The trip to Berlin was impromptu and rather hastily planned if you will, but thats what made it even more fun. We reached Berlin early friday morning after the Deutsche Bahn's City Night Lines (CNL) had done its bit to keep us fresh after a long journey. We took a walking tour in the city and one could not help but feel the history in the air....Berlin had truly arrived..
The Brandenburg Gate has become one of the symbols of berlin and if oft the most photographed location in Berlin. Situated in the west of the city center at the intersection of Unter den Linden and Ebertstrasse, immediately west of the Pariser Platz it is a hub of all touristic activities and attractions. Its studded with embassies, museums and hotels on one side and the Reichstag and other on the other historical monuments in its vicitnity.
We reached the Berliner Dome after the afternoon sun peeked through the overcast sky for the first time in the day. This was the last stop for the walking tour, but this is where the guide unfolded the most unbelievable story about the sequence of events leading up to the falling of the berlin wall... The 28 years of separation faded into oblivion with the falling of the wall due to two words. Two hastily spoken words and that too of misjudgment and uncertainty..Two words and it was all over..."sofort, unverzüglich"
The Charlottenburg schloss is the largest palace in Berlin. Built in several stages the original, central part was constructed during the end of seventeenth century. It was intended as the summer home for Sophie Charlotte, Elector Frederick III's wife. What interested us was no the history but what it had to offer for the camera :).
Being an avid sports fan I have a natural inclination towards stadiums and their grandeur. The Olympic stadium was relatively less frequented by the ever flocking tourists, but it was one of the most breathtaking examples of enormity and scale.
If the walkway to the olympic torch did not inspire awe because of the sheer feeling of sharing the same path which some of the legends once tread, the pic certainly does now ;)
The next stop was at the Deutsch Opera and it wasnt longer than an actual F1 pit-stop.
The Reichstag which is the German Parliament was the final stop. Arguably one of the most important monuments in 20th century history, it provided a photographers delight with the amazing view. The Reichstag dome is the iconic large glass dome at the very top of the building. The dome has a 360 degree view of the surrounding Berlin cityscape. The main hall of the parliament below can also be seen from the cupola probably symbolic of two things. Firstly, that everything which goes on inside is transparent to the people and secondly, the people are at the top and the lawmakers are beneath them. What an idea sirjee.....
The streets of berlin also didnt fail to offer a thing or two. This shot was near Checkpoint Charlie and the Souvenir shops were at their colorful best...
Note: blogspot does not display all the pictures (in higher resolution) correctly somehow. Visit http://picasaweb.google.com/picsforavi/BerlinHDRs# for that.
