Get closer

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New, rare footage has emerged of the dancer seen in the previous post.

The big finale

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The final party was at the Victory Column in the middle of Tiergarten. They released 2000 ballons while the Boston Gay Men's Chorus sang. Oh, the drama.

What a party!

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And what would a gay pride parade be without thumping club music and hordes of gyrating pecs!

Gay cultures on parade

Ah, it's CSD (Christopher Street Day), our version of Gay Pride parade in Berlin. And yes, they do wear lederhosen. We also get to see some serious shade being thrown in the Thai camp.

Benja's garden

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Making a guest appearance, we visit Benja in her courtyard garden talking about a beautiful flower called clematis. Benja is great with all things green.

Kirche am Südstern

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Am 8 Mai 1897 wird die Kirche in Gegenwart des Kaiserpaares feierlich eingeweiht, und dient fortan als Garnisonskirche für die, vor den Toren Berlins stationierten Truppen. Die Kosten für das im damalig hochmodernen neugotischen Stil errichtete Bauwerk betrugen stolze 750.000 RM. Das heißt, ca. 466 M pro qm bebaute Fläche bzw. ca. 468 M für jeden Sitzplatz. Für das bauwerk (außen) wurde Schlesischer, Alt-Warthauer Sandstein verwendet, für die Innenverkleidung Gothaer Sandstein.

On May 8, 1897 the church was ceremoniously consecrated in the presence of the Imperial couple and from that time on served as the garrison church for the troops who were stationed outside the gates of Berlin. The costs amounted to a proud 750,000 Reichsmarks for the structure, which was constructed in the neo-gothic style, thought to be highly modern at that time. This sum adds up to about 466 Marks per square meter of developed area or about 468 Marks for every seat. Silesian Alt-Warthauer sandstone was used on the exterior, the interior was done in Gothaer sandstone. The main tower reaches 90 meters high.

Tegel river

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Our guest commentator, Tom Williamson, tour guide extraordinaire, tells about the beautiful Tegel river which runs through the north of Berlin.

Urban bicycling

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A bike ride thru a suburb in north Berlin.

Sophienfließ

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A small, babbling brook called Sophienfließ deep in the wilderness of Brandenburg between Grunow and Schermuetzelsee. Totally peaceful and full of natural sounds of birds and running water. See map below for exact location.

Schermützelsee

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A smooth ride around the western edge of the Schermützelsee. Here's a great description of the area from http://www.tiscover.de/home/index_de.html?_lan=en :

Buckow - a village where once Polish princes and Bert Brecht resided In the 13th century farmers settled in Buckow at lake Schermützelsee. Thanks to the region´s sandy and marshy soils hop grew well here and beer brewing was the major source of income. Linen and cloth production caught on many years later. Buckow, the center of the 205 sq km Märkische Schweiz Nature Park, is surrounded by five lakes. In 1854 Friedrich Wilhelm IV´s physician advised His Majesty to visit this village, where the ´lungs go on velvet´, and Fontane praised its ´friendly landscape´ in the second of his four volume travelogue. The Literatur Museum inside the Brecht-Weigel house provides in-depth information on the life and work of the two artists. Among the photographs, documents and original furnishings inside is Mother Courage´s covered wagon. But not only culture buffs and spa goers get their money´s worth in Buckow: the "Schweizer Haus" visitor center organizes walking tours in the area, exhibitions and seminars. Technology freaks will love the Railroad Museum at the train station. The Märkische Schweiz nature park is a paradise for hikers and walkers. There´s a beach at the north-east tip of lake Schermützelsee. In season, the large MS Scherri sails hourly across the lake.
99 m Elevation + 2000 Inhabitants

Mooring the rowboat

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Hot and sweaty, coming into the marina. Muscles straining, concentration focused.

Between Klosterdorf and Ernsthof

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The gentle rolling landscape of Brandenburg on the way to Ernsthof. See map below for exact geographical details.

Bike trip thru Brandenburg

So, it's finally summertime here and we're off to the countryside about 20 km to the east of Berlin. This area is actually the Märkische Schweiz (the Mark's Switzerland). But as you can see from the landscape, not a whole lot of mountain action. Actually, the highest point is about 130 meters above sealevel. But for this part of the world, that's nosebleed. We started out in Strausberg Nord and the first video is just outside the town on the way to Klosterdorf.

Auf dem Kreuzberg

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My district's name is simply that of its highest elevation – the Kreuzberg (literally, "cross mountain") of 66m above sea level (which is nose-bleed for Berlin) received its name from an 1821 monument by Karl Friedrich Schinkel remembering the liberation wars against Napoleon I of France.

Barutherstr.

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Well, I haven't been getting out much lately, so we're going way local today. This is the my ride to the market passing by the back of an old cemetary deep in the heart of Kreuzberg. Serious 'hood' action. This time with a handy map for orientation.

Potsdamer Platz

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A view of Potsdamer Platz in central Berlin. The small structure we see as we come up the escalator has a bit of history. To quote the Rough Guide:

"In the 1920s, Potsdamer Platz was Europe's busiest square, boasting the first automatic traffic lights in the world, once built to police the sixty unruly vehicles traveling around the city at breakneck speeds of 30km per hour!"

Roughing it at the Ritz

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An inner view of the men's room at the Ritz Carlton in Berlin. Don't say I never take you anywhere fancy!

Top of the Reichstag

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A panoramic view over downtown Berlin from the top of the Reichstag.