Berlin Gallery

A huge selection of shots here

Buttercup at Wombat's hostel after her first night in Berlin. She was pretty chirpy!


Self explanatory!


I took this on Sunday (Sonntag) when i went back to the gay festival. It was a generic dyke with guitar act, and all the girls were really getting into it. She was funny, sang half German & half English, but the English was so accented i couldnt understand any of her lyrics and the one's where I could, the lyrics were appalling. But I really enjoyed and it proved to me the universality of lots of gay culture. In particular, the way the girls watching behaved. Could have been in any Midsumma event really. It made me laugh.


Another one taken the same day at the fest. Some people get off on strange things!


A stall of gingerbread at the festival. So delectable and finely decorated.


I like this shot. In Eastern Germany, the Communist Party built huge amounts of the lego style standard brown apartment blocks. Part of their rule meant that all people had a state house, a job and food. All over Berlin (in the old East) there are still these brown blocks as far as the eye can see. Looks a bit like Carlton commission places, but these particular ones are the type that have been 'capitalised' and renovated... or at least given some colour!!


This is the New Jewish synagogue (which is actually really old). In the Kristallnacht when the Nazis reigned terror on the Jews one night smashing everything in sight (giving it the name Night of Broken Glass), the Nazis came to pillage this one and a German police man stood on the steps and forbade them. Most of them backed away except for a couple of rogue Blackshirts who went round the back and started a fire. There are still traces of this fire at the top of the dome but for the most part the Synagogue survived war bombing. Its such a majestic building.


The Star of David at the top.


Inside the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. Its huge and unnerving. All the concrete slabs put in at odd angles on undulating earth. Too narrow to walk two abreast, and easy to get lost. The earth shape reminded me of the gasses in the mass graves that made the earth move for years afterward. Such a great memorial, but interestingly the American Jewish artist has been accused of stealing the concept from Daniel Leibeskind who designed the Jewish Museum here. Both opened around the same time and Leibeskind's features a similar memorial (supposedly - I'm yet to go there).


This was taken outside the Berliner Dom, which is a cathedral in one of the central squares. It was taken right at the end of the walking tour. The next day (yesterday) I went back and was amazed by the insides. Again, hugely damaged in the war and only recently restored having rotted away in the East for 40 years.


The Museum (now creatively called the Old Museum). It is to the direct left of the Berliner Dom, around the same square. Was the site for many of Hitlers huge torchlight rallies, and I recognise the insignia on the top from so many of his speeches. Was a spine tingling moment to stand there.


Even more spine chilling was taking this photo. This is the site of Hitlers Bunker. Below this spot was where he suicided and where he stayed for the remaining 3 months of the war. He and Eva Braun married in the bunker on the day before their death and Goebells brought their bodies to between these 3 trees and burned them. Later the skull, teeth and more recently DNA has been matched to prove it was actually Hitler that was found here. Such a nondescript place. People spat on the ground.


This is my reflection in the soil on the spot where Hitler's body burned.


A random sign on a light pole that is near my hostel.


The site of the Nazi Book Burning looking across to Humbolt University's front entrance. Notice the rainbow flag!


Random Berliner graffiti. There is some phenomenal art here. Amazing. And absolutely everywhere.


Generic house... but look at all those genuine war residual bullet holes!!


This was the SS Luftwaffe high command centre. One of the only Nazi buildings to survive the war. Still used as a government building too!


The Brandenberg Gate. Site of every political victory with a march through. The Nazis marched through here, so did Napoleon... which is why it is still on Parisier Place. At the minute it has Coke signage all down the bottom and through the other side is a huge stage in preparations for tonight's big soccer match here in Berlin.