This winter saw a trip back to Berlin, possibly the coldest place on earth that I have ever been thus far. At -15 at night and -8 during the day, Berlin seemed a fairly inhospitable place. For all its charm and chic, Berlin could not fight the piecing cold, leaving the streets emptier than I have ever seen, and those that did brave the weather, scurrying along to the nearest cafe, of which there are plenty.

This image is taken right where the Palast der Republik stood, soon to be replaced by the former Berlin Stadtschloss, looking on to Alexanderplatz. To say the fire was a welcome sight would be an understatement, at that point I still didn’t have my thermals on and my hands froze to take this picture. Incidentally at the time a climate change debate was happening in Berlin. Out of shot where 50+ snowman lined up.

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