Arrived in Berlin Wednesday afternoon. The weather is glorious! The sun and the people are out in force, and the view from the Radisson SAS is remarkable.

View from SAS Radisson Hotel room

Unfortunately it seems that Berlin is undergoing a major face lift. There is construction everywhere -- far more than I recall when I was last here, nearly two years ago. The fabled Bebelplatz is devoid of the towering books sculpture that was there two years ago, and every building façade is completely covered.

Berlin is a city under construction.

Cranes as far as the eye can see

archive photo, September 2006 -- Bebelplatz