At night, Berlin

Not that I wasn't one at in a galaxy many years ago, but the teens use the metros as primary transportation and after a fair number of hours at the party scene don't be surprised if the party continues on the metro. This group wanted to practice their English on me. I was more concerned with the blond that was minutes from barking at the ants.

Do be careful when you walk as there were too many occasions when a group of these germans would just walk straight into you to knock you down. Is because were non-white and small in size? We have a German friend by the way and from the conversation it would seem they were aware they lacked that gentleness to fellow humans e.g helping out another fellow german on how to operate a trail ticket machine was considered odd!
The lesson here is when you see a group of germans walking towards you be prepared to give way quickly, or give them the shock of their life :)

I took once train to a east Berlin suburb to see a movie about famous east German bands. It was a movie theater that was inside a bar, and had about 10 sitting places. I was alone in the room, looked at the movie and drank the beer I had brought with me. It was very nice experience. Unfortunately I don't remember anymore the name of the place and couldn't find it by googling either..:(

However, when the film ended, and I took back the train to center, it was full of young, drunken people. They were acting very hostily, luckily not towards me, but towards each other. I was a bit alert, since after all I was alone in the train with them. I don't recommend this to anyone who has problems with nerves.

I got off the train at the wrong stop, so I walked a bit through Berlin to find my hotel.

Warnings: Don't cross the street unless you see the GREEN man lit up. :o)

Cute crossing lights in Germany, I thought they looked like bears, but I guess they were shaped like a man stop lights..

When I stopped for the first time in Berlin's suburbs by McDonald's at night I took a picture of Agip gas/petrol station without a built-up flash and I found it very blurred. Then I wanted to take a few nice night pictures of Berlin's streets. But I didn't have a tripod.
So, some of my pics esp. taken without a built-up flash were blurred. On the other hand those ones taken with a flash were too dark at the background not lighted enough by the flash.

Keep in mind that a built in (or even additional) flash on most cameras can only light up an area between 3 - 6 m in front of the camera (10 - 20 ft, depends on the flash and DIN of your film). My camera's shutter opens and has to stay open for up to several seconds for enough light to hit the film to make an image at night. The problem: most people cannot hold a camera perfectly still for more than a small fraction of a second - usually more than 1/30 or 1/45 s. Just notice here that larger camera you have, easier you can hold it.

So, if you want to take pictures at night (except objects up to a few meters in front of your camera) you must use a tripod, never mind how good (and expensive) is your camera.
Hmm... I still must buy a tripod for my camera. I think about two tripods: one mini-tripod, very small, primitive one, I could say but cheap, light and easy to carry with me. And the second: real, professional tripod with a bag.

Not so easy to choose from :-):
SLIK tripods (Japan)
MANFROTTO tripods (Italy)
about tripods on photo.net