Pflanzen & Fußball

This post is a little bit late but hey, at least you're getting to see it! Our first weekend in Berlin, we went to a Hertha BSC match at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin. This brought on a sense of déjà vu back to my days as a high school exchange student in Germany when I stayed in a youth hostel right next to the Olympic Stadium with 49 other Americans. We arrived at the game with a few hours to spare (extreme punctuality is a common trait among members of our group *ahem Robert and Professor Freeman ahem*). So naturally, we visited the booths selling Hertha merchandise. Several of us bought scarves to keep warm and blend in better with the Europeans. After visiting all of the booths in the general area of the stadium, a few of us wandered further in search of shelter and any source of entertainment. We wound up at the coolest plant/flower shop I've ever been to. It basically functioned as a botanical garden for us to spend our time at while waiting for the game to start. When it was time to enter the stadium, we met back up with everyone else and headed to our seats, which were actually pretty great. This was a big rival match between Berlin and Frankfurt so tensions were running high. The Frankfurt fan club occupied the section over from us and at one point during the game they let off flares and bright powders, starting the tartan track on fire. The whole situation was handled very diplomatically with an overhead announcement asking the Frankfurt team to "please stop doing that". The game was absolutely a blast. Fußball>Football ...However, the ending score of 0-0 was a bit unsatisfying.

Tierchen

Today, we had lots of free time to work on our projects. Since I've already met with my subject and gotten all the photos and audio I need, I decided to take a visit to the Berlin Zoo. As you can see by the plethora of photos I added, I had a great time. Being the animal-loving, Humane-Society-volunteering enthusiast that I am, there really isn't a more suitable spot for me than a zoo. We made the rounds through the standard land animals, prioritizing big cats, monkeys, and elephants since we were pressed for time. Then we did a run-through of the aquarium. The zoo was a great spot for a photo-shoot not only because of the animals but also because of all the great candid family interactions. I really love the shot I got of Becky trying to get the little girl to put her hands on the glass up against the baboon's. On the way back, I somehow got us lost and then we had to hurry back to the train station so that those that signed up for the dinner cruise could make it. It was narrow and stressful and I was terrified that I was going to make everybody miss their prepaid 30 Euro meal, but they made it! And I was even lucky enough to grab a few more dogspotting shots including a love-at-first-sniff.

Best Dom in Berlin

Monday was my favorite group outing thus far. We visited New Yorker and New York Times illustrator Christoph Niemann at his office. I was unfamiliar with his work until the visit but his approach to art is genius in its simplicity. He spoke with us about his creative process and his work. I was amazed by how many projects he is constantly undertaking and how perfectly each of them is completed. I bought a copy of his book, which he signed for all of us. Tuesday, we visited the Berliner Dom. I've been to this attraction before, but I had never climbed to the top and looked out onto the city from the ledge. I realized how low most of the buildings are in Berlin because, even though the Berliner Dom isn't that high up, you can see over every other building in the vicinity. The contrast between the early 20th century architecture of the Dom and the modern city below it was striking. We also passed by a room with an artist making a model of the Dom hard at work behind-the-scenes. That evening we went to the Müggelsee, which was breathtaking. The weather was perfect to walk along the lake and it was postcard-picturesque with sailboats passing through.

Ze Wall

Our first evening in Berlin, we visited the Berlin Wall Memorial. This museum pays tribute to the history of the Berlin Wall and those who escaped or attempted to escape the DDR. In one portion of the museum, visitors were encouraged to illustrate the history of the wall through art or text (first picture). On our second day, we took a bicycle tour with Fat Tire Bike Tours covering eight miles of Berlin including the East SideGallery, Tempelhof, and the Soviet Memorial Treptow. At the East Side Gallery, we were able to see a preserved portion of the Berlin Wall that is covered in murals by commissioned artists. This segment of the wall in the middle of the city cuts through Nazi architecture, the remnants of the former DDR, and modern construction, forming a perfect snapshot of Berlin's history in a single frame.

Dogspotting Abroad

Sunday we went on a walking tour of Berlin to cover the areas of Berlin that we overlooked on the bike tour. We saw the Brandenburg Gate, the Memorial to Murdered Jews, Museum Island, and caught a glimpse of the Berliner Dom. At the Brandenburg Gate, there was a Gay Pride event and I was lucky enough to spot a pup sporting gay pride gear and riding around town with his owner. I spotted the other two dogs at the Mauer Park Flea Market after the walking tour. The flea market had some awesome booths. I got swindled out of 23 Euros for a vintage Cosby-esque sweater, but I'd do it again in a heartbeat. The absolute highlight of walking around the city thus far has been the surplus of well-behaved, cute, canine citizens of Germany.