BREMEN: TOWN OF ALLEGORY

I have finally been able to go through my photos from my recent travels. Anyways, one of the many cities I visited during my trip to Germany was a place called Bremen, about an hour outside of Hamburg. These are just a few photos from this enchanting little town.

One of Bremen's most famous icons are the Brementown musicians . The donkey, dog, cat, and rooster are dipicted in bronze in the town center (above). It is said to be good luck to touch the donkey's nose which is why it's all shiny. To read the story visit Bremen's Tourism Bureau

BEETHOVEN + BIKES & BOOKS = BONN!

Bonn is a small town about 30 minutes south of Köln, located along the Rhine River. It is the home of Beethoven and the University of Bonn, one of the largest research institutes in Germany. Bonn is a charming city with a very old world European feel, yet has a very youthful diverse community.

A statue of Beethoven in the town center

Beethoven's childhood home

University of Bonn

Along the Rhine

A FEW MORE PHOTOS FROM BERLIN

BERLIN ARCHITECTURE

Germany is a place of impressive architecture from many eras and styles, but it has become very competitive in its modern architecture. Many of Germany's Metropolises, including Berlin, have only just begun rebuilding and developing new structures since its era of war and destruction.

The Berliner Dom is the largest church in Berlin. I found it to be one of the most impressive churches in Germany with it's exquisite Baroque style and scale. When you first start to see the turquoise green domes from a distance, you become aware of the immensity, but only while standing square in front of it did I feel in awe of its overwhelming massiveness. The green rusted copper statues and ashy pillars definitely add to the visual experience. It may easily have been the most religious church experiences I have ever had, and I've been to A LOT of churches. Or maybe I was just impressed.

The Marie Elisabeth Lüders Haus is an amazing architectural dedication to the late Elisabeth Lüders, an important political figure to Womens' Rights Movement in Germany. It is located on the Spree River with the Reichstag standing across the river.

Below are images of Potsdamer Platz, where the Grand Hotel Esplanade still stands. The hotel was once frequented by Greta Garbo and Charlie Chaplin. Potsdamer Platz used to be the busiest square in Berlin, but later became an area of destruction and division. The Berlin Wall once intersected right through the platz. Most of this area is very new, and has only recently returned to an area of major growth and attraction.

Below is the famous robot statue from Fritz Lang's film, Metropolis. It can be found at the Filmhaus (Film Musuem) in Potsdamer Platz.

FIVE THOUSAND TYPES OF BEER IN GERMANY

Below are some beer coasters I collected, mostly because I liked the design.

Believe it or not, I'm not really much of a beer person. However, I couldn't go to Germany without trying at least a couple brews. After all there are over 5,000 types of beers. I even found a few I quite liked. The German Beer Institute is a fun and informative site on German Beer.

Alsterwasser, a specialty in Hamburg, is part beer and part sprite or other clear carbonated beverage.

Löwenbräu in Bavaria, brewed in München (Munich):

Below is the famous Hofbräuhaus München

Anna drinking Berliner Weisse mit Waldmeister Schuss

And let's not forget Beck's one of Germany's most internationally known beers. I really enjoyed Lemon Beck's! Tasted more like sprite than Alsterwasser. There is also Kölcsh, a beer only allowed to be brewed in Köln (Cologne). It comes in several varieties. I tried one of the many, but didn't take any photos and do not remember which one. Oh well. It was pretty good though, and the waiter gave us a free round. Lemon Beck's was still my favorite, followed by Berliner Weiss mit Waldmeister Schuss. Both are sweetened. Guess I just prefer the sweeter things in life.

And that is just a small sampling from the non-beer drinkers guide to German beer.

BERLIN DAY TWO: TAKING IN HISTORY

We spent most of the day exploring the Jewish Musuem, which takes at least 3-4 hours if you want to really see everything. The new building, seen below was designed in 2000 by Daniel Libeskind, an American architect of Polish-Jewish decent. When you enter the museum you actually enter through the old building, and make your way down stairs to the new building. The architecture is all about intersecting lines with small empty spaces that represent the absence of Jewish people who were taken by the Holocaust. The museum gives a History dating back to the Middle Ages. Some parts may prove a bit difficult for children or the squeamish, but overall it is an incredibly enlightening and educational exhibition for all ages.

One of my favorite exhibits, which I did not photograph, was a tree with built in stairs. You could climb up and place a written wish you had for the world. While in the tree, you can see other wishes written in diverse world languages, varying from light and silly to immensely heartfelt. I thought about photographing it, but out of respect to it's contributors and the spirit of the piece, I felt a photo would not have been the right means to capture the work.

One of the many historical symbols of Berlin, the Brandenburger Tor (Gate), was built in 1788-1791 as a sign of peace and victory. The gate was so greatly admired, it was once taken by Napoleon for Paris, and even survived WWII where it was used as an icon for the Nazi party. It has since been refurbished, but is still original. The top of the gate has the Quadriga which is a symbol for victory. Below is a photo of the gate in the distance with the Holocaust Memorial in the foreground.

BERLIN IN PHOTOS..AND WORDS

Of all the cities I went to in Germany, Berlin was by far my favorite. To compare it to a US city, I would probably liken it to San Francisco or Seattle, but Berlin has a long and deep-rooted history making it what it is today. Many parts are quite new and as a city it seems to be very forward thinking, yet you can still feel the residue of its tumultuous past. I was only there for 3 days but here is just a small sampling of this vibrant and eclectic city.

Painted bear statues and bikes are everywhere. Berlin is not the most populated bike city, even in Germany. Of German cities I saw, I think Bonn or Cologne had more. Amsterdam was even featured in a magazine about its bike populations, stating there were more per sq. mile than people.

However, Berlin is in heavy competition and its bike traffic almost rivals the car traffic. Bikes and I had a numerous close call collisions on a number of occasions because the bike lanes are on the sidewalks, and this took some getting used to. After growing up in Texas and moving to the biggest car city in the US, Los Angeles, this was quite a sight to see! I can only hope one day we will all catch up or revert back to this eco friendly mode of transport.

The first day we spent acquainting ourselves with the city, but spent most of the early part of the day at the East Side Gallery, where a good portion of the Berlin Wall has become a canvas for artists.

We continued walking along the Spree river until we reached the Turkish Market full of delectable fresh fruits and vegetables and authentic Mediterranean food. We drank fresh OJ, tried spicy stuffed olives, and ate baklava while sitting next to the river in the hip and up and coming Kreuzberg. It was a perfect, relaxing way to spend a Friday afternoon. I felt very at home even though it was like no home I've ever had.

My co-adventurer: Anna

Below is Alexanderplatz, a popular and touristy square, named after a Tsar. If you make reservations or have time to wait, you can go up the Fernsehturm tv tower, Berlin's tallest structure, and see a panoramic view of the city.