Photos from the Berlin Photo Tour (It's About Time...)

Nearly six months after an amazing Photo Tour of an abandoned Tuberculosis Clinic on the outskirts of Berlin, I've finally had a chance to edit the photos and post them to Flickr. Apologies for my tardiness, I'll blame the delay on life in general which always seems to be too busy. 

For more information on the incredible lineup of photo tours provided by Go2Know, check out their website (using Google translate). 

More photos are available on our Flickr page, which you can always reach via the little pink stamp graphic over on the right hand sidebar.

I'm so pleased with how the pictures turned out, and how wonderfully my Nikon D60 handled the low light conditions. The photography tour was a wonderful experience, one I'd love to participate in again (if only we lived closer to Berlin!).

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Walking Around Paris in Photos

During our time in Paris, the majority of our time was spent simply wandering through the different arrondissements, snapping photos, and taking in the world famous landmarks. Not only did this allow us to get a great glimpse of the city, but it was also extremely friendly to our backpacking budget.

Starting at the Eiffel Tower, perhaps Paris' most recognizable site, we proceeded to slowly make our way along the neighbourhoods bordering the river Seine over our five days there. 

The Eiffel Tower, our first stop

Hotel National des Invalides

Sunset on the River Seine

Over those days we wandered around the magnificent architecture of the Louvre, through the beautiful Tuileries Garden, past the Grande Roue de Paris (aka the giant ferris wheel), across the Place de la Concorde, and along the bustling Champs-Elysees with its enormous Christmas market.

The Louvre by day...

... by evening...

... and by night!

In addition to the major sites, we thoroughly enjoyed wandering through some of Paris' most charming neighbourhoods like Le Marais and Montmartre with their great Basilicas of Notre Dame and Sacre Coeur towering above their surroundings.

A glimpse of the bell towers of Notre Dame

Details of the cathedral, up close

The gothic interior

La Basilique du Sacre Coeur.

We also made sure to enjoy some of the local - and not so local - fare while in Paris, including macaroons, falafels and spicy Sri Lankan curries!

Expensive macaroons in a store window

Our cheap macaroons from McCafe

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A Brussels Photo Essay

Brussels is a hard city to nail down. Elegant at times, with its beautiful Grand Place and modern European Union headquarters, it also has an unmistakable edge, evident immediately upon deviating from the well trampled tourist path. 

Some typically Belgian architecture

The home of the EU

At least they are creative with their graffiti

Although Brussels serves as a gateway to many picturesque towns and villages, including Brugge and its jaw dropping canals, like any large city, Brussels doesn’t share their intimate atmosphere. However what it lacks for in romanticism it makes up for with flavour. 

Snow on our last day

A bit rundown, but still beautiful old building

One of many comic walls in a typical neighbourhood

The elegant Grand Place

Brussels is home to a wide variety of tasty treats, including waffles, fries, chocolate and beer, the traditional Belgian delicacies, as well as some surprisingly delicious ethnic restaurants. During our five days we were able to sample some amazing Falafel and Indian curries, which provided a healthy break from our daily dose of waffles for breakfast and fries for dinner. 

Splurging on an amazing waffle

Hot mulled wine...still a no for us

Surprisingly, the Belgian people don’t appear to be plagued with obesity the way we are in North America -  if they are, they are doing a great job of hiding it. However we seemed immune to this phenomenon and took leave after five days for the good of our waistbands.

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Fun and Photos in Brugge

During our stay in Brussels we set a day aside to explore the picturesque city of Brugge, only an hour away by train. Being that the city is quite beautiful, we decided to tag along on a photo walking tour during the morning hours, hoping it would not only help us get acquainted with Brugge, but also provide a glimpse at some of the less-touristy areas of the city and add to my (limited) knowledge base of all things photography related.

Brugge in the sunshine

The morning of our visit we arrived to cool temperatures and drizzling rain. However, as they say in Brugge, "if you don't like the weather, wait ten minutes", which proved to be true as we experienced the entire gamut of weather conditions in just one day. From bone chilling rain and gray skies to glimpses of sunshine and a break in the wind just long enough to capture some great reflection shots, the weather in Brugge is truly unpredictable. 

Reflections along the canals

Just one of many bridges

Another thing I could not have predicted is that our tour guide Andy would turn out to be a fellow Canadian (although he is from Montreal which many Canadians may argue is like being on a different planet). In addition to his roots, Andy quickly won us over with his easy going approach to photography and the tour guide role. 

