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View from the train as we arrived in Berlin. -
This was the East German parliament building, fenced off for demolition in late 2005. The sign offers 'this summer only' tours. The fence had images of enormous parliamentary assemblies from DDR days. It was hard to imagine such power in such a sorry-looking building. -
Platenbau apartment block not far from Alexanderplatz. -
Henning Krull on the first night in Kreuzberg and after a couple of excellent dunkel hefes. The beers are fantastic in Berlin. -
This shack stood across the junction from Henning's apartment. Great food, nice and cheap. It became something to look forward to as the days drew to a close. However, we had the misfortune of timing our last few days to coincide with temporary closure for to repainting. We would've happily eaten there every single night. -
The shack owner. On the first night, Henning let me order our food in German. Though struggling a little, Henning left me to it. Worried whether my bits of German had made things difficult, Henning offered a little reassurance. "Don't worry," he said. "His German is really bad too." -
Larger than life Marx and Engels statues. -
This was the exit of the Stasi headquarters building. From the Berlin Wall to this more decorative piece, the DDR seemed to like its concrete. -
The weather was great during the trip to Berlin. Making our way back to Warschauer Strasse each night often gave us fantastic views of the sun going down behind the TV Tower. -
This is a Simson, an old East German scooter. Apparently, these older bikes are still quite popular. Newer scooters may be cleaner and more efficient, but they are usually restricted and slower than these Simsons. -
View taken on the last day in Berlin. This was the view halfway between Gorlitzer Bahnhof and Warschauer Strasse. -
Once inside the Stasi headquarters, it was clear that everything had been left completely untouched since the days of the Stasi. This staff room was next to the main meeting room where the Stasi's top brass would meet. Erich Mielke's office was just upstairs.