I spent the past seven days on a Wikimedia-related excursion to Berlin to attend the 2011 Berlin Hackathon. While I was there, I gave a short talk about social identity and how it relates to Wikipedia.
I also took some photos.
A row of cobblestones now marks where the Berlin Wall passed through the streets.
The western side of the remaining parts of the wall have excellent graffiti.
This is the graffiti left on the eastern side. It is of lower quality.
Me, in front of the east side of the Berlin Wall.
The militarized zone is now a park.
This was a small art installation overgrown with vegetation. The city, stitched back together.
Where the Wall once stood, a playground.
This statue had been given a real flower.
This garden was amazing. Just amazing.
As near as I can tell, water once ran here. Then came the wall, and it was filled in. Now it is a park.
Bicycles are everywhere. Only half were ever locked up.
Wall art is everywhere. No surface is safe.
A lot of wall art is this simple and packs a wallop.
Even the “bad” graffiti looks good.
Google owns everything, apparently.
A flea market vendor begins packing up his wares.
I’ve seen a lot of stinky rivers in a lot of stinky places. This was not one.
I have no idea what the context for this storefront is.
I’ve always been a rule breaker.
This exterior wall was covered in a kind of foam.
It was a magical Anti-TARDIS elevator: smaller on the inside than it was supposed to be.
I have to sound like a dick, but if you think bicycles are everywhere in Berlin, you ain’t seen nothing yet. It’s like someone from Norway going “OMG summers in Seattle are so HOT, it’s unbelievable”. Go visit Amsterdam (or other Dutch cities; it’s actually only the #2 when it comes to highest percentage of trips made by bicycle, the #1 is Groningen) :D
Comments on In Which Our Hero Travels to Berlin
I have to sound like a dick, but if you think bicycles are everywhere in Berlin, you ain’t seen nothing yet. It’s like someone from Norway going “OMG summers in Seattle are so HOT, it’s unbelievable”. Go visit Amsterdam (or other Dutch cities; it’s actually only the #2 when it comes to highest percentage of trips made by bicycle, the #1 is Groningen) :D
To get you started: https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/nl/wiki/Fietsflat