Making Music

An accordion player working for tips along the Spree River wouldn't have been seen back when the area was the Russian-controlled section of Berlin years ago. But now, several sections of the city are full of immigrants seeking a new life in one of Europe's biggest melting-pot cities. This constant change in Berlin -- it's historical but at the same time on the cutting edge of trends -- is one reason I keep coming back with a study-abroad group. After dinner tonight, a short walk down a cut-through street resulted in me finding this WWII relic of a building just two blocks from our hotel. Its fate? -- most likely it'll be knocked down for new, trendy housing that the Prenzlauer Berg district is becoming known for.

Off the Beaten Path

For about seven hours today, while the students had free time to work on their picture stories, I rented a bike and cruised through (mostly) parts of the former east. The city was alive everywhere I went, party because it was a Sunday and partly because of the super sunny weather. The giant slide I found was along a canal I remembered from the 2006 trip. In an area where many Middle Easterners have settled, I came across a Cypress wedding party with honking horns, men waving flags and the sound of guns being fired in the air. Neighbors watched all the racquet from their windows.

Skywalkers

I came across a unique event today -- people on ropes running down the side of the Park Inn, Berlin's tallest hotel. Like true Germans, many visitors in Alexanderplatz barely batted an eye. I followed a participant with an orange harnass back to the top. From 39 stories up, thrill-seekers pay 59 Euros (almost $100) to do "house running," as it's called. Wearing booties to protect the hotel windows, they walk down the side of the building. It's part of the services offered by Jochen Schweizer, a company that offers a variety of extreme sports activities.

In the evening, I took a long S-Bahn ride out to the Muggelsee, a lake in the far southeast. Last year we visited a brewery there, but tours are no longer given. I'm thinking of making an (optional) group visit there for a late lunch on Tuesday, after the projects are due.

Ice Cream Day

Today I spent part of the afternoon at Alexanderplatz, near the base of the TV Tower, while waiting for my laundry to get done at Fat Tire Bike Tours. It gave me a chance to people watch, and with the 70-degree weather, ice cream seemed in great demand. Every year I'm reminded of how flavorful the ice cream is in Berlin, and at one euro a scoop, it's a fair price.

Across from our hotel, the patterns, colors and framing of the assisted living facility provide a sitting duck situation for photographers. Just point the camera and shoot -- something will be a center of interest.

I got a call today from Katrin Planz, one of my classmates from Berlin High School years ago. She and husband Bill (former high school sweethearts) were visiting Berlin from Frankfurt to check on Bill's mother. They dropped by the hotel and we visited the corner bar for a couple Berliner Pilsners. Great to see some old friends from the past!

TIME and Wannsee

Our first appointment today was a 90-minute meeting at the Berlin bureau of TIME magazine. International correspondent Andrew Purvis talked about his job covering 18 countries and explained some of Berlin's unique character. "Berlin is a world city," he said. "It's part of Eastern Europe." While not as attractive as Paris or Vienna, Berlin is "culturally alive," he said.

TIME intern Laura Laabs likened the wide-open physical spaces that resulted when the Wall fell to the the mental openness Berlin has about itself: "There is space for ideas and subcultures -- you can do what you want here."

Following the TIME meeting we ventured to Mercedes World, an architectural wonder that showcases 200 cars (some suspended from the ceiling) in a vast atrium. Although Mercedes personnel were friendly in years past, security this time asked me what was going on and told us not to publish any photographs. We left shortly thereafter and one S-Bahn stop later were at the Helmut Newton museum. Surprise -- it was closed until June 18 for remodeling. The group split up and went various ways since the public museums don't go "free" until 6 p.m.

Andrew, Chen, Amy and I took a long S-Bahn ride to the Wannsee Lake and hopped the free city-run ferry across the Wannsee over to Alt-Kladow, where we enjoyed pizza outdoors. The great weather continues.

Alexanderplatz

Construction continues all over the city, and cranes are still up at Alexanderplatz, center of the former eastern sector. High fashion is big, too, as evidenced by this store window and reflection at Galeria Kaufhof.

The third-floor lobby of the hotel has a wi-fi point, so students like Robyn Wilson get to update their blogs daily. When the windows are open and the sun is shining, the Transit-Loft is a good working environment.

End of an Era

The giant eagle that symbolized the fierceness of Hitler's military was removed from the top of Templehof Airport following WWII, but it's been returned to Berlin by the USA and now sits in a small park in front of the massive building. Student Andrew Stanfill and I ventured down there today to see what's left of the airport, set to close in October. The market has shifted to Tegel Aiport in the northwest and Schoernfeld in the southeast, so Templehof has become largely a remnant of its former self, with closed offices and few passengers.