Birthday!

I turned 32 this weekend, and we had a small dinner party. I took one picture, in which some of our guests are hanging the Happy Birthday banner (which was brought special delivery from my parents' kitchen)! 

Crowds near the TV tower

Spotted from the train, a row of people taking pictures of... My train? 

365 in Review: My favorite Tags

While I was busily posting my daily picture, I tried to be both creative and logical with my tags. Most of the time, I tagged a city (Berlin and Potsdam are the most common) and a topic in addition to the 365 tag. My favorite ones (each title links to the tag):

Bears

They are all over Berlin - they are Berlin's mascot after all. I think most are from a project to put the same bear throughout Berlin, but I've also caught some different ones. Here are three highlights:

Street Art

This is a multi-purpose label that covers everything from the most careful murals to the rudest graffiti - many things fall solidly in between. The tradition in Berlin stems from from West Berlin graffiti on the wall during the cold war. I don't know the specifics (I should learn), but the constant street art gives my neighborhood - and much of Berlin - a vibrant and gritty feel. I love it. First, an ever-changing wall in our neighborhood:

And this was a set for a scene in Season 1 of Sense8 - it's roughly 1.5 miles from my house (and not as deserted or rough as it looks in the show):

And some of my other favorites:

Weihnachten

It's the German word for Christmas, and German Christmas is pretty amazing. There are some pictures of our celebrations with our families, but the ones of the Weihnachtsmarkts are even better (at least, picture-wise):

Transit

I'm a bit of a transit nerd, and it also reflects how I spend a significant portion of my time. There's (of course) the classic post where I chronicled a Tuesday commute, as well as these:

Travels

And last, I'll just highlight that I tired to tag every single trip with the word "Travels," as well as the main destination. Lots of vacation and work travel pictures there. Lots of them. Here are some of the best:

Of course, when I get back on the road, I'll post more travel pictures. Just now, I've been enjoying two solid months without any travel. Hooray!

The AIP this week

The AIP - Schwarzschild Haus and our library - with a lovely sky.

Berlin Elections

I don't think I will put up a chatty mid-week post, so in the meantime, here are some election posters: 

What election? I gather it's for some sort of city council AND for a state council (Berlin is both).