Through The Looking Glass: Europe

Berlin

Defiance

Walking by the Berlin Wall.

Crossing over Nowhere

Trains crossing over what once was no man's land between East and West Berlin.

A bicyclist cycling by before the Reichstag.

People enjoying their evening out by Hackescher Markt. The Berliner Fernsehturm looms above in the background.

Löwenkämpfer

The Löwenkämpfer (Lion Fighter) bronze statue by Albert Wolff installed outside the Altes Museum in 1858. Berliner Dom peeks through. [1]

Praying over the Fallen

An undaunted Power Ranger climbing the fallen lion.

A scaled model of the Ishtar Gate, the eighth gate leading into the inner city of Babylon. [2]

Plaques laid into the sidewalk to remember the Jews who used to inhabit the area before being led away to ghettos and concentration camps. 

A stolen bike.

Brandenburger Tor

Holocaust Memorial

Silent Remembrance

A man sits in solemnity at the Holocaust Memorial in remembrance of those whose lives were prematurely extinguished from this world.

A memorial at Bebelplatz to remember the book burning ceremony carried out by the German Student Association at Humbolt University on May 10, 1933. The installation, designed by the Israeli artist Micha Ullman, represents empty bookshelves that would have housed the 20,000 books that were burnt. [3]

Confessions

What an interrogation room would have looked and felt like during the time of the DDR (Deutsche Demokratische Republik), commonly known as East Germany. This is part of the interactive exhibit at the DDR Museum.

Back in Time

Enjoying an evening special at home in East Germany. This interactive exhibit has been laid out at the DDR Museum.

Kraków

Sticking Out

A man trying to capture with much difficulty the sculpture of Eros Bendato (Eros Bound) by Polish artist Igor Mitoraj. [4]

Framed

The stolen bike from Berlin surfacing on the streets of Kraków.

It's Dreary Outside

Peering out from Schindler's Factory Museum.

Remember Thou Neighbor

A moment of reflection in the hall of remembrance after going through the exhibit on the Jews of Krakówat Fabryka Emalia Oskara Schindlera (Oscar Schindler's Enamel Factory).

The spires of the Kościół Mariacki (St. Mary's Basilica) rise behind the market stalls set up at the old town square.

The Grunwald Monument was destroyed after the Nazis occupied Krakow as it celebrated the defeat of the Teutonic Knights (a German religious and military order founded in Acre) by the Polish and Lithuanian armies in 1410. A replica was made using sketches and models of the original. [5]

The Call of the Merchants

The Sukiennice (Cloth Hall) at night. After having been destroyed by a fire in the mid-16th century it was renovated with a Renaissance flair by Jan Padovano. [6]

View of the city from Kościuszko Mound.

Skipping in the grand pavilion of Wawel Castle.

Wawel Castle.

Taking in the aquamarine color of lake Zakrzówek. [7]

A little square in Kazimierz with food trucks, tables in the open air and hammocks to relax in.

Polish festivities.

In the Presence of Splendor

Inside Kościół Mariacki (St. Mary's Basilica).

Night market.

Prague

Istanbul

References

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%C3%B6wenk%C3%A4mpfer

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ishtar_Gate

[3] https://www.visitberlin.de/en/book-burning-memorial-bebelplatz

[4] https://www.inyourpocket.com/krakow/eros-bendato_58845v

[5] https://www.inyourpocket.com/krakow/grunwald-monument_21891v

[6] https://www.inyourpocket.com/krakow/cloth-hall_34459v

[7] https://www.inyourpocket.com/krakow/zakrzowek_50421v

Through The Looking Glass: East Coast

New York City

Path to Peace

Walking through Fort Tryon Park to the hidden away treasures of the Met Cloisters Museum.

Christ Composed

A medieval crucifix dating back to 1150-1220 C.E from the Castile-León region of Spain. Christ's demeanor relays a sense of serenity (unlike later versions focusing on his agony) implying his victory over death. [1]

Serenity in the City

One can find calm in this serene courtyard in the Cloisters - tucked away from the hustle and noise - where breathing in the fresh air and strolling through the serenity will transport you to a simpler time. 

