A Sunday Morning Walk

Have I mentioned lately how much I love Berlin?  Taking a walk at sunrise in Autumn and its like falling in love with this city all over again. 

Christoper Street Day Parade in Berlin

A week or so ago I got to go watch Berlin's Gay Pride Parade.  The city has a long and interesting history regarding the acceptance and treatment of GLBT people (I encourage to read about 1920s Berlin and its Cabaret culture, and the subsequent well-known persecution of Gays under Hitler) - but  it certainly is open and accepting now (one of the many many reasons I love Berlin!).  The cities mayor is openly gay and so every year the Pride celebration (called "Christoper Street Day" here) is quite the event that is heavily supported by the city.   There were tons of floats bringing attention to important issues - the treatment of Gays in Iran, by the Catholic church, speaking up for adoption and marriage rights, and then of course some floats just for fun - celebrating the Drag culture, advertising Sex Toy shops and handing out condoms :)   I had SO much fun at the parade (it helps if you like Lady Gaga haha) and thought I would share a couple of photos.  

Where have I been?!

The past few months seem like they have gone by in about 1 nanosecond. I left for a long trip to the United States on December 15 (my first trip home in the year and half I have lived in Germany) and got sick pretty much the day I was supposed to come home. After long flights and a long recovery from a nasty virus and lots and lots of snow in Berlin, I am finally coming up for air.



Before I got sick though, that trip in beautiful and sunny Southern California was awesome. I got to take advantage of the exchange rate and do some shopping, eat all the fish tacos I could, drive around in my parents convertible, and even spend some time on the beach. The weather was positively dreamy and I soaked up all of the sun's warm rays that I could, hoping that they would carry me through the winter (January still almost killed me with the lack of sun and ridiculously cold temperatures in Berlin).



I also got to play with my camera quite a bit - including making my cute 15 year old (almost 16! woohoo!) sister and her BFF model for me while I got a bit of much needed practice with my speedlite. We had so much fun taking the photos and enjoying the sun (they even took me out to an awesome Hawaiian cafe after where I got to indulge in some kalua pig and mac salad....mmmm hawaiian food....).



It was a lovely trip that made me miss Berlin terribly while also wanting to move back to SoCal. That is the problem of moving around so much - you never quite feel planted and always find yourself missing someplace else, no matter where you are.

Berlin

Here are a few shots from the official Mauerfall celebration. It was a huge circus with tons of people, most of which weren't speaking German. It was also terrible terrible weather. I got these few shots before it really started pouring and we decided to spend the rest of the evening sitting comfortably inside a restuarant that was overlooking the dominoes. There were lots of speeches, lots of horribly cheesy music, but the domino thing did look pretty cool once they finally fell. I had intended to go to Bornholmerstrasse earlier in the day as well, but after I got nearly there I realized I had forgotten my memory cards and had to go home. Typical me. I think its great that they made such a big deal out of this anniversary - not just on November 9 but this whole past year. Anything that draws attention to the amazing city of Berlin and gets people visiting here I think is a good thing.

I say all the time how much I love Berlin and think its the best city in the world - and people always want me to explain why that is and I find I have a hard time putting into words what makes this city so special. Its just so lively, so accepting, so embracing of art, so open and free. Its inexpensive to live here so the people here are all (for the most part) real, normal, working people from literally all over the world. I love being surrounded by so much history and seeing how they rebuilt this city from rubble over the course of the past 60 years. I love the bike paths that make traveling on bicycle so easy, I love that harmless drugs have been decriminalized, that the city is full of parks, street art, art galleries and independent designers. I love all the second hand stores, flea markets, and farmers markets that go year round. I love the clean and cheap public transportation that makes having a car unnecessary and keeps the streets free from the congestion so many other cities are stricken with. I could go on and on.

Really, you should just come to Berlin and see for yourself :)

20 Years Ago

I thought this was an especially interesting video of that night 20 years ago. Hard to believe I was 9 and living in a small town in Oklahoma and now I call this amazing city home and those crazy East Berliners my friends.

My camera and I are leaving now to go photograph all the celebrations around the city today. I just wish it was better weather! Look for photos and such soon :)

Vino

Someday I will visit Napa Valley, California, Bordeaux, France and Tuscany, Italy. I would at least like to visit the Mosel wine regions here in Germany. I love the way vineyards look in the Autumn, the combination of colors is just gorgeous - the browns from the vines, the greens, yellows and reds from the leaves and the deep purple and blue hues from the grapes.

