Müggelsee and Landwehrkanal

During the holidays my wife and I have been exploring Berlin and its waterways. Berlin is physically a very large city and only with intentional exploration can one get to know its diverse parts. I took the photo below when visiting  relatives in Friedrichshagen, which, like many parts of Berlin, was once an independent town. Friedrichshagen borders on the Müggelsee, the largest inland waterway in Berlin and popular for sailing. The following black and white photo shows some of the dock area.

Müggelsee

I have been experimenting with black and white (actually grayscale) photos, which sometimes seem to have more character than their color cousins. The day itself was gray, so the black and white fit the mood well.

It was sunny and almost warm when we walked along the Landwehrkanal that cuts through the core of Berlin. We walked the part that goes through Kreuzberg, a neighborhood that was once heavily immigrant and scruffy, but has become increasingly popular and expensive -- to the distress of many long term residents.

Feeding the swans is forbidden, but many swans apparently cannot read the German signs and the residents are, well, indulgent (some may not be able to read the signs either). This swan has fluffed its feathers to impress potential bread-givers. 

A swan in the sun

And this swan was more agressive.

Begging swan

It is not clear to me whether the object in the following photo shows a work of public art or represents the remains of some part of Kreuzberg's industrial past. I think it is art, but I could be wrong.

Kreuzberg art?

A certain scruffiness remains as part of the character of Kreuzberg, as can be seen in this photo of a rather good graffiti portrait in front of a set of pipes that span the canal.

Graffiti and pipes over the Landwehrkanal

The architecture in Kreuzberg is often interesting, like the blue tile frame to this door.

Blue framed door

Some structures also have a very temporary and unGerman look.

Kreuzberg cabin

A few building owners deliberately offer wall-art (pseudo-graffiti), including the youth hostel in this picture.

Public wall art

It is worth noting that people have added graffiti to the sides, but have respected the art itself. This is a phenomenon I have seen elsewhere, particularly in Chicago in the 1970s, when the neighborhood of Hyde Park countered the wave of graffiti with higher quality art.