Waiting on the Train

Moments of respite are few and far between in NYC. Sometimes waiting on the train and commuting to one's next job or appointment are the only moments in the day that one can escape for a brief while.

Scanning the Horizon

Looking out at the horizon hidden behind structures reaching out to the sky.

Crossing the Line

Brooklyn Bridge is the perfect place to see the confluence of two opposing forces: tourists and locals. Locals biking their way to and from Manhattan blare their way through the ambling crowds of tourists who manage to spill over onto the bike lane because... tourists.

Locks of Love

People profess their loves in various ways. Some decide to place locks in unreachable places like this girder on the Brooklyn Bridge.

Departing for the Stars

Spiraling upwards the ramp makes its way to the Planetarium inside the Rose Center for Earth and Space. Inside a spectacular show embarks the audience onto a journey through the cosmos.

Representing the Solar System

The Hayden Planetarium is surrounded by scale models of planets. Its depiction is the scaled model of the sun. [2]

Washington D.C.

The Real and the Illusory

The reflection of Washington Monument shimmers in the still waters of the pool.

On Wheels

A mini BMX rider doing a wheelie while the rest of his crew try out their own antics around the Dupont Circle fountain.

Subterranean Kingdom

The underground metro in Washington D.C. The modernist architecture exudes an aura of bureaucratic indifference towards its subjects: the somber colors and the lofty arched roof demands servility through its muted grandeur.

View into the Cosmos

A scaled version (1:5) of the Hubble Space Telescope housed at the National Air and Space Museum. The telescope has been operational since 1990 being the first of its kind to be placed in spa. Since then it has made over 1.3 million observations and aided in numerous understandings of our universe. By late 2018 It shall be succeeded by the James Webb Space Telescope. [3]

Harmony through Unity

The Apollo-Soyuz Mission was a joint mission between the USSR and US space programs which  launched on July 15, 1975. The intent was to show harmony between the two Cold War players by docking the two spacecrafts whilst in orbit and conducting scientific experiments together. [4]

The Calm of the Night

Lincoln's Memorial stares out onto the promenade in the late hours of the night when tourists lumber off to bed, allowing the area to take on an air of reverential calm.

Adding Color

The stained glass of the Washington National Cathedral providing a palette for the entering light, infusing the somber grey interior with color... and life.

Death of a Prophet

A mural at the Chapel of St. Joseph of Arimathea depicting the burial of Jesus in the presence of St. Joseph. According to the crucifixion story St. Joseph donated the tomb he had bought for himself. [5]

Voice for the Dead

Memorial Amphitheater at Arlington Cemetery where services for fallen soldiers are carried out. [6]

Boston

Old North Church Steeple

The Old North Church steeple as viewed from the Paul Revere Mall.

Remnants in Smoke

Smoke rises through the glass chimney etched with thousands of numbers remembering the lives that were lost at the death camps in World War II. 6 chimneys rise out of the ground at the Boston Holocaust Memorial symbolizing the 6 million Jews who were killed at 6 of the concentration camps during 6 terrible years (1939-1945)when the 'Final Solution' was enacted on the Jews of Europe. [7]

Montreal

Notre Dame Basilica

Place des Arts

References

[1] http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/35.36a,b/

[2] http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/permanent-exhibitions/rose-center-for-earth-and-space/scales-of-the-universe/size-scales-of-the-universe

[3] https://airandspace.si.edu/collection-objects/model-15-hubble-space-telescope

[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo%E2%80%93Soyuz_Test_Project

[5] https://www.washingtonian.com/2007/09/01/mysteries-of-the-washington-national-cathedral/

[6] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arlington_Memorial_Amphitheater

[7] http://www.nehm.org/the-memorial/design-of-the-memorial/