Berlin–May 13, 2026

Took a trip to Berlin for a few days. The train ride is 10 hours total (plus a half hour stop in Munich). Next time I might consider staying overnight in Munich and then continuing.

The hotel was near the Nollendorfplatz U-Bahn station, so it was easy to access from the train station.

Rainbow neon lights on dome at U-bahn station

The Nollendorfplatz station

red brick church spire

View from the 8th floor of the hotel.

Semicircular monument. At right, an obelisk.
Brick support for bridge; support has an archway in it.
Yellow tiles with black print: Jeder Dialog fängt mit einer guten Frage an (Urania Berlin)

This is at Urania, an organization for disseminating scientific information to the public.

“Every dialog begins with a good question”

Street Art

There’s a lot of street art in the area. Here is just a sample.

Line art of man with exasperated lines coming from head, surrounded above and below by abstract symbols. At bottom: They trap us in a false reality
Multiple images including Karl Marx, the Berlin Tower, a black man with a green hat, and an indigenous Aztec/Mayan woman with tattoos.
Abstract black letter-like symbols painted vertically on building wall.
Abstract symbols in red and blue, painted vertically on buliding. At bottom: The world is a stage
Graffiti of a green cloud above a green semicircle. The cloud is simling sweetly; the semicircle is grinning
Native American at left; at right, word STAR repeated 5 times, then DUST
Comic book style detective in 50’s style hat, yelling. At right, a woman peeking out from behind a curtain.
At left, fat green letters 1UP; at right, woman in turquoise dress
Utility box showing man in spacesuit in outer space kicking soccer ball.
Head of bear wearing a gold crown. Text: New York is king / Berlin is King Kong
Fox with human hands in checkered bathrobe
Drawing of man’s face with dashed lines vertically on face. Below, rectangles in black and white.
Somewhat abstract black and white drawing of a man with dreadlocks; background of painting is light blue.
Abstract vaguely insect-like creature in blue on red brick vertical wall.
Four large faces in relief; material looks like terra cotta.
two roosters, one red and one blue. They are in a field of multi-colored flowers.
Large grayscale photo of woman with short hair

A series of photos at the Omabunker (Grandma Bunker) Article in German

Black and white photos of four artists, looking at the camera. The last one has their hands on their temples and is shouting; in background is artwork of a lunging tiger.
Artist holding a fan in one hand and a large photo of a pair of eyes in front of their face. At right, a vertical set of photos of peoples’ eyes.
Three old ladies in headscarf carrying mops/brooms.
Woman in winter coat in front of graffitied wall. Instagram link to @oma.bunker at right
Top view of staircases going down; looks like a tunnel receding into distance.
Seated woman wearing black jacket with striped collar.

This was a group of paintings with a common theme:

Blue-skinned indigenous person in a loincloth made of a flag of Brazil. On his head, a brown long-beaked bird.
Blue-skinned indigenous person in a yellow pest exterminator uniform.
Blue-skinned indigenous person in a loincloth made of a flag of Brazil. He is wearing a ceremonial mask and dancing
Blue-skinned indigenous person shouting
Blue-skinned indigenous person with loincloth made from Brazilian flag. He is carrying a paint roller and has a bored expression.

Even more art:

Abstract painting in brown and pink. Main elements are a brown fish and a pink flower
Black and white abstract graffiti that is painted on two separate pillars. At the correct angle, it maes a continuous drawing.
large human eye and eyebrow in black and white; above and below are horizontal bars with colored rectangles.
Michael Jackson in black jacket and pink shirt, doing a dance step.
Postage stamp of Queen Elizabeth 2, drawn on her face is a tongue sticking out.
Large variety of stickers on a wall.
Persian Rug, transparent in places so you see an Asian woman with her arm folded above her head.
Word “output” spray-painted on wall by robot with a spray paint can.
Woman with jewel on forehead, wearing a headdress with horns; there are roses in the center
Man in black jacket with white pinstripes, tipping a fedora forwards. In his right hand, a can of spray paint.
At left, a woman in 1940s style hairdo; at right, a duck with an evil grin and pointy teeth
Man in blue t-shirt and black beanie. On shirt is the text: The beauty is on the street
Black and white realistic woman in head scarf, cradling a puppy Pluto in her arms. The puppy is in color
Black and white realistic drawing of child (back is to viewer) carrying a Hobbes stuffed toy (in color)
Abstract house with eye and teeth (wood sculpture attached to wall)
Line drawing of a fox-like animal.
City Life; cartoonish animal eating from a bag of food, and two cartoonish cats with grim expressions at top left and right.
Gold serpent vertically painted on wall; its tongue is a match flame.
In foreground, Mickey Mouse kissing a rat with a Minnie Mouse hair-bowtie. In background, a USA one-dollar bill.
Stencilled letters on sidewalk: Reserved for Banksy and other talents!
Table on top of the bottom half of a mannequin with red skirt and black legs.
Lady holding a match, lighting a candle. Lady has a bue headscarf and high-necked collar; she is looking at the viewer.
At left, an ape in red glasses, smoking a red cigarette. At right, a man with a green face
Woman in goggles. Painting is behind a fence with multi-coloured candy-striped rods.
Hand putting an apple into a bowl. A yellow pepper is already in the bowl. In foreground, an hourglass.
At left, snake wearing green baseball cap. At right, cartoonish figures.
Green-tinted man holding a smiling purple kitten. Behind him, an angry-looking purple cat.
Abstract colorful “drippings”
Cartoon piggy bank, fish smoking a bubble pipe, and angry dog with a bone. Text: Hey kids have fun!
Smiling girl with pink skin and blue shirt riding a one-eyed green monster.
Robot running through a large human head that has been “exploded” into segments. Orange ribbons run throughout the picture.

I took a few pictures at the Urban Nation Museum for Urban Contemporary Art and also some photos in the surrounding area.

Exterior museum with large text: Love Letters to the City
Cartoon-style houses. One house looks like a human head on its side with windows for eyes and a staircase for teeth.
City scene; elevated railway in background, houses in foreground at right, a large orange tabby cat.
Yellow truck with graffiti on it; the cargo area is accordion-crushed.
Rainbow-colored stairs with words on each step.
Take-off of amazon logo, renamed ammazzo. Picture of a soldier pushing a shopping cart. In the cart, another soldier holding a gun. Shopping cart is also filled with guns.
Child-like drawing of colored flowers. Text: Achso

Back outside the museum...

Large wall painting of silhouette of a woman with tree-branch-like fingers and feet
Building painted in abstract shapes of dark blue, light blue purple, light green, and white

Stickers / Miscellanea

Line art of barbarian carving döner with a chainsaw. Text: Döner 40000 / Tattoos & art / Nerdy Jokes
Black pen drawing of head of a bearded man with eyes rolling back.
Penguin kicking soccer ball. Text: Polar Pinguin / Der Schönste aller Vögel!

Polar Penguin / The most beautiful of all birds!

Man standing in subway car door; his face is pixellated out. Text: Blockier doch deinen Ex, aber nicht unsere Türen. Nur so kommen alle pünktlich an!

Block your Ex, but not our doors. Only that way can everyone be on time.

Safer Sex Regel no. 1: Kein sex mit Nazis!

Safer Sex Rule No. 1: No sex with Nazis!

Sticker: You can’t kill us / We’re already dead