The Conclusion to Phase 1 of Berlin

Well we've been here a week and I think I can confidently say that I'm starting to get the hang of this whole European thing. A few of the differences: Its always 5'oclock somewhere, girls here don't dance like they do at the Que Stick, frat attire is few and far between, jaywalking is just as much of an adrenaline rush a base jumping, and the concepts of A/C and Dryers haven't made it here yet. If you can put up with those few things I strongly recommend the trip.

In the past two days, we have rounded up two hundred more years of German history as well as visiting some monuments, another palace, some embassies, a museum, and a church. Needless to say my feet hurt. The first monument we visited was the Soviet War Memorial (above). It was built during the Russian occupation of Berlin at the end of WWII using the remains of Hitler's Neue Reichskanzlei. Strangely the German take really good care of the monument despite its reference to their dark past. Next, we saw the Victory Column in the center of the Tiergarten. Due to construction, we were unable to get any clear shots so if you are just dying to see it, go to Google.

To round of the day we toured Charlottenberg Palace which housed the royal family for hundreds of years. As is usually the case, photos were not allowed on the interior so just imagine the most extravagant molding, paintings and sculptures you can and add a little gold leafing and you got it. There was also a really nice garden around back but I was far to lazy walk all the way around and get pictures so if you're interested, once again, Google it.

Today was a little more architecture driven as we got to see a few more embassies and the CDU (Conservative Party, above) Office. The CDU was a really pleasant building with some nice tectonics and a nice winter garden between the exterior and interior envelopes.

Next was our tour of the Nordic Embassy Complex (Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland and Finland) which included Snohetta's Norwegian Embassy (above) mentioned in their lecture at LA Tech.

Lastly we visited the Berlin Dom. Needless to say this was the largest, most extravagant church I have ever been to. Instead of trying describe the level of insanity inside this church, I find it easier just to show you a video. WARNING: IF YOU HAVE EATING IN THE LAST 15 MINUTES OR GET MOTION SICKNESS YOU MAY NOT WANT TO WATCH THIS VIDEO AS THIS LEVEL 'STUFF' COMBINED WITH MY SPIRALING CINEMATOGRAPHY MAY CAUSE QUEASINESS AND SHORT TERM MEMORY LOSS.

Potsdam: The Hamptons for Historic Germany

So this morning we were good, ambitious children and got up bright and early to jump on a train to Potsdam, about 45 minutes outside of Berlin. So turns out that Potsdam was the place to have your summer retreat for the who's who of Germany back in the day. So without further au due, Potsdam.

Our first stop along the venture was to this gem, Nicholaikirche (not to be confused with the Nicholaikirche from Berlin) by who other than "the man"(see previous post). This church was much more of a treat as it was much more original to how it was built as its did not receive catastrophic damage in the war. Like most of "the man's" work, it is rooted deep in historical precedence gaining idiosyncrasy from ornamentation and detail.

Want to see what money could buy you in historic Germany? Well the pictures above will give you a pretty good idea. All the pictures above are examples of palaces located within Sanssouci Park & Gardens. The top palace is probably the most historically significant as it is the former summer home of Frederick the Great. Also, it was the site of the gathering to decide Germany's fate following WWII. However, it if you still aren't buying it there is still plenty of prime real estate in Potsdam to check out.

Like castles? Hate neighbors? Enjoy views of the river? If you said yes, yes and yes then Babelsburg Palace (above) is the place for you. Designed by "the man" you will enjoy private living quarters, a ball room, and hunting lodge once owned by the first German Emperor William I. Pictures of the interiors were strongly frowned upon and post cards were expensive so you will just use your imagination.

Still not satisfied? Well you might consider looking elsewhere because Potsdam is not the place for you.

Day 5 = Day 1 of History

So after the first couple days of contemporary architecture, Dr. Etheridge arrived and its time to learn about Berlin's History from the beginning. The first lecture took place on the River Spree at the original crossing, where Berlin actually. Now I'm not quite sure if was the fact that we were actually there or just the "stanky eye" the locals gave as they passed in the background but this lecture definitely beat the hell out of a powerpoint.

The building above is the Marienkirche which is located in Alexanderplatz. I wish I had more to say on the subject but we unfortunately were unable to access this building due to timely construction. However fans don't you worry we are going plenty more old churches to satisfy you history appetites.

Speaking of churches, the next building we visited just happened to be the oldest church in Berlin, Nicholaikirche (above). What are the odds? Well sadly this building was quite hard to read. Due to additions and some bombs dropped in the 40s (WWII), this building was almost completely unoriginal. This, unfortunately, would quickly become a theme of most the buildings we visited in Berlin.

The next stop on our adventure through time and space was the Friedrichswerdersche Kirche and Schinkel Museum (above). Just in case you didn't know, Schinkel was pretty much "the man" when it came to 19th century German architecture. Therefore, for the rest of this blog I will refer to him as such. "The Man" was quite the over achiever of his time. In the museum he has sculptures, drawings, architectural works, and not to mention he designed the building. The building was fairly extravagant like most of his works yet seemed to loose a little of its charm when I realized most of the details are just painted on.

