Three Berlin photos to whet your appetite for more
Day One: Theater des Westens
Theater des Westens, Kurfürstendamm area of Berlin
A bit jet-lagged after our long flight from San Francisco to Berlin and following a party with fellow travel bloggers, we walked a few blocks from our hotel in the Kurfürstendamm area to dinner. We stopped to admire this building, a pretty sight on a cold night. It is the Theater des Westens located at Kantstraße 10–12, founded in 1895 for operas and operettas. It was where Enrico Caruso made his debut and where Anna Pavlov danced as a member of the Russian Ballet. It continues today as a major Berlin location for German and international companies performing musicals.
Day Two: ITB Travel Industry Trade Show
Statue at Belgian exhibit, ITB Berlin
We spent three days at ITB, the largest travel industry trade show in the world. There were meetings with tourism representatives of countries from all over the world, but it was also a fun place to see how different areas of the world represented themselves. The statue pictured above was part of the Belgian exhibit where we sampled Belgian beer and waffles. It is a replica of Brussels’ iconic 15th century Mannekin Pis. Among the many displays throughout the trade show were live performances including a gladiator training with a wooden sword, dancers in native costume, Frisbee throwers and actors representing characters from Faust to princesses.
Day Three: Kreuzberg Neighborhood
Kreuzberg Street Art
A walking tour of the Kreuzberg neighborhood had many surprises and interesting anecdotes. It included history; eclectic architecture; evidence of both World War II and the removal of the Berlin Wall; a sense of the unique spirit of the Kreuzberg residents, from activism to anarchism with intense loyalty to the region; and, of course street art with the sample above. Mr. TWS’s favorite quotation from the Context Travel guide Robert Sommer, paraphrasing East Germans interested in copying the annual May 1st riot: “Those people in Kreuzerg really know how to riot.” There will be more to come in an upcoming post by Mr. TWS.
Looks like you are having a varied experience and a very good time! Keep the tales and photos coming for those of us not there.
Yes, lots of variety — just how I like it. More to come soon.
These are great Cathy! What a history the theater has had. Can’t wait to hear more about Berlin and ITB.
It is interesting about the theater. When we first took the photo, we just thought it was a pretty building. Nice to learn the background.
What a history that theater has. Sounds like a fun time.
Always fun to learn the history behind places and buildings, isn’t it? Plenty of history in Berlin, for sure.
Great shots, Cathy!
That statue made me burst out laughing. I was still laughing when I read the riots quote. Enjoy Berlin. Can’t wait to see/read more.
Mr. TWS will have more to say about his walking tour & the humorous and informative tour guide. 🙂
Three very different aspects of Berlin. Nice photos, Cathy. Love the street art photo.
Berlin has to be one of the street art capitals of the world from what I can tell. Wish I”d had more time to discover more this trip.
Love Berlin, and loved your take on Kreuzberg. Looking forward to more about one of my favorite cities!
Berlin is definitely a city with many different aspects. I’ve only scratched the surface myself. I wish I could have taken the Kreuzberg tour with Mr. TWS, but I had appointments at the ITB show.
Sounds like you enjoyed ITB. So disappointed I couldn’t attend, but I’m looking forward to reading more about your experiences.
Would have been great to meet you in person, Mette. TBEX, perhaps?
A great way to make us curious:)
I’d really love to know what you thought of ITB!
Glad you’re curious — stay tuned!
You have certainly whetted my appetite for more!! The street art in Berlin fascinates me! We are heading to Berlin in May so I’m looking forward to reading about your visit.
I love the street art photo. Street are is one of my favorite things to photograph when I travel.
Love your new look site Cathy. I’ve always struggled to read white on black so this change is just perfect for me. 🙂 We’re making changes next week, too. Must be time for spring cleaning. 😉
Julia