Germany With AirBerlin: Day 4 (Part 2)

February 20, 2014

If there was ever a year to visit the Berlin Wall 2014 is it, as it marks the 25th anniversary of its historical fall.  On November 9th, there will be events held by VisitBerlin across the city to commemorate this important turn in German history.  One of the main highlights will be the unveiling of a new temporary wall, which will be decorated with thousands of illuminated white balloons that can be seen from Outer Space.

As we were walking along the East Side Gallery, we came to a separation in the wall that allowed us to go around to see the other side of it.  Instead of more murals there was Wall On Wall, a photo exhibition of walls that separate people worldwide.  Kai Wiedenhöfer, the photographer and brilliant mastermind behind this project, wanted to show that walls cannot solve political conflicts.  According to him, “walls obviously define friend and foe, inside and outside.  Walls are oppressive exclusions and again and again also dictatorial confinements.  In other words, walls are inhuman no matter what kind of architectural design or ideological justification is used for them.”  This exhibition is an important reminder that there are still walls to this day.  Below is an example of one of his photographs, which was taken at the Tijuana, Mexico/California, USA border in 2008.

The rest of the group I was with wanted to see another part of the wall, while my heart was set on seeing something across the street from it.  One of of my favorite artists, Romero Britto, designed a gorgeous “Best Buddies Friendship Bear” statue and it is dedicated to the city of Berlin by Eunice Kennedy Shriver in honor of people with intellectual disabilities who inspire their communities.

Then we hopped on a bus and headed towards the Western part of Berlin.  The capitol’s mayor once said, “Berlin is poor, but sexy.”  I am not sure about the poor part, but I can definitely see its sex appeal!

We made a quick visit to Checkpoint Charlie, the crossing point between East and West Berlin during the Cold War.  Soviet and American tanks briefly faced each other at this location during the Berlin Crisis.  After the reunification of Germany the building at Checkpoint Charlie became a major tourist attraction.

Our late evening flight to Düsseldorf via AirBerlin had us arriving just in time for dinner and drinks.

I do not know about you, but one of my favorite things about traveling is waking up in one city and falling asleep in another.  It feels magical!

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

Andi Perullo de Ledesma

I am Andi Perullo de Ledesma, a Chinese Medicine Doctor and Travel Photojournalist in Charlotte, NC. I am also wife to Lucas and mother to Joaquín. Follow us as we explore life and the world one beautiful adventure at a time.

More Posts - Website - Twitter - Facebook

32 thoughts on “Germany With AirBerlin: Day 4 (Part 2)

  1. Jenna

    Such expressive street art! And I love that you got to see a Britto work there 🙂 I can’t wait to experience Berlin–seems like such an interesting, historical, and vibrant place.

    Reply
  2. Andrea

    Love you photos! We didn’t make it out to the East Side Gallery but enjoyed checking out parts of the wall in other areas. Such an incredible history there

    Reply
  3. Miranda Farley

    I really love the street art you posted. It really makes me wanna see Germany too. The history and the food! I love sausages! If I ever got the chance to see Germany, I would also visit the East Side Gallery. Really beautiful pictures! Cheers and safe travels!

    Reply
  4. Alyx

    That’s one of my favorite things about traveling, too! Love the feeling that anything is within my reach, that I can be anywhere in a matter of hours.

    Anyway, this post makes me want to go back to Germany so badly!!

    Reply
  5. Elisa

    Amazing, incredibly photos as usual, Andi! I was in Berlin last May and I instantly fell in love with it. I cannot wait to go back! What an amazing city, it just stole my heart. Thank you for capturing the wall so beautifully and sharing it with us!

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *