Berlin - a city one can never tire of.....................

On my third visit to Berlin, I was still discovering new sights and experiencing the old ones in a different light........I explored the city by tricycle, helicopter, boat, bus, tram and car!!!

The Brandenburg gate

One of my modes of transport to discover this buzzing city

The Gendarmenmarkt is a square in Berlin, and the site of the Konzerthaus and the French and German Cathedrals.

The concert Hall

Segways are another way to discover the city. But I have not tried it yet.

Don't remember what this beautiful building is.

The Humboldt Building is a unique design

The Museum Island which is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Museum Island is the name of the northern half of an island in the Spree river in the central Mitte district of Berlin, Germany, the site of the old city of Cölln. It is so called for the complex of five internationally significant museums, all part of the Berlin State Museums, that occupy the island's northern part: 

1. The Altes Museum (Old Museum) completed on the orders of Karl Friedrich Schinkel in 1830.
2. The Neues Museum (New Museum) finished in 1859 according to plans by Friedrich August Stüler, a student of Schinkel. Destroyed in World War II, it was rebuilt under the direction of David Chipperfield for the Egyptian Museum of Berlin and re-opened in 2009.
3. The Alte Nationalgalerie (Old National Gallery) completed in 1876, also according to designs by Friedrich August Stüler, to host a collection of 19th century art donated by banker Joachim H. W. Wagener
4. The Bode Museum on the island's northern tip, opened in 1904 and then called Kaiser-Friedrich-Museum. It exhibits the sculpture collections and late Antique and Byzantine art.
5. The Pergamon Museum, the final museum of the complex, constructed in 1930. It contains multiple reconstructed immense and historically significant buildings such as the Pergamon Altar and the Ishtar Gate of Babylon.

  

Berlin Cathedral

The Berlin TV Tower

The Lustgarten or the Pleasure garden

The National Gallery

The boat cruise on the River Spree

The Bode Museum on the river Spree

The warehouses on the East side which look thoroughly decrepit and rundown from the outside but come night and they turn into the hippest night clubs.

The Berlin Wall

Peace

The bear is the mascot of Berlin

The Tempelhof airport

The red carpet was painted on the floor.

Saved them the effort of laying the real thing down for visiting dignitaries.

Historic aircraft at the Aviation Museum

An acrobatic tribute to Amelia Earhart

Lots of history and facts......

A piece of moon rock!

Never thought I would ride in a stretch limousine!!!

Another mode of transport to view the city.

Potsdam from the air. I must make a visit there.

Templehof from the air.

This airport was built in the 1930s.

It was supposed to be able to host 150000 people on its roof to view airshows!

That was the German vision and ambition in those days.

We also had a dinner hosted at the historic Pan Am lounge, courtesy Air Berlin.

Truly, a time when aviation was for the elite

and being a flying crew meant a life of privilege and luxury.

An artist's impression of a flight.

http://niemann.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/08/03/red-eye/

A visual diary documenting a flight from New York to Berlin with a layover in London.

A flight is something that I take for granted. It is amusing to see it from someone else's point of view.

The HYD Air show

The HYD Airshow is listed as one of the most important events in Indian Aviation. We of course participated in a big way- displaying the A330, an EC 155 and the HS 125, in addition to having a chalet and a stall. Our Marketing team as usual ensured that the KF Branding was everywhere, in your face!

KF Branding in your face. :)

Our chalet

Even the buggy was not spared from the branding!

I was at the Airshow for just the first day. The organizers have a long way to go before it can become a quality event. There was a bit of aerobatic flying which was marred by the unfortunate event of a Surya Kiran crash. I witnessed it and it left a bitter taste in my mouth the entire day.

Aerobatic display

One of the Surya Kirans. It's sister did not survive.

Other than that it was good to catch up with people from various departments of the airline as well as business partners in aviation.

With Dr Mallya and Manoj

With Chenna

With the UB stalwarts - Madhushankar and Capt Rajan

The KF team that worked hard to make the event a success

I took full advantage of our famed hospitality – we had a spa area, so indulged in a shoulder massage! :)

It was amazing hot in HYD and had to hydrate myself continuously with liquid. Tried the HYD biryani at the food court but it was quite bland. Chenna did volunteer to drive me to Paradise and back but as it was too hot, I did not have the appetite for much food. Of course, I did have a Belgian Chocolate Gelato.

The perfect end to the day was when we returned in great comfort on the ACJ.

Peaceful at the end of a hectic and hot day!