Last Day

My last day in Berlin is coming to a close. Tomorrow morning Petra will deliver me to the airport bright and early to catch my flight home. I’m almost done packing, I just need to get my shampoo and stuff out of the bathroom and find some place to put them. Unfortunately, I seem to have bought a lot of stuff, and my big duffel bag is currently full to bursting. I have no idea where I’m going to put said toiletries, or the clothes I wore today and the pajamas I’m going to wear tonight. I supposed I’ll be stuffing it in the bag and hoping those zippers hold.

I bought enough chocolate alone to feed a small army. Maybe that should have been a clue that I didn’t need so much stuff. There will be a very happy element at the Air Force Academy next weekend, I think.

I wasn’t able to meet up with my friend this afternoon to get some pictures that actually have me in them (remind me to get a cell phone next time I leave the country), but I still managed to get the occasional passer-by to do it for me. Listening for other English-speaking people really helps things out. I now have proof that I haven’t just been hiding in a hole somewhere and making this all up.

See?

I also headed over to Checkpoint Charlie, and got the picture of the sign that I missed the last time I was there.

There are more pictures on Flickr, although I admit I didn’t reach my 1,000 picture target. Looks like I feel 129 pictures short. Maybe I should go to the zoo again.

This picture has an interesting story. Or sad, I supposed, depending.

The woman in turquoise hangs around tourist attractions, asking “Speak English?” If you say yes, she pushes that card in front of your face, which asks for money. I saw her at the Topography of Terror, Checkpoint Charlie, and the S-Bahn station at Alexanderplatz at least 3 times. She keeps at least one child with her, and one time it was actually an older child who was asking tourists if they speak English. What I find interesting is that she seems to be very well-cared for, and the little girl even more so, even though she spends her whole day begging tourists for spare change. I feel bad for the little girl, really.

On a different note, I still have to figure out how I’m going to fit the rest of this stuff in my bag, so I’m going to make an effort to do that. Oh, and dinner’s ready, so I’m going to eat. Sounds like a plan.

So Many Stairs

I went to the top of the Siegessäule today. It’s a big tower in the middle of the Tiergarten, and you can see the whole city to the top. The big lesson I took away was that I won’t be complaining about the 6 flights of stairs to get up to Petra’s flat anymore.

Photos Are Up

Click the Flickr link on the right to view all the photos.

I have 805 photos in the Germany section right now. I’m curious to see if I hit 1,000 by the time I leave on Saturday. I’m also really thankful they’re digital, and not film. I’d be pushing 34 rolls of film already. That would cost about $170 to get processed at Target. Wow.

At some point I should go through all those pictures and find the best ones. There’s something I could do during the 12 or so hours I’ll spend flying on Saturday.

A few tips, before I link to some photos:

Berlin Zoo and Aquarium

I spent a few hours at the zoo today – that was a blast. I had so much fun wandering around by myself, taking pictures of anything that moved. I shot 240 pictures, and have pared that down to 155 that are in focus and not basically the same shot of the same animal in the same position. Follow the links to the right of the post to see my pictures on Flickr.

In many situations, the auto-focus insisted on focusing on the bars or glass between me and my target, so I had to switch to manual focus. If any of the shots are slightly blurry, this is why. Most of them are fine, though. Click for more.

Holocaust Memorial

I went to the Memorial for the Murdered Jews of Europe today, or Holocaust Memorial. I got an audio guide in English, and decided it was an excellent investment. It really helps the exhibit to come alive.

Of course, for an exhibit like that to come alive means I heard some pretty heart-wrenching stories.

Technology Museum Pictures

A steam engine with all the parts labeled (in German).

Click more for…well…more.

Photo Attempts

I went out to the Brandenburg Gate again tonight, to try to get some night shots. This was rather difficult, as I don’t have a tripod, and there’s nothing to rest my camera against out in the middle of the square. Only 6 of the pictures I took of the Gate I feel are usable, the rest were just too blurry. However, a couple did turn out pretty well. Click for more info and pictures.

Summary of Tonight

After dinner, Petra took me, Nicholai, and Susannah to the lake. She and Susannah went swimming. I thought it was too cold to be swimming, and I still don’t have a swim suit anyway. After the sun went down, they both agreed that yes, it was cold.

I tried a Berliner Pilsner while we were there. It was palatable, though I wouldn’t say that I really liked it.

I took some pictures, mostly of the sunset and the airplanes they flew through it on their approach. I’m uploading them to Flickr now, and they should be posted by the time this publishes. Click for more.

Pictures from Today

I walked around a lot today, although I don’t have that many pictures to show for it. I do have some good ones, though. I made it to the Brandenburg Gate, and spent a few minutes in the park next to the Gate as well. Before I got there, however, I grabbed some good shots of the world clock outside Alexanderplatz. Click “read more” for photos.

Naumburg Pictures

All right, here are some of the best pictures from Naumburg and Schulpforte. Click “more” to see them.