You say it's your birthday?

In Berlin, you can rent the "Bier Bike" and celebrate with 15 friends while pedaling around the city. Only $300 for two hours (driver furnished). You'll never see this in the U.S., but in Berlin, the saying is, "Anything Goes!" Similar bikes in the states just go from pub to pub (no drinking while on the street), but in Germany there's a tapped keg abroad and half-liter glass mugs.

The View from Below

The TV Tower in Berlin serves as a great landmark. If you're lost, just look for it and aim that direction. From a distance, it sometimes doesn't appear that big. But a night photo I took shows a tiny man looking out one of the observation level windows, and puts the disco ball's size in perspective. The restaurant, one level up and now featuring a sparkling-stars ceiling, is at 680 feet. The food and atmosphere are great; a three-course meal is 39-euros plus drinks. Just don't forget to budget for the 12-euro elevator ticket to get up there!

Good Publicity from International Center

The University of Florida International Center included our Berlin Journalism progam in its rotating banner headings starting today. The featured photo is by Alexandra Sanchez. The Soundslides projects are now online.

Projects are online !!

The basic completed projects are online now. You'll need a computer with Adobe Flash to view the Soundslides. That means you can't see them on an iPad or iPhone; sorry, but you can blame Steve Jobs (RIP) and Apple. A special thanks to software developer/inventor Joe Weiss for loaning everyone in the Berlin Journalism group a working copy of his product, Soundslides Plus. Download it for $69.95. A more complete website, with photos of each student and a gallery of their best photos, will be posted in the near future. 

Final Evening in Berlin

We started the night off with a quick stop for souvenir T-shirts at Fat Tire Bike Tours. This way everyone had at least one clean shirt to wear home. Then it was off for a long S-Bahn trip deep into the former east where we sat outside in brisk weather and enjoyed great views, food and beverages at Schoors am Mueggelsee Biergarten. After dinner, we ventured through a tunnel over to the little island. Lisa impressed the group with her fire sticks and Kiva climbed around here and there looking for the best angle. The late night means no posting of the projects until I get back to the USA to review everything once I rest up. Another great course in the bag and I'm proud of the students' work!

 

A Day of Contrasts



I went by "Tacheles" again Tuesday afternoon since no one knows how much longer it will last. The squatter art house that developed for free-thinking souls after the fall of the Wall is always on the edge of existence. During the eight years I've visited Berlin, I've seen its gradual decline. Gone are many of the artists shacks and freestanding musical venues/bars. Now there's one lone iron sculptor out back and a handful of artists inside. The building and lot await future development as Berlin continues its transformation following reunification in 1989.

Tuesday night we had an uber friendly waiter for our grand finale celebration dinner, as shown in this mixed flash/slow exposure photo. In contrast to grimy "Tacheles," the TV Tower Sphere Bistro is a classy place. At 680 feet above Berlin, everyone enjoyed 360-degree panoramic views of the city and good conversation over a tasty meal. Total tab for our group of 13: $850, pretty much on budget. 

Good Progress on the Projects

A few of the profile projects are finished and should go online Wednesday. Three of them are: Eric, a street guitarist, by Alexandra Sanchez; Txus, an artist in Tacheles, by Rachel Jones; and Marie, a shopkeeper and free spirit, by Kiva Ebert. I also shot a few frames of each subject.

Corrupted Files, Anyone?

Rachel DeLoach got a sad introduction to the world of corrupted files this morning when she tried to upload her photos from a great time shooting Sunday. It was no fault of hers, but the memory card decided to go all whacko and split images and added some colors. We all agreed the photos looked very cool, just not journalistic. I told her Fine Arts would love this stuff. Hang it on the wall! Turn them into T-shirts!

Mauer (Wall) Park Revisited



I try to remind students to watch the background behind subjects. Position yourself so distracting elements don't blend in with your center of interest. Can you frame your subject? Also, a fancy camera doesn't make you a great photographer. It's all about seeing composition and capturing a moment. Both pictures from this post were done with my Canon 770IS point-and-shoot camera. It's easy to carry around and doesn't draw attention like a bigger camera would.

Here's one of the many colorful artists/vendors at the Wall Park Flea Market. He reluctantly agreed to a portrait at his booth. His T-shirts feature original designs and are silk-screened. About $17 each, less if you buy two or more.

