June 22 was Berlin’s 35th annual Christopher Street Day, or Pride Parade, and it was just as vibrant and beautiful as I remembered. Crazy to think that two years ago, I was about to unwillingly leave the city for my final year of college. CSD 2011 happened on June 25, and I remember celebrating in front of Brandenburger Tor, followed by a crazy evening in which I partied at Rosi’s with friends, discovered the full power of Club Mate, and eventually went to Berghain for the first time, where I danced my mind and body into utter exhaustion. Then I crept home on destroyed feet, passed out for the rest of the afternoon, then awoke and went for my last lovely walk along the Spree with Wheels before coming back to the apartment, packing and departing for Tegel the next morning.

But enough meandering down memory lane. Hundreds of thousands of LGBT demonstrators and allies hit the streets yesterday in a multi-hour stream of exuberant humanity to dazzle the eye and shake the concrete with that requisite Berlin bass. Here are some photo impressions from the parade.

Photos copyright of Caitlin Hardee, all rights reserved: