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Berlin
After the dissolution of the Eastern Bloc and the reunification of Germany, the building at Checkpoint Charlie became a tourist attraction.
-Wikipedia-
Hardly arty but it likely does have historical value for those with a keen interest in the 1970s North-East, majoring on the railway scene!
English Electric class 37 no. 37161, hauling a rake of flats, passes Middlesbrough station on the up freight line with a 'proceed under caution' signal. For me it's been interesting to see that most of the shots I took in the area on this day featured almost exclusively bull-head rail - flat-bottomed rail had seemingly made few inroads into this part of the world in 1976.
The house with the elegant facade on the right lies on Exchange Place, and the road continues under the railway. I say house but, judging by the numerous window fans, it's more likely to be in use as a business.
Immediately above the loco cab is a building with what looks to be J Parkin Ltd (?) painted on the gable-end just below the roofline. I've tried checking it out but without success at this point. The building lies on Bridge Street West and, further along, there's a four storey commercial building trading as 'Checkpoint' - instinct tells me it was probably a supermarket.
This is another frame from the 'strip of six', and the final two may get uploaded if I can make reasonable images from them (this one took several frustrating attempts).
Ilford FP4 rated at 90asa, developed in Acutol
Sometime before 9am, 8th September 1976
This is apparently where Checkpoint Charlie stood during the Cold War hostilities. The people you see here are all actors (or hustlers, depending on your opinion); they speak a few words of English, and their primary objective is to get you to pose for pictures with them (in return for a generous tip)
I think it's hilarious that there should be a McDonald's outlet in the background ...
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For the final few days of our vacation, we traveled by air from Amsterdam to Berlin — and spent about four days in the “Mitte” section of the city, quite close to what was once the dividing line between East and West Berlin; indeed, our hotel was technically in East Berlin.
We spent the first afternoon wandering around the local area, partly to see the infamous “Checkpoint Charlie” (just a few blocks from our hotel), and partly to get a sense of the buildings, the people, and the overall “look and feel” of the city. Since I spend much of my time focusing on “street photography” in New York, I did the same thing here … and aside from the German language that you’ll see on a few of the signposts, the people look much the same as they do in any other big city.
I did get a few photos of the Brandenburg Gate and the Holocaust Exhibition, and some video clips from inside the TierGarten (which I’ll upload in the next few days). I also took quite a few photos of some “street art” that was created on one of the few remaining sections of the old Berlin Wall; these two will be uploaded in the next few days.
We took a driving tour around the city one morning, including a quick circle around the old 1936 Olympic Stadium; we also had lunch in a fancy restaurant atop the old Reichstag Building, which is now (as I understand it) the home of the German legislature. But I certainly don’t feel that I saw very much of the entire city; it would be like making a whirlwind tour around a few parts of Manhattan, and then trying to claim that you’ve seen all of New York City.
As a child of the Cold War (and having been born exactly one year before the day that Hitler committed suicide), I have always been intrigued by Berlin — and would love to go back several more times to see more of the neighborhoods, the culture, and the people. I don’t think I would ever claim to “know” Berlin in any complete sense; indeed, I don’t even feel that way about New York, after living here for 45+ years. But I could certainly learn a lot more, and I found it sufficiently interesting that I would like to learn more…
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During the first two weeks of September 2015, we took a river cruise down the Rhine River, and wrapped up the trip with a few days in Berlin. This Flickr album contains various photos from that trip …
We spent the first couple days recovering from jet-lag in Interlaken, Switzerland. This is the site of the Jungfrau and various other spectacular peaks in the Alps range — but it was so foggy that we could hardly see anything. I’ve included a couple of videos of a tram ride down the mountain, as well as some paraglider who floated down into the town park.
We then traveled to Bern, where we got on-board a Viking Cruise ship that headed north for the next several days — eventually arriving in Amsterdam, after making stops nearly every day to see ancient castles and fortresses, as well as various villages and small towns that have survived various wars, tyrants, and regimes for well over a thousand years.
From our final cruise destination in Amsterdam, we flew to Berlin — where we spent a few days at a very nice hotel that turned out to be in what was once East Berlin. Indeed, the separation between East and West Berlin, once so obvious and important, is now almost impossible for a visitor to spot. Except for some rubble, and a few small mementoes (like Checkpoint Charlie, a few blocks from our hotel), there is no obvious difference between East and West from pre-1989 days.
LSB Contest 2021 Island Racing
My entry to the contest. I build the bike in a day and the rest in half a day. I have to start thinking about how to photograph it while building. Had to rearrange the whole lot to look more presentable on camera. Thanks to Fullplatebuilds for the palm tree tutorial.
I always wanted to use those dragon feet as an intake, then had to add bananas and flippers to keep it tropical. Also managed to throw in the old Blacktron jetpack to give it some boost.
100% pure LEGO even though I cut up a bunch of stickers :)
You'll find some closeups of the bike in my photostream.
Thanks for viewing.
I'm the neutral part in this conflict. I've just communicated with the red one, when the grey one showed up. A moment after this pic was shot, the red one chased the grey one
A tranquil checkpoint on the fringes of the blue ice mountains - a place to recharge and swap stories with the friendly sentry droid.
Built for my article on New Elementary about the recent 5x5 curved plate (80015) - That and because I've been wanting an excuse to use Aqua!
During the time of divided Berlin, Checkpoint Charlie was one of nine checkpoints on the border of the American and Russian sectors, at a passage of the Berlin Wall on Friedrichstraße
Today the old "Checkpoint Charlie" is very busy, no stops, no controls, only traffic and tourists like me :^)
“I know there’s a cat up there!”
This is why we have to keep our Fur apart. Cat Edwina does saunter down the stairs when she knows that dog Izzie has been safely tucked in for the night. Izzy meanwhile growls her disapproval from beneath the bed cover.
In today’s pet soap opera episode, Edwina appeared on the landing, miaowing for company. I could scarcely deny her. Cat that she is, Edwina was vocal in her scolding. This in turn goaded Izzy. More episodes will surely follow.
Former customs checkpoint of Hamburger Freihafen - Zollamt Veddel LKW
www.denkmalverein.de/gefaehrdet/gefaehrdet/ungewisse-zuku...