These Merlot Grapes were growing in the terraced vineyard behind Sanssouci Palace, the summer palace of Frederick the Great. Supposedly they still harvest and make wine from these grapes , which would be fun to try.

This print is a now available in my Etsy shop! I am trying to make some note cards and similar items as well, look for something soon :)

Abandoned

Last week I got to go explore an abandoned Amusement Park. It was a place I had been dying to get into ever since I moved to Berlin, and wish I could go back to many times (unfortunately you have to pay the security guards to get in). It was awesome to explore, but also a bit sad. Like a quickly abandoned childhood, overgrown with the dust and weeds of adult troubles. The whole place just seemed like a picture of lost innocence. It seemed almost like a metaphor for Berlin itself.

Word has it the place shut down because the owners were using the rides to smuggle cocaine (they would get 'repaired' in Peru and come back full of it), though I think it was already bankrupt at that point. Now they are sitting in jail and their security staff is charging photographers and film makers to use the place. While we were there they were setting up to film the next day - some vampire movie. I think its the perfect location for it.

You can see more photos on my Flickr page or on my Facebook Page

Autumn love

I love this time of year. Once I get over the loss of summer I love Autumn wholeheartedly. There are so many good things to eat, such beautiful colors on the trees, cool crisp autumn air....oh wait, except in Berlin we skipped that part and went straight to freezing bitter cold winter air. Its the coldest October ever on record here. Lets hope that is not a trend that stays with us during the winter.

I feel like I talk about the weather alot...I guess its just a big part of life, especially when you are not in the protection of a vehicle as you make your way about town. It really sucks when its cold and raining and you need to be somewhere and actually need to still look nice when you arrive. I love not having a car. LOVE IT. Really, I do. But - it really makes you more concerned with the weather.

Oh, and these prints you see are available (of course) in my etsy shop!

More Empty Chairs

Empty Stairs

Empty Chairs

I heart Berlin

I am so in love with the city lately. Maybe its all the sunshine mixed with thunderstorms, I don't know. But lately, I have been enjoying beautiful Berlin more than I have in months. In the past few weeks I have gone to Wannsee and taken a boat ride, explored an abandoned hospital, taken my dog on a picnic to the park, visited KaDaWe and discovered there is a place to get Diet Dr. Pepper in this city, attended a wedding of a good friend, eaten copious amounts of Asparagus and Strawberries, and had a birthday party where I heard a really frickin awesome cool new band (who also happened to just be the coolest people ever). Tomorrow I have a friend from the states coming to visit (yay!) and I can't wait to get out and explore even more!

May Day

Wow. May Day in Berlin is CRAZY! I mean, everyone warned us its a little nuts, but really it exceeded my expectations.

The night before is a huge holiday in Germany as well - Walpurgisnacht. Boxhaganer Platz, just a few blocks from our house, was the sight of some of the major protests/parties here in Berlin and it got pretty crazy. At one point we counted 9 huge Police Vans go down the street, and I didn't get much sleep what with people breaking bottles on my window sill all night.

The next day we headed to Kreuzberg were the big festival was happening for May Day - and it was probably the biggest party just out in the streets I have ever seen. It was a blast!

I can't just choose one photo - here is a slideshow of the whole thing (yeah because after like 2 years of using it I just figured out you can do this with Flickr!):

Guten Abend

The weather is changing around here and everyone can tell spring is just about here. The other night, there was a beautiful sunset and around twilight it was a perfect blue sky. I was in heaven. The second photo is of the famed TV tower, a landmark of east Berlin.


(PS - the title means "Good Evening" in German)

Hello, Nice to See You

Hi. You may have noticed I haven't been around in awhile. Well, I have been. I just haven't posted anything. This is mostly due to the fact that I could not edit any of my photos from my new 50d. See, I like to shoot in RAW, and the new Canons all are using .cr2 files - something my version of Photoshop (CS2) does and will not read. So, oh darn, I had to update to CS4 Extended version. I think I like it...alot...but I am going to have to install another couple of GB of RAM this weekend if I don't want my computer to burst into flames.

So, new camera requires new software, which requires new computer hardware. Awesome.

I have been playing lots with it though (I think I need to give 'it' a name...suggestions?) - here is one I took the other day while I was walking through my neighborhood enjoying the unseasonably warm temperatures (don't worry, those went away).

To me, this picture is so Berlin. I love how in Berlin (and much of Europe) it is so much easier and acceptable for bikes to be your primary transportation.

