It’s a Friday, and a beautiful one at that. Here in Perth, the city skyline is dotted with the slender silhouettes of huge cranes from construction sites. All rather pretty, and reflective of a city vibrant with energy, growth and cash.

Sometimes it can seem as if the local “feel” is reflective of the world. Right now, that would be a very long bow to draw. A lot of the industrial world is under the heavy cloak of recession, and the future does not look so bright – but this is a Friday, and the point of this post is not to worry about financial turmoil. Rather, it is to take a moment to ponder a part of the world where the contrast between old and new, run-down and renovated is on display, every day. Germany.

As an avid reader of Spiegel Online, todays’ slideshow of properties and districts in East Berlin just after “the Berlin Wall” was torn down in 1989, with comparisons of those same places today, seems a million years away from Perth streetscapes. So, rather than more talk of financial planning issues, here are links to two of those fascinating slideshows.

The first is termed “Walls and Wastelands“. The title is self-explanatory.

The second is titled “A Massive Facelift for Eastern Germany“. The images show an artists’ appreciation for depth and feel, while displaying elements of humour at some of the changes that have taken place. Personally, i liked the changes in slides 27 and 28.

Fascinating!