Now and Then: Berlin

I never got the chance to visit Berlin while it was a divided city, but I did make it there shortly after the wall came down and Germany was reunified. Since then I have returned many times, each time discovering more of the city and marveling at its regeneration. Yet some places stay the same, more or less; and we expect them to do so. The Brandenburg gate, for instance, has changed very little indeed over the years and stands as the very symbol of Berlin through the decades. Pariser Platz, the square in front, has changed far more over the years –I remember it being rather bleak and nondescript and empty back then, now it is lined by new important buildings and has been totally rejuvenated. The two pictures here are taken from the platz, from the very start of the 1990s and in 2014. Ironically it was only in 2014 that I was unable to pass from "east to west" through the gate – the whole area had been sealed off due to the football World Cup public screening on the other side of the gate –hence the temporary "wall" on the lower picture. But since Germany ultimately won that contest I think the temporary block was accepted by most! Location: Berlin, Germany