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Katja’s Portraits — Seattle, WA

Meet my beautiful friend Katja. We met at Gonzaga while on a retreat and have been friends ever since. She’s graduating from Seattle University next month with her Master’s degree and needed some portraits for her announcements and for her future job hunt. So we spent an hour traipsing around Seattle U, finding secret gardens and sunshine. Success! Besides her stunning blue eyes, Katja has a beautiful soul. She’s one of those people who will always be there to lend a hand, listen to your troubles, and help you out. So, it’s not surprising that she’s planning to use her Master’s of Divinity to work in Crisis Counseling. I’m only bummed she’s moving halfway across the country this summer.

Seattle Portrait PhotographySeattle University PhotographySeattle HeadshotsGraduation Photography SeattleSeattle Lifestyle PhotographyKatja Seattle Portraits

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Hamburg, Germany — Travel

Our surprise day trip destination? Hamburg! When H and I were planning our trip to Germany, we knew we wanted to travel by train. So we looked into booking our tickets early, but didn’t want to be stuck with certain trains at certain times. What if our plans changed? We looked into Eurail Pass, and that’s out we found the German Rain Twin Pass. It’s a special pass for two people traveling together through Germany. We bought a ticket for 4 days, and only used 3. Thus the impromptu trip to Hamburg. We were pretty happy with the price and value of the pass. I’d recommend it if you’re going long distances, but be sure to do your research.

Hamburg is just a short 2 hour hop from Berlin and so we grabbed a early morning train and arrived mid-morning. And of course, instead of being sunny, it was freezing and raining. And then it snowed. Since we went on whim, we didn’t really know where to go or what to do. But we wandered around and fell in love with the city. It’s a charming, confusing city filled with old brick warehouses and new homes. And ships! It reminded me of Seattle, which is probably why Hamburg is possibly my new favorite city in Germany. Sorry Berlin, you’ve got competition.

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Oh, and those warehouses? Some of them were converted into apartments, with balconies that hung out over the canals. I can just imagine them with exposed brick walls and big windows. Doesn’t that sound like a nice place to live?

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Berlin, Germany — Part 3 — Travel

This last set of Berlin photos (see part 1 and part 2) covers three of my favorite Berlin landmarks: the Reichstag, Brandenburg Gate, and the Jewish Memorial. We covered all three places on our last day in Berlin. All three are free, but you do need to register for the Reichstag tour (right here), I’d recommend doing that a few days in advance. As strange as it sounds, the Jewish memorial is one of my favorite places in Berlin. I also like cemeteries. They’re calm. Peaceful. Anyways. It started to snow as we walked through the memorial. First, little flakes. Then, big, fat flakes. I wrapped my scarf around my head and across my body to cover my camera. And then it stopped. We slowly wandered over to Brandenburg Gate and to the Reichstag for our tour we were early, but we got to go up anyways. As we walked around and around the dome, the sun broke out. I’ve toured the Reichstag before, at night. It’s completely a different experience. I’m still not sure which I like better. I just know I love the dome, even though most Germans don’t. Later that night, as we waited for the bus, I snapped those nighttime frames. The TV tower at Alexanderplatz and the Berliner Dom.

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Berliner Dom at Night

I’ve got a few more Germany posts for you still. And then I’ll need to go on another adventure :)

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B - The snow photos just look “quiet”. Beautiful work!

Jenna - Wonderful photos. I haven’t been to Berlin but I know I will love it. It seems so modern yet historic at the same time.

Debbie - I love Berlin. Thanks for sharing your story and incredible photos!

Emily Wenzel - Jenna, it’s a fantastic mix of new and old! I think that’s one of my favorite things about Germany. It’s only sad that the reason for the mix was two world wars.

Emily Wenzel - Thanks B! I loved that our trip was filled with snowy days.