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Polaroid of the Week: Iconic Trabant Breaking Through the Berlin Wall at East Side Gallery

Polaroid of the Week: Iconic Trabant Breaking Through the Berlin Wall at East Side GalleryThanks for your patience during the recent site upgrade to a mobile-friendly design. A few final tweaks remain, with exciting new posts on the way.

Hello from Berlin! After years of visits, this vibrant city now feels like my second home, just behind New York. I navigate its efficient transport network—buses, trams, S-Bahn, and U-Bahn—effortlessly, know the best coffee spots, and even have a favorite co-working space. This trip, I reached my Airbnb without maps when my app failed.

Like last summer, I shared Berlin's charms with a visitor from NYC—my fourth this year! We walked over 20 miles, exploring favorite neighborhoods, savoring traditional German breakfasts, browsing weekend flea markets, and delving into history at the Berlin Wall. For street art enthusiasts, the highlight was the East Side Gallery, Germany's longest remaining 1.3 km stretch of the Wall. Traveling with a fellow photographer reignited my Polaroid passion—here's a sneak peek from my latest project.

The featured Polaroid captures artist Birgit Kinder's iconic Trabant mural, symbolizing the everyday East German car and the Wall's dramatic fall. Created by artists from 21 countries reacting to 1990's historic events, this open-air gallery draws millions annually. For the first time, I saw it graffiti-free during its yearly cleanup—a rare treat. Can't wait to return in weeks for the refreshed murals with my next guest!

Follow my Berlin adventures live on Snapchat: mariposa2711

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