Rise Against at Columbia Halle

Saturday night I got to see Rise Against for the second time. They put on a great show - they are pretty intense and really paced out their set so that the crowd didn't die of exhaustion. Pictures were a little tricky seeing as the entire room was one giant mosh pit, so there is just the one.

I did not like the venue very much at all. It was just a little too big, the acoustics were not good at all, the security staff were really mean, and the little narrow hallway/stairwell to the Garderobe (coat check) was horrible. Trying to retrieve your coat at the end of the show was a little scary. That being said, you have a decent view of the stage no matter where you stand and they keep the air flowing good so that it doesn't get too claustrophobic in the center of the crowd. Just try to avoid standing near the bar or you will constantly have people pushing past you.

Also, one of the problems with Rise Against is they have gotten so popular that you get all the idiots at their shows. Like very fat drunk dudes who like to take their shirts off and bulldoze through the crowd (and give Cory sweaty bear hugs).

Still though - I personally love Rise Against and they sound amazing live. They had an incredible energy at this show and didn't lose the crowd even when they did an acoustic set (have you ever seen an acoustic set at a punk show? me neither - but most of my favorite bands have done acoustic tracks. I would love to hear Bad Religion do an acoustic set)

Here have a listen....the second track is one of the acoustics they played at the show and it was pretty powerful live.

Ruth Jacobi Exhibition at the Jewish Museum

I finally went to the Jewish Museum here in Berlin. Its an excellent museum. I was surprised by the intense security - guards out front and everything you bring in has to go through the xray.

Daniel Libeskind is the architect and the building itself is one of the most interesting parts of the museum. It is a collection of weird angles - including the floor itself that is quite unsettling. Light comes in at strange angles and there are empty voids and gardens that evoke strong feelings when you stand in them. There are a lot of areas in Berlin where you can learn about Holocaust victims - I found this one especially interesting because of the personal nature of it. There are small exhibits lining the slanted, angular axis of personal items of people who both fell victim to the extermination and escaped it through emigration.

It was definitely one of the best museums I have visited so far in Berlin (a close second to the German History Museum on Museum Island). I want to go back with a good camera (I was lazy that day and didn't bring mine...something I have been doing a lot lately, not sure what my problem is)

The special exhibit was the highlight for me though - famed Jewish photograph Ruth Jacobi. I absolutely love her work...especially her series on the east side of New York during the 1920's.

Here are a few grainy photos taken with my horrible horrible Point and shoot (seriously, I HATE that camera). The last is the "Fallen Leaves" exhibit by artist Menashe Kadishman, representing all those who died. Like I said, I need to go back to this place with my other camera!

Alkaline Trio at The Lido

On Sunday night I got to go see one of my favorite bands live (this was our second time, we last saw them in Arizona about 4 years ago). Not just live, but at one of the best venues I have been to - The Lido in Kreuzberg. Conveniently, its just block away from me and Cory's work. Not that it mattered on a Sunday night, but anyway...the show was completely amazing. So much energy, such good stage presence...and an awesome crowd. We came away from from the show with lots of new friends.

Of course, when I got there my camera died immediately. Grrr. Luckily, quite a few people at the concert already uploaded videos but the quality isn't the greatest. No pictures up yet that I can find though. The second video was apparantly someone standing directly next to me. Check out the third video for a good listen if you don't know Alkaline Trio, because I personally find them to be quite excellent.

And if you live in Berlin or are interested in living in Berlin, here is more information on Lido.

Next weekend I get to see Rise Against for the second time - the first was 4 or 5 years ago at the Marquee Theater in Tempe - they opened for Bad Religion and it was the first I had heard them (I also moshed with Tim McIlrath, the lead singer later in that show -ooh Im so cool! It was one of the best concerts ever...) this time they are headlining and it will be at Columbia Halle. I am excited!

Frozen

It snowed, which was fun. Then it snowed some more. Then it got cold. And colder. And even colder. Tonight, its supposed to get down to something like minus five degrees Farenheit! I don't know if I have ever in my life been in temperatures that cold. No seriously.



I guess we are having the same weather as SIBERIA. Um, yeah...



So we have been doing a whole lot of staying inside and snuggling the past few days. Because when we go outside we fall and seriously bruise our tail bones because the sidewalks are covered in ice...

Ahhh, Berlin

I love this city. We woke up on the new year with the ground covered in snow. The next day, everything was white, the sun was shining and it was just beautiful. I have watched this lady play on this bridge so many times but with all the snow the other day it just looked so iconic. One of my favorite things about the city is all the accordion players you hear on the streets.