Event Photography in Berlin and the Baltic Region

This dream job began in the capital city of Berlin, Germany. Quite a powerful and emotional place! So many reminders of recent wars, buildings built by Nazi’s, train tracks to concentration camps, artsy but poignant graffiti…such an interesting and powerful city to visit. The top two photos below show an unrepaired building wall that was damaged in WWII next to a sign from the next building over housing a daycare that reads ‘no war’. The middle two images show the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. also known as the Holocaust Memorial. The towering 18th-century monument is the Brandenburg Gate. It was in ‘no man’s land’ between East and West Germany while the Berlin Wall stood and is now a symbol of unity as one of the most visited spots in Berlin.

From Berlin, we flew to the gorgeous city of Stockholm, Sweden. Made up of 14 islands, this capital city on the Baltic Sea has origins that can be traced back to the Stone Age (5,000-6,000 BCE!). Beautiful, friendly, and very much a highlight of the Baltic region!

Alfred Nobel was a Swedish chemist, engineer, inventor, businessman, and philanthropist. He patented his most famous invention, dynamite, in 1867. When Nobel’s brother died, a French newspaper mistakingly published an obituary for Alfred Nobel. Nobel was not happy with the legacy it portrayed (impacted mainly by the destruction provided by dynamite). Supposedly, his response was changing his will and creating the Nobel Prizes to reward the “greatest benefit on mankind”, and to leave behind a much more positive legacy! The first Nobel dinner was held in 1901 in the Grand Hotel. Now it’s held in the Stockholm City Hall and the group replicated an actual menu and program including the fun dessert presentation:

From Stockholm, the group boarded the Silver Moon, a brand new luxury ship from Silversea. Next port, Helsinki, Finland which had a similar latitude as Anchorage, Alaska:

From Finland, we sailed to Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. It was a gorgeous city with a medieval old town that is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Most fascinating to me was learning it’s one of the most tech-savvy countries in the world! It was my first time seeing those robotic unmanned food delivery vehicles. it was fascinating watching it wait for the light to change and cross the road! I loved learning about the “Singing Revolution“, a series of protest concerts and events that led to the independence of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania from the Soviet Union at the end of the Cold War. One of the most famouse events was in 1989 and called the “Baltic Way or Baltic Chain”. Over two million people held hands, stretching over 400 miles across Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania!

From Estonia we sailed to Riga, Latvia. Like in Estonia, Riga Latvia contains a medieval old town that is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Charming and gorgeous, like Tallinn, but without the technological advances:

From Latvia, we sailed to the island of Gotland, a Swedish island in the middle of the Baltic to visit Visby. It is one of the best-preserved medieval cities in Scandinavia with a fortified wall still surrounding the city! Then inside the walls, it was incredible to see pillars and walls remaining from St. Catherine’s church built in the 1250s:

Second to last stop was Gdansk, Poland with a visit to Stutthof concentration camp:

Final port was the wonderful city of Copenhagen, Denmark. It is a pretty, modern, liberal city with no shortage of actities. Originally a popular port city and famous home of Hans Christian Andersen, there are more bicycles than people.