's enjoy this beautiful sunset from Teufelsberg and think on the good times to come!

Marx and Engels

Due to construction of the new Stadtschloss, the Marx-Engels Forum has been all but lost. After some searching, I was able to find my old friends earlier this year. These two guys have always drawn tourists who like to climb up on Marx's lap and pose for a photo. This large work is a leftover from the GDR days, but there's something kitschy and unreal about it that I like.

Battle of Berlin

One room in the German-Russian Museum is fully dedicated to the Battle of Berlin. In addition to the visual impact of this mural, there are sounds of guns firing and people crying out; it really had quite an impact on me. For more murals, visit Monday Mural.

November theme day: Landmark

Choosing just one landmark in a city filled with so much history was really hard! Since this year marks the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, I thought a visit to the East Side Gallery would be appropriate. This particular work is one of my favorites, it's by Russian artist Dmitri Vrubel and shows Breshnev (the Soviet leader) and Honecker (the East German leader) kissing. The kiss really happened in 1979 when the two communist leaders were at a celebration of the 30th anniversary of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany). Hope you like it too!

A new month has begun, I'm taking part in the CDP Theme Day for November. You will find other landmarks from around the world here.