Brandenburg gates at night

[tfboy]

As I'm out working in Berlin at the moment, I took the chance to walk up to the Brandenburg gates. Quite an impressive sight and very nice and clean. Those columns look really imposing without any blackening from smog!

I also found it quite a thought provoking moment. At around 1:30 am, it was very quiet and peaceful, only the noise of the ocassional teenager tourist group laughing in the background. And to think what has happening here just over 20 years ago.... quite moving in a way.

Unfortunately, I hadn't planned to take any real photos so didn't have any support. Some of these are handheld, the others are propped up on bins, benches, etc :frown:

Anyway, here are a few shots:

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And this one's handheld...

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On a sidenote, did have a most amusing sight with the Berlin Police. You'd think they'd be out patrolling the streets, keeping an eye on things and maybe having the odd chit chat with passers by... No! They were out taking nice scenic shots too Although they were better equipped with tripod and all

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I did walk up to them and tried to have a conversation. The young officer (in the middle with the big cheesy grin) was friendly and spoke a bit of English, much better than my German. But the chap taking the photos was about twice my size and had a really scary moustache. So when I offered to email them the photo if they wanted and he said "Nein!", I didn't insist and ran away :Teeth: Chicken me!


edit: I have to admit I do enjoy taking these, and am resisting getting a PC lens to fix the aspect ratios, but my will power is starting to fail me and NAS is taking over again LOL

 

[seabee1999]

Very cool images Xavier. I hope to get there myself someday. Thanks for sharing your experience.

God Bless,
David

 

[tfboy]

Very cool images Xavier. I hope to get there myself someday. Thanks for sharing your experience.

God Bless,
David

No worries. Thanks for the kind comments.

In fact, forgot to say, the diagonal stripe in the road from bottom left to where the photographer is kneeling is actually a memorial line of where the Berlin Wall was. The cop was shooting down the line along the street. 30 years ago, they were also shooting, but it wasn't photographs :wink::frown:

 

[Blue_gsx]

Real nice scenery. Love the photos.

 

[the Pond]

Brilliant! The first pic is my favourite, though I am not loving the street lamp. Great series.

 

[Preston]

Love the pictures, I have never been there but I would love to one day.

 

[alexf]

Very nice set.

 

[leungphotography]

Nicely done..... I like the police group shot.

 

[RFCGRAPHICS]

Excellent series of images !

 

[DanielD]

Nice pictures, and you can count yourself lucky having been there that late. Earlier in the evening, especially in the summer, the place is often so crowded with bus loads of tourists that you can hardly see the gate. :smile:

I had to smile about that cop picture. Thanks for sharing the story. :smile:

 

[tfboy]

Nice pictures, and you can count yourself lucky having been there that late. Earlier in the evening, especially in the summer, the place is often so crowded with bus loads of tourists that you can hardly see the gate. :smile:

I had to smile about that cop picture. Thanks for sharing the story. :smile:

I know what you mean. On Sunday, there was a rather cute girl posing in an American military uniform completely with stars and stripes flag.

I thought I'd have a chat with her and wanted to take a photo of just here, but there were hundreds of tourists around. When I got the chance and came up with the corny line "you must be hot in that uniform" (it was rather toasty Sunday afternoon!), she said "give me 1€ and you can take a photo of me and you" I actually would have preferred just a photo of her as it would be more iconic than with a fat bloke such as myself with an arm around her shoulder :redface: As I didn't have 1€, I let it pass. I did wander back later though with some business cards and was about to offer her a photo of just herself :wink: but she had changed into a bloke and had defected to the Russians branding a hammer and sickle flag instead :biggrin::biggrin:

It's a really nice spot, but of course, ridden with tourist traps, and of course lots of tourists.

Did take this one though of other photographer working for money :biggrin:

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[WhalleyBoy]

Very cool set and set of stories in this thread.

Thanks

 

[DanielD]

I posted them already earlier but I think they fit well into the theme.... (I hope you don't mind posting them in your thread)

Here's how I found the crowd in the evening:

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(look at all those tripods... :biggrin


and the tallest tripod so far...

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Last European Soccer Championship

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Not without reason the place at the Brandenburg Gate is called the living room of Berlin.

 

[tfboy]

Cool shots Daniel, and thanks for posting them. I now see what that scaffolding / arch stand at the other end is / was for :smile:

Having a tripod like that outside the US Embassy can only be asking for trouble I really must get a PC lens :biggrin:

 

[yellovrs]

Ishe had changed into a bloke and had defected to the Russians branding a hammer and sickle flag instead :biggrin::biggrin:
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I thought Thailand was last week :tongue: