Last week I went to Berlin for 5 Days. I’ve never been to Germany before apart from a short period of time spend on an RAF base years ago.

The trip was part of my wife’s University course – (visual and graphic design) and she was touring design studios. Which meant I had a lot of time to walkabout.

I didn’t want to spend time in galleries and museums. When I go somewhere new, I want to explore. My history knowledge is poor. I’ve spent the last year trying to understand Russian and Soviet history. So Berlin was especially interesting. But I didn’t expect to be so emotionally overwhelmed. The Berliners are not letting anyone forget the brutality of the 20th century in Europe.

Memorial Cobbles – ‘Stolperstein’ 75,000 across Germany outside the homes of holocaust victims
The Holocaust Memorial. Located on the former ‘death strip’ and previously Hitler and the SS’s offices.
‘Curriculum Vitae’ by Susanne Kunjappu Jellinek. Each year has a little painted rose to represent each person who died whilst attempting to flee to West Berlin.
‘My God, Help Me Survive This Deadly Love’ aka ‘The Fraternal Kiss’. From a 1979 photo of Brezhnev and Honecker kissing during the 30th anniversary celebration of the foundation of the GDR. I took a photo of the river from the corresponding view on the west side of the wall and merged the photos.
Bornholmer Straße border crossing. On the 9th Nov 1989, many gathered here and, with guards overwhelmed, the gates to West Berlin opened.
In Aug 1989, my wife, then aged 15 and staying in Berlin with her father posted there with the British Army. She and her friends gratified ‘Love Is Thicker Than Concrete’ and signed it. We found the same spot!