Round The World and other travels
A frequent flyer's collection of trip diaries
Berlin 1982
In order to remind myself of the degree of change that the city has undergone, I decided to dig out some of my photos from my previous visits to Berlin, starting with my initial visit in 1982. In that pre-digital and (for me) even pre-35mm time, I wasn't exactly a prolific photographer, but the few pictures I took - maybe about 15 in total - certainly brought the memories flooding back. Here are nine that I picked out - and apologies for the quality!
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The Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, Ku'damm |
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Domeless, somewhat isolated and facing an uncertain future, who would have guessed the transformation to come? |
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The Victory Column, not that different from how it looks today. |
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Now a powerful symbol of unity and freedom, here the Brandenburg Gate lies isolated in No Man's Land. |
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Built by the DDR to keep its own people in, over 260 East Berliners died attempting to cross it. |
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Built on Friedrichstraße soon after East Berlin was cut off from the rest of the city, the former American side of Checkpoint Charlie has now become a tourist attraction. |
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Neue Wache, on Unter den Linden - a daily Changing of the Guard ceremony once took place here. |
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Formerly the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the communists re-designated this site as the Memorial to the Victims of Fascism and Militarism. |
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Vorsprung durch Technik? Er ... perhaps not. People waited years to get one of these putt-putting, smoke-belching, glorified lawnmowers. |
Berlin visit 1997
Back to the Future (2005)
Back to the Future (2011)
Back to the Future (2014)