The building behind me is the Reichstag, where the lower house of the German Parliament meets. The Reichstag was heavily damaged in the war and was left in ruins when the West German government moved to the city of Bonn. After reunification, the government moved back to Berlin and the Reichstag was restored to its former grandeur.
Of course, the whole reason I went to Berlin was to see my brother, who’s finishing up his Ph.D. dissertation. Here we are in front of a remnant of the Berlin Wall in Potsdamerplatz. The German government didn’t make much of an effort to preserve much of the Wall after it fell, but there are a few pieces scattered at various displays throughout the city.
This is the recently completed Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe near the Tiergarten park in Berlin. A lot of controversy surrounded the design of the memorial. Some think it’s too abstract, but I thought the slabs of concrete and the narrow pathways had a certain elegaic quality that worked well.
I thought this photo was appropriate in light of today’s news of Simon Wiesenthal’s death.
This is the Brandenburg Gate, probably the most famous landmark in Berlin. Originally built in the 18th century as a symbol of peace, it was located on the east side of the Berlin Wall for nearly thirty years. It now symbolizes a unified Berlin and a unified Germany.
On the train ride from Paris to Berlin, we had a layover in Koln. The Kolner Dom, a gi-normous Gothic cathedral, is located right outside the train station.
One of the most famous bookstores in Paris is Shakespeare and Company, located near Notre Dame. The store sometimes provides temporary quarters to aspiring writers and while we were there, we could hear the sound of someone typing (on an actual typewriter) coming from one of the second-floor windows.
This is Place des Vosges, the oldest public square in Paris. The writer Victor Hugo once lived here.
Of all the things I saw in Paris, I think this image is the one I will most strongly associate with my travels. This is a view of the Eiffel Tower from the Trocadero.
This is on the Champs Elysees near the Arc de Triomphe. I was a little disappointed with the Champs Elysees. The high-end stores that line its path give the area a plastic, hyper-commercial feel that I found disquieting. I’m glad I stayed in the Latin Quarter.
This is the famous pyramid that serves as the entrance to the Louvre. As with the Musee d’Orsay, a person with a disability and one companion get free admission. Once a palace for Louis XIV, many of the galleries are as ornate as the art displayed within them.