Berlin is a great city for a rambler who likes to wander and notice just as much as he likes to take in important sites, sights and museums. It's a city rich in monuments, small moments, and contrasts and reminders of its various pasts.
It's also the city with, on personal observation, the densest network of trains, trams and buses to whisk you from one neighborhood to another, but its center is sufficiently compact that there's often no need for transit.
Some of the monuments, like the equestrian statue of Frederick the Great, honor victors and rulers; others remember victims and resisters of war and oppression. The solemn black Kathe Kollwitz sculpture at the Neue Wache is meant to stand for all victims of war and oppression; the field of stones near the Reichstag is the Memorial for the Murdered Jews of Europe. Last here, the sandstone group honors women who successfully defied the Nazis in 1942
But not all of Berlin's monuments are as somber, or as well-known. Above, Herr Ampelmann, the originally East German traffic-light man, stands as a symbol of Germany's 1990 re-unification. And, the iconic advertising column, ironically free of advertising, is actually in honor of Ernst Litfass, the 19th century 'King of Advertising," who invented the advertising column.
Plenty to notice besides monuments, though. Above, a mixture of park, water and 19th-century industrial design along the Landwehr Canal, once an important commercial route. Below, an ornate railing on a bridge near Berlin's Museum Island, tour boats on the Spree river, and a reminder: If you've no place to lock your lock, you can always lock it on a lock.
On a hot day, hanging out near a fountain is always a popular idea. A few of the bolder younger ones found their way into the basin before being warned off.
George G recognized the one below as our One-Clue Mystery, showing the Wasserkaskaden Fountain between the Marienkirche and the TV Tower.
The Berliner Dom, or cathedral, looks especially impressive from above. It was built to show off the power and wealth of the newly-united German Empire and its Prussian rulers. It's located on Berlin's Museum Island, where it faced the imperial City Palace, or Stadtpalast.
Not quite what it seems: At first glance it may seem to be the old Imperial City Palace, facing the cathedral, the Berliner Dom, but it's actually a 21st-century copy of the facades pasted onto a modern museum building. The original was torn down after World War II, and its 'reconstruction' was a controversial issue in Berlin for several years.
Sometimes Berliners don't quite follow the rules. They seem to me not to jaywalk as much as we New Yorkers do, but they also seem quite willing to ignore signs telling them where not to go and what not to do. This man was far from the only one doing what he's doing despite the sign only yards away. Not sure what he was grilling, but likely not these pretzel-shaped salamis.
Berlin has lots of parkland, including the huge Tiergarten, but one of the most popular with families is the Volkspark Friedrichshain, with its Fairytale Fountain, meadows and playgrounds, as well as its mountains built up with rubble from World War II bombing.
At the park's edge, a monument to German volunteers who fought against Franco and fascism during the Spanish Civil War.
Another memorial, along the Tiergarten, is one of several Soviet war memorials whose maintenance is guaranteed by treaty. In recent months, the memorials have taken on a different meaning for many because of the Ukraine war.
Those who believe the Segway has seen its day (certainly thought so) can still seem occasionally in Berlin. They're not the only nearly-vanished form of transportation that can still be observed; the once-ubiquitous East German Trabant, the much-loved or mocked Trabbi, can still be found, but no longer on the road due to pollution regulations.
Another way to wheel: From my apartment window, I spotted this 'march' calling for full enforcement of climate laws to reduce global warming and pollution. It even had a police escort... on a gas-powered motorcycle.
Old and new: in western Berlin, the Memorial Church, built by Wilhelm II to honor Wilhelm I, was heavily damaged in World War II bombing; it's been left as a memorial, and a new church, the grill-covered box in the foreground, was built to replace it.
Outdoor restaurants and cafes are, for obvious reasons, a bigger trend in Berlin than in the past, although the outdoor beer-garden concept is nothing new. These are near the Hackescher Market and the classic Hackescher Hofe building in the Mitte district.
Berlin's iconic 'Buddy Bears' are everywhere, in every kind of color scheme and context; this one has learned to stand upside down, a feat likely beyond the fiercer bears that appear in Berlin's city symbols. Another city symbol, Herr Ampelmann, now has fan clubs and souvenir stores of his own.
Berliners apparently are not averse to a bit of gross comedy in a good cause; this poster pops up along streets and in subway stations. The text translates to "That is surely kaka! This sausage is annoying. Please bag up 'dog business' and toss it!"
Never heard of Bud Spencer? I hadn't either until I discovered his museum and his cult following in Germany. His actual name was Carlo Pedersoli, an Italian known for action-comedy roles and spaghetti Westerns. He was also a professional swimmer and water polo player. His family owns the museum.
Vinyl is back everywhere it seems, and Berlin is no exception. Near the Humboldt University, record tables far outnumbered booksellers on a Sunday morning.
And some more interesting buildings to wind up my walk. This mural is on the House of Teachers building, which was home to the East German teachers' federation and is still used by education groups. The mural, in a style based on Mexican murals, depicts all the trades, occupations and ways of life in the former German Democratic Republic.
On Oranienburgerstrasse, portions of the 1866 New Synagogue stand, although the areas behind the dome and facade were destroyed on Kristalnacht and later bombing. New spaces built after the war house functions of the Greater Berlin Jewish Community.
Just down the street from the synagogue is the impressive old headquarters of the Prussian and Imperial postal service, now undergoing conversion to other uses. And, of course, the Reichstag building, with its glass dome.
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