38.5

The Brandenburg Gate is a place for tourists. Usually I don't see any reason to go there. I don't like the place, its too clean in my opinion and pretty much boring. Nevertheless, out of coincidence I happened to be there just when a few workers were up at the quadriga (the figure on top of the Gate) to clean it.

A big reason why I don't like these spots is, that every inch of it has been photographed before, and I just don't feel the urge to take my camera out.

Such situations like the one I photographed are unsual and special...and extremely rare.
To be there at the right time is almost impossible.

I have no idea how often they clean the figure, but I would guess it doesnt happen more than twice a year. I felt really lucky being there, since it gave me the chance to put some perspective on these huge figures high above our heads that everyone in the city knows.

I like this shot a lot, especially the connection of the heads and how the equestrian seems to watch the cleaner doing his work. It almost feels like he is about to say: "Hey, you forgot that one stain on the side"!

After shooting for around 15 minutes, my arms started to hurt because of the uncomfortable position and the heavy camera, but I knew I had something.

Lesson learned. Even though the touristic spots are boring, you should go there from time to time and see what you can find.

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