the view

As I mentioned in the last post, I joined my friends Frank and Norbert for a ride in one of those "fastened" hot air balloon rides over Berlin yesterday. (Its attached to a cable and just takes you up for a view and then back down.) They were taking advantage of a groupon they had, and I was just along for the ride. (After all, why not?!) It was perfect LA-type weather, so a nice afternoon to be up above Berlin, giving us good views of everything from the Tiergarten to the Reichstag to the collection of Trabants below us. The balloon is located right next to the new Topography of Terror site, so afterward we spent some time looking through that as well. No matter how many times I see history of the wars and divided Berlin afterward, it is still hard for me to comprehend how recent that world was for many. And even harder to picture that city below me divided so harshly into two worlds.