John and I have found from photographing big parades like Gay Pride and Caribana in Toronto that the best shots are to be taken by visiting the set-up before the parade begins.
and so on our last day in Berlin we took the u-bahn to Hermannplatz and slipped up Urbanstrasse where all the fabulous ethnic and arts groups were preparing to parade down Gneisestrasse in the Karneval der Kulturen.
Participants in the wonderful display were adjusting their costumes
and visiting with friends. Spirits were high!
Bill loved this lady in stilts
being dressed with a little help from her friends.
We loved the vivid colours,
and the dancing had already begun.
Everyone was ready for their close-up
or watching the groups practice.
and participants waiting for their group to be given the ok to join the procession.
It was truly a delightful,
colourful,
friendly
display of the cultural variety of the city.
Flamenco, caveman and river dance feet were revving up for the march.
As always, the samba girls
and the samba beat were favourites.
A blonde samba princess was escorted
to her car
and then the girls really turned on the heat.
As the parade started to crawl for its 8 hour journey through the crowd of a million admirers, John and I slipped off to our beloved Seerose restaurant for a last meal of scrumptious vegetarian grub before we went back to the apartment to begin the cleaning and packing for our return to Toronto. What a send-off!
