bad taste toast: memories of Berlin

Hi guys!

Actually I wanted to post a giveaway today, but my Photoshop decided to break down so that I can't put together a giveaway header and now I have to improvise. So instead here is a picture-heavy post where you can win nothing, but get impressions of Berlin ;)

Maybe you remember that I took a weekend trip to Berlin two weeks ago to visit a blogger conference. Some readers asked for more photos of the city itself than only pics of the conference and I somehow forgot about that. I'm sorry! Well, here they are: some Berlin tourist bus trip photos! ;)

vintage suitcase deco at our hotel

in the bus

Humboldt University

I had already visited Berlin last year and made an extensive sightseeing tour back then, so this time I was too lazy to walk. I grabbed a coffee, hopped into one of the buses, nestled in one of the seats and only took photos through the bus windows.

By the way, if you are too thrifty for the pricey tourist bus tours (I am), then I can recommend the normal public transport bus lines 100 and 200, both starting from Alexanderplatz and going on a route along all important sights and back to Alexanderplatz in the end (or some of them only go to Bahnhof Zoo, where you can get off and take the same line into the other direction back to Alexanderplatz at least).

Unter den Linden

hot air balloon at Potsdamer Platz

Potsdamer Platz

It was such a lovely weather and the sun began to set slowly while throwing yellowish golden light onto the buildings. It was a really nice play of light and shadow between the parks, churches and skyscrapers. Also the bus was not as crowded as in the afternoon, so it was a really relaxing tour without any hullabaloo.

House of the Cultures of the World

Reichstag

Fernsehturm at Alexanderplatz

Actually I like Berlin, but somehow I always have the impression of this city being way too big for me to live in. It's fantastic that there is so much to discover, so much great food, lovely shops, sights, interesting people.... but the other side of the coin are too many tourists, dirty streets and places, funny smells, long distances etc.

I think if I lived there, it would annoy me to know that I never ever had the time to explore more than just the corner I lived in. I love me my cozy "little" Düsseldorf with about 600.000 citizens ;) I know almost all the districts here and it's not as fast moving and dirty as Berlin.

Anyway, apart from the sightseeing, here are three more snapshots I took in Kreuzberg: