8 Mai 2009 - Berlin

Some friends from Prague came to visit this weekend! It was so great to see them and show them around Berlin-- it made me realize how familiar Berlin feels now, how comfortable I am within it. It was also fun to see Berlin through their eyes-- literally, my camera was lost (temporarily) so the following pictures are borrowed from A, who is an excellent photographer (with an excellent camera).

The girls rolled into Berlin at the crack of dawn (thanks, Student Agency Bus), so we got an early start and headed to Kreuzburg and the East Side Gallery.

So stark
und doch verletzbar
das Volk, der Mensch
der Wald, der Baum

So strong and yet vulnerable
the people, man
the forest, the tree

Not much was open at 6am on a Saturday, so we walked around, got coffee and baked goods, and enjoyed the tourist-free atmosphere. This street performer is here all the time, on Karl-Marx-Allee. He juggles during red lights and then walks between the cars, gathering Trink-Geld (tips).

The Holocaust memorial is a photographer's dream, with the angles and different shades of tone.