Book box

I was surprised to find this "Book Box" just outside of Grunewald station. There is one just steps from my apartment and I thought it was unique to the city. You never know what you might find when you decide to venture out a bit!

Day's end

The old listening station was a fantastic place for photos. I hope you've enjoyed the tour, although I might have to feature a few more shots here and there.

Until then, enjoy the beautiful sunset. Hope you have a wonderful weekend! Enjoy more skies at Skywatch.

Geometry

Looking up inside one of the few radomes (bubble things) that hasn't been touched. It was already pretty monochrome in its original state, but I liked it even better with added black and white.

Signs of the times

Another look at the old listening station on Teufelsberg. I do hope the artists will be able to fund a restoration effort. It would be a shame for this piece of history to become another commercialized property. For more signs, visit Signs, Signs.

Listening station

Since so many of you were curious about the listening station, I thought I'd post a few pictures with a better overall view. Teufelsberg is located in what was formerly the American sector of Berlin. During the Cold War, devices that could intercept communications from the Russian sector of Berlin (East Berlin) were housed inside those bubbles, officially known as radomes.

The listening station has been abandoned for many years now. There was a proposal to destroy the old buildings and build a hotel on the site, but the plan was opposed by Berliners. Today the space is run by a group of street artists who give guided tours of the site. They hope to eventually raise enough money to turn the space into an artist's retreat and gallery of sorts. We'll see where the future takes us... You can read more about Teufelsberg and the listening stations by clicking on the links above.

More from Teufelsberg

These two works are painted on the inside of one of the old, tattered listening stations on Teufelsberg. 

Maybe it's the lack of color, but there is something haunting about these images. For more murals, visit Monday Mural.

PS: I'm back in Berlin and hope to get caught up visiting all the blogs soon. Hope you enjoyed the posts while I was away.

Maybe famous

I believe this is a portrait of someone famous, but I'm not sure who! I found her at the old American listening station on Teufelsberg. This photo was also among my choices for this month's theme. For more murals, take a look at Monday Mural.

March theme day: Aging

A structure showing its age. Found at the old Teufelsberg listening station. A new month is here, for more interpretations of Aging, click here.

Nighttime reflections

I've been doing the yearly round of Christmas markets again this season. Last weekend was Schloss Grunewald where I got this night reflection of the lake. It's sort of spooky with the lights from the market glowing on the right. Somehow I think it looks even better in black and white. 

The weekend is upon us again! I will be using my time to do some Christmas shopping and of course helping with the apartment renovations where I can. Hope you have something fun planned as well. Don't forget to visit Weekend Reflections.

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!

Frozen over

Here's a look back at the few cold days we had here in January. It was cold enough that the Grunewaldsee was frozen over for a few days. A few people ventured out more towards the middle of the lake, but most stayed on the edges where it was safer. It's always fun to go walking on the lakes in the winter, but I'm glad the season wasn't so harsh this year. A couple of weeks of cold was enough for me, although I have to admit the snow was pretty, especially under such beautiful light.

February theme day: Entry

I suppose this could be an entrance or an exit depending on how you look at it. In any case, I was exiting the castle courtyard and while the dog was entering it!

It's once again the first of the month and February's theme is "Entry". If you'd like to see more interpretations of the theme from around the world, visit the CDP website.

Snowy bench and camouflage dog

I went out to the Grunewald over the weekend. Parts of the smaller ponds and lakes were frozen over, so there were lots of people out enjoying the bit of sun and blue sky we had. There were also plenty of dogs! But most of them were quite friendly and excited to meet new friends. 

It's finally Friday! Learning German really wears me out, so I am ready for a short break. My weekend looks pretty free right now. What about you, do you have any big plans?