I don't know what I thought about Berlin

I spent a few days in Berlin several months ago, and ended up with mixed thoughts on the city.

It seemed to lack a centre, to have vast swathes of void landscape, but made up for it with energy, spirit and nightlife and an unending sense of history and place.

I have decided to show my photographs along with the words of others I have been reading to make sense of this fascinating city.



Berlin is all about volatility. Its identity is based not on stability, but on change. - Rory MacLean



I did not find Berlin a beautiful town, but an exciting one - Christabel Bielenberg



It's the usual human mess. Hard to disentangle the past, isn't it? The right intentions? The wrong result? In that sense, Berlin's a truer city than most, truer because it's a city without set pieces. Where are the great views? The great vistas? What hill can you climb and see it all? - David Hare



Nowhere does a grand bridge and a wide flow of water divide the city. Instead, it is bricked-up buildings and sections of breeze block that bisect the city - Len Deighton

Berlin got high on itself and ruined itself through meglomania, and... now had to make amends in a state of permanent hangover. - Tobias Ruther