"Ich bin ein Berliner"

Of course, besides the Wall festivities, Berlin is rampant with art and museums and shopping and activities and bizarre places I'm sure I'm not even aware of. I did have myself some fun at the Mall of Berlin. And just walking around the city and taking the U-Bahn and S-Bahn to its different districts is an adventure in itself. Here are a few fun photos of me prancing around Berlin in beanies and scarves and coats, because let me tell you: It was friggin' COLD. Oh, and my sister Jasmin is the phenomenal photographer of this photoset, if you find yourself wondering.

I love the way the textures and patterns of this wall, door, and ground contrast each other, yet are somehow cohesive.

Bears around the city. Here's one in Nikolaiviertel.

Mall of Berlin in Potsdamer Platz. This was halfway through the damage done. In the end, my feet and arms ached, but this was the most incredible einkaufszentrum I've ever been to.

Being original in front of the National Gallery.

Um yes, so this was the most frigid day in Berlin, and I happened to leave my coat in my room and froze my arse off. I  turned to tomato soup and hot chocolate and glühwein for warmth.

We chanced upon this alley and I felt compelled to lean against this wall. Definitely felt edgy that night.































Berlin, ich werde dich vermissen. Bis zum nächsten Mal. 
xx B

The Berlin Wall Came Tumbling Down. 25 Years Later, It's Been Lifted.

Guten Abend, travel bugs! 

Just over a week ago, I got back from Europe. I spent almost three glorious weeks there, which is partly why I've been awol all November. (And gosh, I haven't even posted many photos from my Scotland trip this past June and July, which I was supposed to do forever ago. So here I go with this trip, and then I'll try to eventually get to those dreamy Scotland pictures.) 

I had originally planned this trip last December when I found out that Berlin was going to be holding an immense celebration for the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. I was so intent on making this trip happen that I even set my phone wallpaper to a picture that read: "Du bist verruckt mein Kind. Du muss nach Berlin." This served as my reminder every time I was tempted to spend too frivolously.

My sister Jasmin and I arrived in Frankfurt and spent the first few days with my family who live in Mainz and in a small town called Rümmelsheim. They are some of my favorite people in the world, and my heart is always full when I visit them. We then made our way to Berlin and spent 5 days there. It was my 3rd time to Berlin, but it's such a large, diverse city and is constantly changing, so it was great fun. We then traveled via train to Paris and rented an apartment there for a week. Then we rounded our trip with our last four days with my family again in Germany. 

Es war wunderschön.

So, I'll begin with Berlin.

For the 25th anniversary of the fall of the wall, there was an 8,000 white "wall" of balloons all along where the wall once stood. Every night, the Lichtgrenze was illuminated, and on clear nights, it was even possible to see the light wall from space. The events and art installations culminated into November 9, which marked 25 years since the wall was torn down.

 We started the day off at The Eastside Gallery, which is the part of the wall that is still left intact. It's now covered with art and graffiti. And if you watched CNN at all that day, there was an old Trabant, which CNN converted into an art installation by asking people from all over the world to sign, and I was asked to sign it! Yes, me!

Later that day, there was a huge ceremony at the Brandenburg Gate, which is where the releasing of the balloons commenced. Huge German music acts performed, including Die Fantastischen Vier and Udo Lindenberg. It was a massive event! Just before the balloons were released, the Mayor of Berlin spoke to those of us in the ginormous crowd, "We're the happiest people in the world and we're thrilled that you brought the Berlin Wall down 25 years ago." Then, one by one, those 8,000 balloons were released into the air. 

We met a man named Axel who told us how deeply connected he felt to the event. He said that seeing the balloon wall took him back to the years when the Berlin Wall stood as a barrier and how horrific a time it was, especially since he was separated from some of his family. The day the wall came down, it was his 24th birthday, and 25 years later, he and his wife traveled back to Berlin to see the wall metaphorically lifted on his 49th birthday. What a story.

Seeing the balloons released into the night sky symbolized hope and unity, and though Berlin is still recovering from its Communistic history, it's still being rebuilt and visitors and citizens alike get to witness the rebuilding in action. To be in Berlin for the festivities was simultaneously sobering and celebratory.  I can't believe I got to be a part of it. I am deeply connected to my German roots, and I'm so grateful that this beautiful country no longer lives in fear, but thrives on hope.

xx  B