Berlin (and Bourne)

Last week I was in Berlin on a business trip and had a brief chance to look around this very interesting and history-rich city. I would love to spend more time there--that is, when work is not getting in the way, and I am definitely putting it on my to-see-with-Kara list. To the right are a few pictures I snapped with my blackberry. From top to bottom: (1) Reichstag Building (historical parliament building built in 1894). More on that ... (2) Brandenburg Gate (Monumental entry to Unter den Linden leading to the palace of the Prussian Monarchs). More on that ... As a Bourne and Matt Damon fan, I also could not resist snapping a few pictures from locations used in The Bourne Supremacy (3) Westin Grand Hotel on Friedrichstraße (near where Checkpoint Charlie was located). This is the hotel used by Pamela Landy and the CIA when they set up shop in Berlin. You should recognize the interior terrace levels - a shot which features a couple times in the movie. (4) Alexanderplatz (big shopping plaza). This is the location of the scene in which Jason Bourne uses the protesters and trains running through the plaza to "kidnap" Nicky for information. (5) Train Station at Friedrichstraße. This station, which spans the Spree river was used as part of one of Jason's escape scenes. He times the trains just right, jumps the tracks, jumps off the bridge onto a barge, scales back up the bridge, and then doubles back to the train station to escape the police pursuit. Man, makes me want to watch the movie again. And yes, besides the Bourne Supremacy film locations, there is a lot of other cool stuff in Berlin and the surrounding region (e.g., Potsdam). I highly recommend making a stop in the area if you have the chance.