My friend and I were treated to a remarkable concert last night. Bono has enough charisma to fill a city block. He could come across as pretentious at times, but I was willing to overlook that given some amazing performances of songs like “Pride” and “Sunday Bloody Sunday.” I’m pretty sure there was at least one song from each of their albums, including the often-overlooked but personal favorite Zooropa. I was also surprised to hear them perform “Miss Sarajevo,” a song that most people probably don’t know but that has a really interesting backstory. Human rights and peaceful coexistence were recurrent themes during the concert, creating a vibe that starkly contrasted with the crass glitz of the 1997 POPMart show that I saw. One image that I won’t forget is when Bono asked everyone to take out their cell phones, which have replaced lighters as beacons of rock-inspired solemnity. For a couple minutes, the whole Target Center was filled with a miniature galaxy of pale blue stars.
This was also one of the longest concerts I’ve attended, clocking in at more than two hours. I would gladly have paid double what I did to see such a performance.

I hope you all enjoyed the pictures that have been posted over the last several days. It’s given me the opportunity to organize my own memories of the trip and to recall some of the fleeting moments that can get lost in the shuffle. Like the memory of sitting at a cafe near Place de St. Michel and watching a street musician methodically set up his guitar and amp. Or the memory of pigeons flying over the Berliner Dome against a darkening sky. Before I left, I thought this would be a once-in-a-lifetime trip, never to be repeated. But now, I’m pretty confident that I’ll return to Europe in a few years, either back to Paris or someplace new. Rome definitely sounds appealing and I’ve heard great things about Spain. And if I feel really ambitious, perhaps I’ll try making it to Sydney. The world’s a big place, but not those distant places are not as far out of reach as I once thought.
Last night’s severe weather in the Twin Cities, which included the touchdown of a F2 tornado, is dominating the news around here. Of course, it all seems trivial compared to the imminent touchdown of Hurricane Rita. Stay safe, everyone.

When the Reichstag was rebuilt, a glass observation dome was added to the top of the building. Inside the dome visitors can walk up a spiraling ramp while taking in some spectacular views of the city.

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 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.