The last main visit for the day was the Concert Hall (above). Like the one before and many buildings in the next few weeks, this was also designed by "the man." This buildings charm really stopped at the doorway for me. I'm not sure if it was the extravagance of pastel colors or fake gold ornamentation, but this building made me little..... unsatisfied. For this reason I elected to negate these picture from my blog as I have a strict "no gold leafing" policy. But all and all I thought the day was a success as I got to begin to understand identity of this town further than its initial negative connotations. Just as a closing note, they seem to be quite Audi crazy over here and I must say I'm beginning to catch the fever. So dad if you're reading, one of these (below) would great in my driveway. Dankeschön.

The Weekend

Pretty uneventful. I slept in till 130 on Saturday before going to the mall and having a delicious stone oven pizza. That evening we went to a pub close by the apartment and enjoyed some beverages while watching watch the US dominate, if it is possible to dominate in a tie. It was really quite fun as the US fans in that certain pub greatly outnumbered the British which allowed us to cheer as loud as we wanted without fear of Soccer Hooligans. Sunday was much of the same, sleep, train, architecture, etc... Went to a Doner Kabop stand for dinner and must say it is something that everyone must try once in their lifetime. Finally I rounded down weekend with a evening of hardcore blogging and listening to the locals set off fireworks every time Germany scored a goal.

Day Two

Well day two was supposed to start out with me taking a jog through the park before going to a local coffee shop to update my blog. However, I was a little too ambitious. Instead, it started with me waking up 30 minutes before we were supposed to meet the group and frantically getting dressed and running to the Dunkin Doughnuts for a quick cup of Joe. The first place we went was PariserPlatz where the BrandenBurg Gate (above) and several embassies are located.

The first major stop was inside the DG Bank (above) where Frank Gehry's Conference Room is located. For you architectural readers, I know exactly what you are thinking, "nothing like some Gehry to get the blood flowing in the morning." For you non architectural readers, Frank Gehry is the architect who designed the Disney Concert Hall in L.A. which can be seen in The Soloist as well as Get Smart. Next, we went next door to the Academy of Art by Behnisch Partners (for pictures refer to my facebook page as pictures off a 12 megapixel camera take way too long to post). The Academy of Art is very typical of Behnisch's work as it is a collision of basic geometries in plan along with beautiful tectonics and well thought out details.

After passing through the Academy we came out in Peter Eisenman's Holocaust Memorial (above). From afar (our apartment window for example) the Memorial is sort of depressing as it looks like a bulky graveyard. However, once one is amongst the "stelae" it is really quite powerful as one is filled with a feeling of claustrophobia accompanied with limited avenues of sight. Once we cleared the field, we finished off our morning with a tour of Berlin's Philharmonie (concert hall).

After lunch we wondered around PotsdamerPlatz (above) and viewed buildings by Renzo Piano, Richard Rogers, etc... before venturing over to the Neue Nationalgalerie by Mies Van der Rohe (below). For those of you who are not familiar with Modern architecture or failed your architectural history class, Mies is pretty much Babe Ruth of early Modern architecture. The gallery itself was not too terribly impressive, however, just the idea of being in a Mies building was kind of awe inspiring.

After returning to the apartment, me and the roomies grabbed bite and went out bar hopping for the evening. First we walked along the River Spree where locals were kicked back in beach chairs and dancing to American 80s Music, which is great for doing "Guido Fist Pumps" by the way. Finally, we settled down at an Urban Beach/Bar and enjoyed watching Yo MTV Raps on the big screen.

First Full Day

Well the first full day in Berlin was spent walking around getting acquainted with the area around our apartments. Our location couldn't be any better. We are located a short from the Reichstag (Legislative Building of Berlin, pictured above), Brandenburg Gate, etc...

First, we went to the Hauptbahnhof (big train station, picture above) to get lunch and learn the ways of the land.

After riding the trains for an hour or so, we hopped off and began our afternoon walk down the River Spree. Along the water we saw sunbathers, federal housing, the Chancellory (above; pretty much Berlin's White House), and beer gardens where we of course stopped to fight the afternoon heat. We also dove off the Spray to see the Fire/Police Station by Sauerbruch & Hutton (below) which was a really cool MetaRationalist (patterned) Building that transforms from green to red. For those of you who are color blind, you will just have to take my word for it.

As the Spree winded down (literally), we saw a few more government buildings before ending back at the apartments. After dinner, we ended our "educational" activities atop the Reichstag where we walked through Norman Foster's Glass Dome (below). The spiraling path allowed 360 degree views of the entire city as well as a view of Germany's Legislative Body. After parting ways with the group we spent the rest of our evening having beverages at the Sony Center (Test Post) before retiring for the night.

First Day

Arrived in Berlin last night and settled in to the apartments. The rooms are nice despite the absence of a/c. Our TV listings include the BBC, the occasional english programing on MTV, and South Park in German. We are situated within walking distance of the Brandenburg Gate, Reichstag, and several embassies (pictures to come later). Weather today is sunny and 73 degrees and sunny with winds from the North at 8 mph. Todays agenda includes the train station, federal buildings, police station, and a safety lecture! Stay tuned for later updates.