I Think I Love Berlin - Part 1

I think I love Berlin.

Sometimes I have a feeling about a place before I get there.

I have wanted to visit Berlin for several years.  I had heard about the resurgence of art. culture, and life there for some time now. And Germany is also the land of my heritage. So when my husband needed to travel to Berlin for work, I jumped at the chance to join him.

The timing of my first visit to Berlin, coincided with the creeping winter darkness beginning at 3:30 pm every day.

Right away, I was struck by the severity of much of the architecture. I wasn't prepared for the lack of the beautiful ancient buildings that I love that are in cities like Paris and Florence.  Many of the buildings feel cold and austere to me. They seem devoid of warmth, the result of the years of a divided city and its infamous past. Most of the oldest buildings have been torn down over the years to make way for more modern buildings.  Evidence of the Cold War abounds. The gray skies and clouds add to the murkiness of the cement buildings. 

Nevertheless, I found beauty in architecture and graffiti as I walked around the city.

In the past, when I traveled, I would make a plan each day, trying to squeeze in as much work and sightseeing as humanly possible.  This time, I threw my agenda out the window.

The bottom left photo in this collage is a piece of the Berlin wall installed in a department store.




The city was lit up. 

The Brandenburg Gate was breathtaking.

All photos by Amy Dietrich for Coventry Drive.