Deutchlove

Tori’s European Escapade

Summer 2012

August

26/8 -27/8

Dresden and Berlin - Germany

Onthe way to Berlin we meandered of the straightest path and found ourselves in Dresden. The whole city was pretty much destroyed during WWII, but has been lovingly and painstakingly rebuilt to its former specifications. We hopped off the bus and wandered into the town square, admiring the beautiful architecture and the Fürstenzug  - a mural depicting the rulers of Saxony. It was originally painted between 1871 and 1876, and replaced by about 23,000 Meissen porcelain tiles between 1904 and 1907. At 102 metres long, it is known as the largest porcelain artwork in the world.

Katholische Hofkirche (The Catholic Church of the Royal Court of Saxony)

Fürstenzug  

Dresden Frauenkirche

Entering Berlin that night, we had a group dinner, and began to lament the upcoming end of our trip. The next morning we had a walking tour of the city, and to my delight, and others horror, it was completely freezing, and we stood outside the Reichstag (Parliament) in a penguin huddle. We moved on, through the Brandenburg Gate and past the Adlon Hotel, where Micheal Jackson dangled his son out the window. Our final stop was the incredible 'Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe'. The memorial, designed by architect Peter Eisenman and engineer Buro Happold,  is 19,000 square metres of concrete slabs, placed in a grid pattern, that vary in height from 0.2m to 4.8m. The design is intended to create an uneasy, confusing atmosphere, and the whole sculpture aims to represent a supposedly ordered system that has lost touch with human reason. Standing inside the memorial definitely gave you the sense that you were lost and vulnerable, and despite it's controversy, I thought it was incredible.

Reichstag 

Brandenburg Gate

The scene of MJ's mad moment

Berlin Bears! Me and Maddy

Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe

Beautiful and creative expression of different, positive philospohies are painted on old sections of the Berlin Wall, that can be found all over the city.

The East Side Gallery is 105 paintings by international artists, painted in 1990 on the East side of a section of the Berlin Wall. The paintings reflect the time of change and express the euphoria and great hopes for a better and free future for all people of the world. There are highly controversial themes to a lot of the images, but all have a beautiful, positive quintessence.