1:  Heathrow Airport Goes Social.  I was entertained with how modern Heathrow is.  They have computer stations….areas where you could hop online scattered all throughout.  Check out the signage above these workstations – and how social it is.  They promote that you can go online for video, game, sound, email, Twitter and Facebook.

2:  Air Berlin.    They had me at the boarding pass.  A very attractive flight attendant pictured on the pass.  What a pleasant way to set you up.  And it doesn’t stop there.  Once on board…. you are greeted with even more attractive flight attendants.  Male and female.   We were on an early plane.   As I drank my coffee I perked up… oh… what is that I smell.  FRESH HOT BREAD.  Yes.  I do not jest.  And… because they’re so awesome – when you deplane they give you a chocolate… wrapped in red foil.  Shaped like a heart.  I Heart Air Berlin.

3.  Trains in Berlin.  I consider us to be experts in public transportation in Europe.  We can find our way no matter where we are, and no matter what combination of planes, trains, busses, taxis and mopeds.  The funny thing though is that we didn’t account for the “Language Issue”.  So here we are – on the train, and we have to remember our train stop.  Look at the words – they are a bunch of constanants and a smattering of vowels.   I’d get asked – what’s our train stop?  And I’d say….. Really Long Word.  Starts with H.  29 letters.  End in and sounds like “off”.  hahaha.  We missed I think only one… or maybe we didn’t.  It sure added to the adrenalin of looking at train stops and trying to match what was on our map with the train station sign.

Oh what fun.

A collective of artists have taken over this former department store that was built in 1907.   It was going to be demolished in 1990 – when a group of artists had it declared as a historic building – and then took it over.  Today it is a art center and a night club.  Part BM, part Space Island, part festival.

Entrance to Kunsthaus Tacheles

Glass and metal artist

One of the many galleries

There are 5 floors. The stairways smell like urine and are covered in graffiti

Every part of the stairs has some sort of urban art on it.

View from the 5th floor

Hansel and Gretel?

Inside Kunsthaus Tacheles

Finally, November 9, 1989 when the wall came down.  I was 16… and just moved from Papua New Guinea to Los Angeles.  I watched Germany celebrate on TV.  I watched them tear down the wall.  I watched people from East Germany sitting on the wall, side by side with their fellow citizens from West Germany.  And from my living room I celebrated and danced for joy.

And then this October, I found myself actually standing at Check Point Charlie, and seeing for myself, the remnants of the wall – and a unified Germany.  What was it like?  Surreal.   How did I feel?  I was in awe.  And as I quietly thought this all through…and took my pictures I thought…

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.   Nov. 9, 2009.   So sad that such a tragic political decision separated a country.  So happy that the people of the country never gave up hope.

Check Point Charlie.  Once upon a time this was heavily guarded.

I got this chocolate heart from Air Berlin – they give it to you as you leave the plane.

Graffiti Art covers the wall.  Save Our Planet!

If you look really closely – the brick line on the road marks where the wall once stood.