I am a doughnut

As JFK once famously said, "I am a doughnut". 

Of course, what he actually wanted to say was I am a Berliner, and no one in the crowd was rude enough to point out his mistake. Or maybe he wanted to be a doughnut, who knows?

I bring this up because Berlin is one of my favourite cities. Perhaps not as cultured as London, Berlin has a vibrancy all its own, that can only be achieved if you have had to be rebuilt many times in the last 100 years. 

And unlike Paris, it does not take itself too seriously, and it is on a human scale that allows you to easily explore it compared to say Tokyo.

In Berlin, you cannot but help stumbling on history, even if over the years Berliners has shown themselves adept in brushing it out. Berlin is a city that is always moving forward and tries not to look backward too much.

I first went to Berlin in 2001. It was only 12 years since the Berlin Wall had come down, but even at that point almost all trace of it had been removed. The only sign that it had existed was the rougher U-Bahn stations and the Stalinist architecture on the former Eastern side. However, even at that point the Reichstag had already been returned to its former glory with a shiny glass dome crowning it, even If you looked closely, you could still see patched bullet marks as a sign of its past.

Standing on top of the Reichstag, and looking over the city, I remember looking at the forest of cranes and saying to my wife "It'll be nice when it's finished"

Since then, I have had the opportunity to visit a number of times through work, and there always seem to be construction and building going on, so Berlin is a city that is never finished.

In December this year, I had another work trip planned, and I was caught with the usual question. Do I take my camera? 

It is situations like this where I wish I had something more compact like a Fuji X100 IV. In fact, I almost borrowed something like it, but in the end I decided to pack my XT-5 with my walk about lens (14-70mm) in the hope I might get time to use it.

The office I was visiting is in the south of Berlin, and is, in truth, a bit of a commercial and cultural desert.  This also means it is a bit deficient in hotels and Berlin's move from an isolated city icon to a full capital city has meant hotel space is always at a premium. As it was, the only hotel close to the factory was fully booked, and I was forced to find one further afield. 

Of course, I was here for work, so any opportunities for photography would be limited, but I chose a hotel with easy access to the city centre with the hope that I could sneak off in the evenings. Being November, however, daylight outside work hours would be nil

Fortunately, Berlin has an extensive subway system, although they appear to have dropped the 2 euro all day travel pass, which I used last time I was there. One thing I find extraordinary about the Berlin U-Bahn is the total lack of travel barriers or checks of any times. I don't remember getting checked once, and while I am sure there are ticket inspectors, I never saw any. Even the law-abiding Japanese traveller are not trusted that much.

The area the hotel was based was not one of the more salubrious areas, with a high preponderance of immigrant shops and cafés. However, I always find these areas more interesting than the pristine tourist areas, so was not an issue.

Where history lies 

Despite being a busy city, Berlin has large areas of woods and gardens. Behind the hotel was such an area, which turned out to be a cemetery. Now I have a fascination with cemeteries. Firstly they are quiet, and you don't get disturbed by the residents.  

Secondly, a cemetery is a bit like a tree ring. It shows the history of an area chiselled in the stone in the tombstones and monuments.  Since it was still Autumn, the trees and ground were still garlanded with golden leaves. What really drew my attention however were stone water butts that were spread around the area, with the grey rock and water reflection contrasting with the trees

 

When Berlin, I cannot stop myself looking for signs of its former troubled history. You would expect a number of gravestones from the 1940s caused by the blitz, but apparently this neighbourhood was largely spared destruction. Still, in places there were stark reminders that the area has not always be an oasis of peace.

 

A sign of the times 

The City

Despite working long hours, in the evening I had a couple of opportunities to head into the city centre proper. Berlin is quite a compact city and the is basically one long street, Unter der linden (literally under the Linden trees). So I started at the eponymous Brandenburg Gate, and headed to that monument of DDR permanence, the Fernstrum television tower, that dominates the Berlin skyline.

Being night and not having a tripod, I was always going to be limited in what shots I could take, however I spent sometime outside the Berliner Dom Cathedral trying a few things.

 I also tried to take shots of cyclists as they headed down the street. In Berlin, they seem to operate like buses. For periods, you get none, then loads appear

 

 

Christmas Cheer

On my 2nd foray onto the city, I decided to try and find a German Christmas market.  I come from a place that has an annual German market (generally run by people with very un-german accents), which always feels a bit fake, so I hoped to taste the real thing. However, apparently Germany are very strict that such markets can only operate during the actual official Christmas period. There was however a small "winter" market that offered a many of the same attractions of currywusts, alcoholic mulled wine and overpriced sweets.

So I hung around taking a few images are customers and stalls. I also got into a conversation with a young German couple who wanted to know about my camera and whether he should buy one for her. They were from Schalke and just visiting (he supported Schalke 04, while she was a Bayern Munich fan). It was great to have a chat, even of my 2 years of Duo lingo practice came to naught, since like most Germans, their English was impeccable.

 

Last bit of the wall

Probably not Diabetes friendly...

Had a great chat about cameras...

 

 

Growing bored with gingerbread purveyors. I decided to head to the nearby Holocaust memorial. 

 

This is a stark set of concrete blocks commemorating the Jewish victims of the 2nd world war. In daylight, it offers myriad photographic opportunities, but at night less so. Mass of grey block at night really was not doing it for me, so I headed to the nearby Reichstag instead.

 

I was surprised to see it was still open, but I could not work out whether it was a special event, so I chickened out and just took some pictures outside and the nearby River Spree. Access is surprisingly relaxed around this area, and no one seems to have problems with cameras

 

Brandenbug Gate

Shadows from history

Spirits into the Reichstag

The Reichstag

 

 

Final thoughts 

Despite my limited opportunities, I still find Berlin a fascinating city. Sometime ago I tried to do a re-photography thing and match some old images against the modern skyline. It just emphasised the rate of change. 

 

I would love to go back one day for purely photographic expedition. It is a city I feel very comfortable with, but still don't feel I have captured fully its charms, but I too am a doughnut.