Berlin, Germany (2003)

The construction of Berlin has been rushing since the beginning of this century however, the Berlin I visited in 2003 still had vacant lands and construction sites as far as I couls see. I rented a bike and went along the river passed by the historical church with no reason and soon it was almost sunset. As I was heading back to the hotel, the road I took in the morning were blocked. I suspect that something was going on and realized the central of the city was noisy. I followed the crowd out of nothing but curiosity and there it was, the Berlin marathon about to begin. The runners never mind a Japanese tourist with a Leica hanging from his neck flashing everywhere but concentrated on their stretch and massage. Their great physique far from that of the Japanese and their facial expression gave somewhat an impression of the German nature. A free beer booth was set and the runners were handed a plastic cup filled with beer as soon as they passed the finish line. I watched them walk without changing their face with the cup in their hand, suprisingly thinking it actually might be just water for them. One of the runners came up to me, "here's one for you." Beer after shooting was the best.