Some of the many canal-side homes in Brugge

Brugge's windmills offer a fun photo opportunity

Unfortunately the sky wasn't too helpful this particular day

Fall colours (and rain) in Brugge

iPad in hand, Andy started the tour by asking about how comfortable I was with my camera, my knowledge level, equipment, experience, etc... and then continually provided advice specific to my needs, instead of advanced knowledge I won't be able to use for a few years. He also gave me suggestions on interesting ways to compose shots, and was always willing to provide very kind critiques on shots that I had taken. 

We couldn't leave without sampling a few chocolates

Beautiful champagne display in a store window

While I snapped some photos of Brugge's lovely canals, historic buildings, and hidden details, Andy and Travis were able to cover every topic under the sun from travel and our trip to real estate, work, and life in general. Andy was also willing to give insights into his experiences with different cameras, lenses, software, and other photography related topics.

Andy said to look out for lions...

... as Brugge is covered with them.

Wait, that's not a lion. I only wish I could remember this guys name.

When the timing works out...

Although I was the only one "shooting" that day, it was great that Travis and I were both able to participate in the tour, and for a very reasonable 20 Euros total (which I think we made back in following some of Andy's advice for cheap places to eat and buy chocolates). Especially considering we had just the one day in Brugge, it was great to be able to experience it together and, when I'm struggling to remember some of the pointers Andy gave me, Travis can help me out!

 Although this photo tour was just 10 days ago, I feel like the stuff I learned during it has been easy to put into practice, and most importantly, I have seen a noticeable improvement in the quality of my photos. 

The website for Photo Tour Brugge can be found here, and Andy's photography site (which has some great photos from around the world) can be found here.

Oh, and as with the Berlin Photo Tour, these are just the jpeg's without any real editing. We will let you know when those go up.

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While Travis was Exploring Museum Island...

A bit apprehensive, I gave Travis a kiss goodbye and headed for the nearest S-bahn metro station. After ninety-six days together it felt oddly lonely to be on my own for the day. An hour later, on the outskirts of town, the train pulled up to the station - a cement pad surrounded by forest - and I nervously looked around for the tour group.

As a result of two world wars and years of division, Berlin is home to many partially destroyed or abandoned buildings, many of which hide beautiful architectural details behind their rundown exteriors. However, if you've got a few Euros, or know the right people, obtaining access to these buildings can be extremely rewarding.

One company offering such access to curious visitors is Go2Know Photo Tours. Started a few years ago by three young, adventurous, German lads, they currently offer a dozen photo tours to deserted sites including an East German youth college, Chemical Plant, and Tempelhof Airport. In addition to a focus on photography and gaining access to these sites, Go2Know also works with the owners to maintain and preserve each site. 

Although all of the tours looked amazing, my decision was limited by our short time in Berlin, and in the end I opted to visit the Men's Clinic. Built in 1902 to house tuberculosis patients, and later serving as a hospital during World War One and Two, the men's clinic was also the largest Soviet hospital outside of Russia during the cold war before finally being deserted in the early nineties. 

A forgotten vodka bottle overlooking the central courtyard

Vines beginning to take back the buildings

What was once a gymnasium

Paint peeling staircase

It didn't take long to realize I was the only native English participant on the tour, as everyone else laughed along to the German guides' quick site introduction. However the guides took some time to give me a quick run down in English, and then everyone was off, free to explore the site at their own pace.

Three buildings in total make up the site, each featuring the remains of the lovely architecture characteristic of the time-period, and it's still easy to see beauty in the dusty, water stained, hallways. The buildings also offer wonderful photo opportunities, and I found myself caught off guard by the beauty and feelings of loneliness around each corner. After 500 photos and 5 exhausting hours of exploring and shooting, it was time to leave for home and get some well-deserved rest. 

Colour is still evident in this staircase

Lovely shadows

One of many empty hallways

This door somehow made its was to the attic

The tours are all reasonably priced at around forty euros, depending on the site, and although the company website are currently available only in German, the guides did share their plans to branch out and offer more options moving forward (and are very helpful via email). However, being able to get onto the site alone was enough reason for me to sign up, and if I ever get the chance to visit Berlin again I'll be sure to fit in another Go2Know tour )or two!).

Tall Roman-esque pillars

An eerie shower room

Large, open theater space

A breaker box, although there is no longer electricity serving the buildings

*Note, the photos are all right off my camera and haven't been touched up yet. I'll let you know once I get a chance to post a final album to Flickr.

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