My week in Prague: Street Art of the East Side Gallery

On our second day of exploring Berlin, we got another day rail pass and headed for Warschauer Station in Friedrichshain. This area along the Spree River has the longest section of the Berlin Wall that has been covered with street art. 118 artists from 21 countries created artworks that commented on political changes in 1989/90. So, in a sense, it is an open air gallery open 24/7 and with no charge to view the art. The painted wall stretches for 1.3 km which makes it the longest open air gallery in the world. Much restoration has been done on some of the works while others have become obliterated with graffiti by others wanting to leave their mark.

Popular and controversial image by Dmitri Vrubles of Breshnev kissing Honecker called 'Fraternal Kiss' with someone else's added comment.

Iconic image used in many forms of souvenirs from shops around Berlin

Getting to the wall involved changes in transport as the railway line we were taking had track maintenance just like home. The railway bus dropped us not far from the Berlin Wall but the neighbourhood also has a far bit of street art - in fact everywhere in Berlin there seems to be graffiti/ tags that haven't been removed. On the sides of tall buildings are huge murals, one by Portuguese artist Victor Ash of a giant astronaut (largest stencil art work in the world) and another one by Belguim artist Roa of giant rats in his characteristic black and white drawn-like style.

Alighting from the railway bus was this market stall (currently not in use)

On the wall next to the market stall was this mural

To cross over the Spree River we walked across the two storey Oberbaumbrucke where cars go across the lower level and trains across the top. The bridge was the checkpoint between East and West Germany during the Cold War.

Walking across the Oberbaumbrucke

View of the Spree River from the bridge

Massive sculpture further up the river

More examples of the East Side Gallery

A chrome pillar in the Mercedes Benz dealership across the road provided a mirror reflection of the Berlin Wall

On our way back to the hotel we decided to circumnavigate the city centre by train ending up at the Berlin Zoo.

Berlin Zoo's Elephant Gate

Part of the Berlin Zoo

Across the road is Kaiser-Wilhelm Cedachtmis Kirche, partially destroyed during WWII by a bomb dropped by British aircraft. It is a poignant reminder of the war and despite undergoing restoration, it is decaying because of the vibrations from the huge amount of traffic that passes through the shopping district. Short of funds to restore it, the church has become a tourist attraction.

Further along the shopping district of Kurfürstendamm is a smaller version of Kathe Wohlfardt Christmas Shop, the original flagship store is in Rothenburg ob der Tauber.