Sunday: Good Day Sunshine

We started the day off at Mauer Park, where a flea market presented everything from new silk-screened T-shirts to vintage Soviet furniture. On the other side of town, at the massive street parade "The Carnival of Cultures," a wide variety of ethnic and cultural groups whooped and hollered their way near the Mehringdamm U-Bahn stop. Our group started out with 10 adventurers but dwindled to five as the warm afternoon and a couple issues with trams/subways took its toll on the students. But there were good faces and easy shots for the pickings!

I later found myself in a park I'd never ever seen, even "back in the day." A unique waterfall presented a very unusual contrast to normally flat Berlin. At the top, visitors sat and waited to watch the sunset. It's called "Viktoriapark" and is fairly close to the former Templehof airport. 

Can You Say Friedrichstadt-Palast?

So here's the whole group at the show "YMA." It's hard to describe but features more than 100 incredibly talented musicians, dancers, acrobats -- you have to see it to believe it. http://vimeo.com/23154239

A Visionary Speaks his Mind

We enjoyed another excellent speaker Wednesday afternoon. International illustrator Christoph Niemann had us drop by his studio and he talked about his latest book, Abstract City, published largely from blogs he's written for the New York Times Sunday magazine. Christoph was a hit with the students, combining a sense of humility with his impressive accomplishments. One point he drove home was about how you are responsible for what you achieve, despite the ease of blaming others or conditions around you for excuses. He compared Berlin to NYC, acknowledging the creative forces alive in Berlin. Christoph had the group in stiches as he explained the difficutlities of Tweeting his progress during the 2011 New York marathon. Luckily he had a spare box of Abstract City books in the office, and signed copies for 6 to 7 of us. My inscription read:"To my Best Friend and fellow Berlin Enthousiast, John Freeman." Hah! --  I'm cool with that! 

Twilight

Twilight falls in Berlin about 9 p.m., when day slides into night. Here, subway visitors stop on steps to rearrange their packages at Alexanderplatz. 

Dr. Pong's Rocks the House

                             These folks aren't UF students, but that one guy does look like Jon Bon Jovi.                              

Almost the entire group made the trek Tuesday night to Dr. Pong's, a unique establishment with bare bones walls, one shared Ping-Pong table, 80s music, too much smoke and cold beverages. The fun lasted into the early morning hours. Phillip reflects for a moment while celebrating his birthday May 23.  

At Tacheles, someone who didn't ask permission got a lesson in
photographing strangers! But the artist is really a nice guy.

Who's Got a Sweet Tooth?

OMG! That's about all you can say after visiting the KaDeWe store in the former downtown of West Berlin. Kaufhaus Des Westerns is Europe's largest department store and they have it all; everything from Gucci downward. After hearing photographer Timothy Fadek speak Monday, Emily, Rachel Jones, Sydney, Audreyanna and I took the U-Bahn down to Wittenburgplatz and visited the top level of KaDeWe. We were not disappointed sitting under the arched window savoring world-famous sweets. You only live once! (YOLO!)

"Your Camera is a Passport"



The group enjoyed an excellent presentation today. Timothy Fadek, an American photographer who moved from New York City to Berlin nine months ago, talked to the us about his international work. Using images from Libya, Syria, Mongolia and elsewhere, Tim explained the ins and outs of making it as a freelance photojournalist and how he copes with despair and danger on the road. Have patience, he explained, at letting the best image emerge from many. Spend time with your subjects, he suggested, because doors will open if subjects like you. Do your job of shooting photos, he clarified, when chaos reigns and victims are suffering, if help is around for them. But if it's just you, put your camera down and be a human being who can help. Tim leaves Berlin Tuesday for Greece, where he will document declining economic conditions. To see his fantastic portfolo, which includes the Haiti earthquake and 9/11 in NYC, visit www.timothyfadek.com. Highly recommended.

Gator in Berlin

I have no idea why a gator statue is part of the large fountain on the back side of the Alexanderplatz TV Tower, but it didn't seem to scare a couple girls (not UF students) wading through the water. Temperatures have been topping off near 80 the past few days with no rain in sight.

The old and new of Berlin come together when the TV Tower is viewed through the domes of the Berliner Dom, the city's largest church that looks older than its 1905 origin. Our study abroad group will enjoy a farewell dinner in the tower near the final day. The Tele Cafe restaurant has seating that rotates on the interior, going around twice in one hour.