President Obama spoke at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin today, and President Kennedy spoke here almost fifty years before. The statue called the quadriga was designed in 1798 by Johann Schadow as a symbol of peace. It was seized by Napoleon and taken to Paris, but returned to Berlin in 1814. It was heavily damaged during WWII.
Here the goddess atop the gate appears to set her bird of peace loose among the crowds.
Good for her! Peace for all!
(Photos taken May 2013)
Magnificent Statue and beautiful symbol for peace.You have an impressive about Cindy,l wish you all the best to enjoy retirement .My Wife and l retired in 2010.Thank you for liking my posts about our Alaska Vacation and cruise.Please keep in touch .Regards.jalal Michael
Congratulations on your retirement. Now the fun begins! Loved your Alaska travel post. Thank you for your kind comments & cheers~
Brilliant final photo Cindy! Of course your eye was on the lookout for the birds 🙂
Yes!! You know me! It did surprise the heck out of me though! It flew at me like a missile!!
😀 Birds just can’t resist you!
It is definitely more mutual on my side!! 🙂
Two thousand years ago, the proudest boast was civis romanus sum [“I am a Roman citizen”]. Today, in the world of freedom, the proudest boast is “Ich bin ein Berliner!”… All free men, wherever they may live, are citizens of Berlin, and therefore, as a free man, I take pride in the words “Ich bin ein Berliner!”
J.F. Kennedy!
This quotation always makes me cry. And your reflection more so. Kudos my friend!
We have the best conversations…thank you, my dear friend!!!
You are a gem!! Hugs~
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Thank you!! I will head over there……Good luck!
Impressive!
She is! 🙂
Great capture of the moment and the representation of “peace” in the last picture!!!
It is a very moving place, so weighted with history! I tried to do it justice~
Hi Cindy, thanks for this great post. Coming from East Germany the Brandenburg Gate is the most important symbol of freedom for me. Peggy
Yes. It makes me tear up to hear you say this! It is precious and beautiful, with the weight of history and meaning. Thank you~
Hi Cindy,
Loved the post, particularly the photos. Berlin holds a special place in my heart, I being a traveller to that great city countless times over the last two decades. What is it that Berlin moves me so. I few months back, I dwelled on this question and wrote a post, ” Those faces of Berlin.” If you get a chance to read that, I would love to get your views.
Cheers
Shakti
Yes. I will read it tonight. I know exactly what you mean about Berlin. It is weighted with so much incredible history and meaning, going back through hundreds of years. So much genius arose from here. The quadriga simbolizes this so well. It is a stunning city to the senses, and indescribably moving emotionally. So yes, I would like to read your piece. Germany is such a beautiful country. I watched a documentary last night, called “HItler’s Children.” It was about the lives of the children of the Nazi elite and how this history has impacted their innocent lives. Afterall, they could not control the actions of their forebears. It was beyond moving. If you have a chance, check it out. I watched it twice.
Wow – thanks for sharing!
Thanks for appreciating!
Wow, the third photo is amazing! I loved your opening. 😀
I’m not sure… I think my message disappeared. ???
The timing of the third photo is amazing! I like reading your opening. 😀
Oh Fae. The next time I go to SF, I want to take you out to lunch! The bird flying at me, blew me away. Berlin is just an incredible city. Thank you my friend~
When you are in my neck of the woods, you are my guest. See you in San Francisco! 😀
🙂
That bird must have known you were wanting his picture!
LOL! There was one guy who saw the bird and me taking the photo. You can see him turning around and looking directly at me in surprise! Odd~
Lol, sure enough — there’s a couple of them looking back at you! Probably thinking the same thing you were, lol!
:0
ciao! great photos and post.
thebestdressup
Merci beau coup~
Wonderful post – I visited in 1975, the place and history had a profound effect on me. Maybe a good reminder.
It definitely did the same to me~
Wonderful post and pics, Cindy. I would love to see this in real life, but your photos are the next best thing. 🙂
Awww. That is very kind!
the last shot B/W is fabulous. Flight of the bird is well-captured.
Very odd shot. Can you see the man who saw the bird turning around and looking directly me in surprise? I didn’t see him until I looked at the photo. Thank you Arjun!
I wonder if these are the Apocalyptic horsemen?
I think the horses represent ancient Greek Olympics and symbolize Triumph. Here is more to read about the Quadriga:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quadriga
We certainly need some way to find peace in our world!
You are so right!