The Chinese New Year Parade,
Year of the dog...

And alone in a crowd...

Nikon D600, 70mm -300mm AFD Nikkor lens

It has been a while...

My life,
It's ups and downs,
Has come to play...
And like the Raven of the Haida,
Continues to play it's tricks...

But,
There is nothing quite like a parade,
to celebrate,
the beauty of people,
just being together..

Chinese New Year Parade, Vancouver
Leica M6, 50mm F1.4 Summilux lens, Agfa 100 B&W film

Though my travels are months ago,
2013 ends with many memories,
new and old adventures,
old friends,
and new friends
and a great deal of images...

To end the Berlin series,
I thought of the soaring tower of the bombed out but partially restored Neue Synagogue,
still centred in the heart of old Jewish area around Hackescher Markt.

I thought of it partially as a haunted memory of so much tragedy,
but also,
because it is still there,
and still part of Berlin,
as it moves forward...
Like all of us...

And just being...
In Berlin's urban tapestry.

Nikon D600,  28mm-70mm AFD Nikkor lens.

The Berlin urban symphony,
hanging out, listening, and watching
performing and...
just being.

Image 1, An outdoor Sunday performance by the Berliner Symphony Orchestra  on Unter Den Linden.
Image 2 and 3, Bicycle powered Karaoke performances in front of thousands in Maurer Park.
Image 4, Maurer Park flea market, everything is for sale...
Image 5 and 6, Improvised music performances in Volkspark Friedrichshain, for who ever shows up.
Nikon D600, 28mm-70mm AFD Nikkor lens.

And best of all,
In a city seemly obsessed by order,
there is spontaneous disorder
everywhere...

and just hanging out...
Nikon D600.

Order,
and people starting to screw it up...

Berlin...
Nikon D600, 105mm F2.8 AFD Nikkor lens.