Berlin during the World Cup

July 19, 2006 at 7:49 pm · Filed under photo, travel

I don’t know what Berlin is like when it isn’t hosting the World Cup, but it was definitely the place to be in June of 2006. The Brandenburg Gate became the backdrop for a public soccer sanctuary of big screen worship. Besides the fanatic crowds and beer (great combo btw), Berlin treated us well.

Watching the Games

World Cup

We took a bike tour through the city and checked out what’s left of the Berlin Wall. It made me wonder if future generations will take tours of the U.S. México border and see pieces of the wall in museums.

Bike Tour

Berlin Wall

Berlin Wall Footprint

Parked on the Berlin Wall Marker

I couldn’t help being impressed by Berlin’s public transportation system. It made NYC look like the third world.

Berlin Transit System

After an all too short stay in Berlin, we set off to meet up with family in Italy.

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4 Comments »

  Gravatar xoloitzquintle wrote @ July 22nd, 2006 at 6:12 am

What I find fascinating about Berlin is that it is such a forward looking city. Most cities in Europe draw on their past and their history in creating a sense of place and their identity. Given Berlin’s not so proud past (and the fact that it was more or less destroyed), it relies more on the future. There are lingering monuments to the past, but it has a dynamic sense of change that is often not present in other European cities.

It is interesting that you noted the Berlin Wall. I think reactions to the wall are very generational. To me it was iconic, for the last years of the Cold War and the Iron Curtain were part of my formative years. My wife, however, sees it more as a historical object since it never played part of her geo-political consciousness. What a difference four years makes!

Looking forward to your observations and pictures from Italy.

  Gravatar Nathan wrote @ July 22nd, 2006 at 8:54 am

Your point about being a forward-looking city, and its remodeling since WWII, was really interesting to see. At the site of Hitler’s bunker (where he was married, committed suicide, and burned), the bunker was flooded, the entrance destroyed by explosives. On top of the site, they built high-end condos. They left no marker to show where it was. Some said it was to keep the site from becoming a shrine. (Apparently they put up a small sign during the World Cup for the tourists)

And you make a good point about the Berlin Wall. I was only 11 years old when it came down!

  Gravatar cindylu wrote @ July 23rd, 2006 at 9:33 pm

When I saw the scan of the public transportation system in Berlin, I was impressed.

Oh, I made one of your Venice photos my desktop background. When my mom saw it, she loved it and then we started going through your Venice and Barcelona photos. She loved the photos too.

  Gravatar World Cup - Fifa Worldcup 2018 Updates wrote @ November 3rd, 2017 at 1:50 pm

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