River Spree – suemtravels

Berlin Reflections

I’m approaching two months in Berlin and there’s still more to see and learn. Each city has personality, and Berlin is uniquely difficult to describe. I’m not a fast-moving tourist, so moving at a slower pace helps shine a different light on things. It’s a complex city with a young population and immense history and nuances…

Berlin’s Light Festival from River Spree

By: suemtravels October 14, 2018October 17, 2018

Berlin, European Cities, GermanyAktion Augenlicht / Together eV, Bäke (Telte) River, Berlin’s Festival of Lights 2018, Dahme River, Havel River, Jannowitzbrücke, Kindle River, Lekker Lichtbox, Mühlendamm Lock, Panke River, Projection Mapping, River Spree, Tegeler RiverLeave a Comment

Berlin’s autumn Festival of Lights is a spectacular 10-day show with creative displays by talented artists from all over the world. During the festival, landmarks and historic buildings are elaborately illuminated from dusk to midnight. It’s an exciting time with vivid visuals and a happy atmosphere! Every night I’ve checked out light shows in different parts…

Exploring Berlin

By: suemtravels October 7, 2018November 1, 2019

Berlin, European Cities, GermanyAlbania, Bebelplatz, Berlin, Berlin Cathedral, Berlin Festival of Lights, Berlin Like A Local, Berlin National Library, Berlin Opera House, Berlin Techno Nightlife, Berlin TV Tower, Berlin Walking Tours, Berlin Wall, Berlin War Memorial Tränenpalast Museum, Boulevard Unter den Linden, Brandenburg Gate, Checkpoint Charlie, DDR Museum, French Cathedral, Gendarmenmarkt, George Elser Hitler's Would Be Assassin, German History Museum, Gestapo and SS Headquarters, Gneisenaustraße, Google Maps, Holocaust Memorial, Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, Kreuzberg, MapsMe, Memorial to Hitler Assassin Georg Elser, Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, Museum Island, Nazi Book Burning Memorial, Nazi Book Burning Plaza, Nazi regime Gestapo and SS Headquarters, Neue Wache (New Guard), Neukölln, Pariser Platz, Pergamon Museum, Peter Eisenman, Prenzlauer Berg, Reichstag Building, Remains of Hitler’s Bunker, River Spree, Royal Palace, S-Bahn, Schloss Charlottenburg, St. Hedwig's Cathedral, The Missing House, Topography of Terror, U-Bahn, Wilhelminian Style Architecture1 Comment

Learning to navigate a large city requires patience and perseverance – ha… Berlin’s heated pace is both daunting and exhilarating. I’ve gone from being befuddled and hopelessly lost to feeling ecstatic while making successful transport connections and blending with locals. Navigating Berlin As a point of comparison, Istanbul’s 14+ million population makes Berlin’s 4 million…

Hot Oregon Summer – Berlin Next

By: suemtravels August 21, 2018October 18, 2019

Africa, Berlin, Cape Town, European Cities, Germany, Oregon USA, South AfricaAfrican National Congress (ANC), Alte Nationalgalerie, Altes Museum, Berlin Cathedral, Berlin Museum Island, Berlin Philharmonic, Berlin-Mitte, Berliner Dom, Berliner Philharmoniker, Berliner Weihnachtszeit at Roten Rathaus, Bode Museum Mitte, Brandenburg Gate, Cape Town, Carr Fire Redding California, Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf, Democratic Alliance (DA), Durban, Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg, Gendarmenmarkt, Johannesburg, Julius Sello Malema, Komische Oper, Land Expropriation South Africa, Mitte, Mmusi Maimane, Monbijou Park, Museum Island Berlin, Museumsinsel, Neues Museum, Neukölln, Pergamon Museum, Pietermaritzburg, Port Elizabeth, Potsdamer Platz, River Spree, Rustenburg, South Africa, South Africa's Drought, South Africa's National Development Plan (NDP), Staatsoper Unter den Linden, Staatsoper Wien Opera House, The Berliner Philharmoniker, Tiergarten Park, Unter den Linden, Weihnachtsmarkt am Gedächtniskirche, Weihnachtszauber at the Gendarmenmarkt, Wildfires - Oregon, Wintertraum am Alexa, Winterwelt am Potsdamer Platz, Xenophobia-Related Violence1 Comment

Gardening and Wildfires It’s been a restful, contemplative summer in Oregon working in my garden with deer, wild turkeys, annoying yellow jackets, and a stray Goth-looking black cat. Sadly, dry and windy conditions combined with a record-breaking heat wave resulted in raging wildfires all around us. The massive Carr Fire near the California / Oregon border created terrifying “fire tornadoes“.…