Outplatzing the best - Potsdammer Platz by Ekaterinburg
I'm not going to repeat a whole lot of guide book facts and figures about Potsdammer Platz but I do want to say that I think it's absolutely fabulous. Though I passed by several times during the day, it was only on my last night that I got to walk through it and spend some time there. After the concert at the Philharmonie we walked up and I now think, that on foot, at night is posibly one of the best ways to encounter it. Obviously none of the shops were open at 11OOp.m but it was still fairly hopping with people, noise and music. Approaching from the Kulturforum, we got the full 3-d effect of the looming towers of glass and steel, all lit up like Christmas trees. Inside, looking up at the Sony Centre canopy I actually felt awestruck - the sort of feeling I mostly associate with childhood and seeing movies about faraway exotic places. That was a nice feeling and one not experienced too often. It's hard to single out any one aspect, just the entire combination of water, ice ( Winter world ) blue light, glass and steel. It felt more like Manhattan than Berlin and for me it was really magical.Later, in the Potsdammer Platz station I took this photo of the area in pre-war times. What's there now is one of Berlin's more daring and innovative transformations and one that definitely works. Unfortunately, none of the photos I took are worth uploading, as once again, my camera was simply not up to the job. It was in Berlin I decided I had to have a camera that would work in all lighting conditions and I'm happy to say that I am now the proud owner of a Canon SLR digital. Next time I'll definitely have decent photos to illustrate this brilliant showcase of modern architecture
