In the first week of November I was in Berlin. For months I had been planning to go there and have fun. Well that happened and I stayed in the east Berlin, next to the river. My hotel was 10 minutes from Berlin Ostbahnhof. Once I had a clue of the scale of the city I became aware of something else. The past is very present there.

In school, especially regarding the topic of Berlin and the Cold War we always mention the wall. Well the wall was a real thing that affected people’s lives more than we can imagine. Its remains are still scattered throughout the city. Across the street of my hotel old fragments of wall stood there as reminders of the wall that once divided many people.

Until the year 1989 the wall was a scar that divided two kinds of Germany. It symbolised an ideological struggle between capitalists and socialists in a world recovering from two world wars. Now in 2017 the remains of the wall remind people of how despite old scars people can still come together again. The unification of West and East Germany was not without friction.

Unfortunately I did not have a enough time to take a thorough tour of the city. What I did see inspired me enough to quickly make some pictures. In this wide city with big roads and grey-ish buildings there are pockets of colour. There are places where you can sit down and enjoy the moment. There is plenty of space.

Can you imagine that people argue over the spoils of war and build a wall through a city to make a point? Well as absurd as it may sound it happened and the world changed.

The Berlin wall, as an extension of the iron curtain was a scar that forced people to live in strange situations. Now it gives hope and has reminded me that you can overcome difficult situations.

Berlin’s scars of hope tell you there still many good things in this world…