Ich Bin Ein Berliner

When we finally managed to drag ourselves from Amsterdam, we were left with a little under a month to see as much of that area of Europe as we could, and hopefully not spend too much in the process. The full plan took a while to formulate, but we made a decision to get the train to Berlin first, and it was a good choice indeed.  Ever since my first real jaunt around Europe back in 2009, I’ve always felt that Berlin was one of my favourite places I’d seen thus far.  The way that recent history and culture collide in the former heart of both the Second World War and the Cold War (two events which basically dominated the course of 20^th century history) is astounding to see and experience.

Alexanderplatz and the
famous East Berlin landmark,
the TV tower

Our hostel was in the heart of what was formerly East Berlin, located in a leafy and quiet neighbourhood, but close to the main road, Frankfurter Allee.  Most of our use of public transport took us through Alexanderplatz, but it turned out to be more than that during our stay in Berlin.  One thing that Vancouver really lacks, in my opinion, is public space.  Stanley Park is amazing, yes, but there are few grand squares to talk about in urban BC.  While Hillary was doing some shopping, trying to replace a lost tablet charger (among other endeavours), I just hung out and enjoyed the people around me.  I watched a shoegaze-y/stoner metal band busk and try to sell CDs for a while.  I stood under a gigantic circular structure (split into the different time zones of the world) and watched a man sing Tom Petty covers as a tram rolled through the square, the number 7 I believe. Some kids behind me were trying to kickflip down a couple of stairs.

Brandenburg Gate (above)
the memorial (below)

Of course we didn’t spend all day hanging out in squares, we really explored as much of the city as we could.  The first day, we got orientated by taking a “free” walking tour (many cities in Europe offer them and they’re usually a great introduction to a city).  You’re meant to tip, but technically you don’t have to. We started at the Brandenburg Gate in the centre of Berlin, and explored outwards from there.  Personal highlights for me were the controversial memorial to the murdered Jews of the holocaust, which is essentially hundreds of concrete slates of various sizes.  They’re rather small on the outside, starting out at under a foot tall, but as you go “inside” the memorial and closer to the centre, the figures become massive, some over 15 feet high.  The reason I like this memorial so much more than most of the others I have seen, is because it is interactive, but also open to interpretation.  The message isn’t contained on a plaque of information on the outside, or a photo of a few of the millions of those killed.  Instead, it’s the feelings that the individual takes away from the experience that is the focus.  It’s a brilliantly simple idea, and the execution is spot on (in my opinion).  There are layers of controversy surrounding the monument though, the most interesting one being that the paint which coats the slates to prevent graffiti sticking to them is produced by a derivative of the company that provided the Nazis with massive quantities of the materials to make Zyklon B gas in the 1940s. Another bit of controversy results from the several million Euro paid, from the German taxpayers, for the construction of the memorial. I won’t get into all that now because we’d be here all day, but like I said: layers of controversy.

Speaking of graffiti (sort of), it’s a main reason why Berlin is such an amazing city.  I know that most people back home have a negative image in their mind when they hear this word, but Berlin is one of the capitals of the world when it comes to street-art, in all its forms. Sections of the city, especially in the formerly communist Eastern side, are covered with colourful murals and beautiful paintings. One day, we essential did a self-guided tour of all of the most colourful areas of Berlin’s underground street culture.  We started just north of the city centre at a place called Kunsthaus Tacheles.  It is a building that is inhabited with dozens of artists of all different sorts.  We wandered around and looked at paintings, sculptures, some instillations, and loads of everything in between.  I enjoyed a few of the artist’s work quite a lot, and actually bought a couple of things.  These are the sorts of things I don’t mind spending money on when I’m a tourist, because these guys are local artists just trying to get paid for doing what they love, and most of them are really good.  After exploring some of the huge bits of graffiti in the surrounding area (I Hate CBS!), and after venturing into a particularly interesting side alley filled with marvellous bits of art (the current background for this blog being my favourite piece) and independent record and comic book stores, we wandered East, through Alexanderplatz once more (god I love that place) and towards the East-Side Gallery: the largest remaining section of the Berlin Wall, a massive, foreboding structure, which was erected virtually overnight and destroyed the lives of countless thousands of Berliners. Of course, the new Berliners approach to the 21st century and the way with which they pay respect to, and learn from, their past, is always on display.  The East-Side Gallery is perhaps the most tangible example of that, as what was formerly a symbol of oppression and totalitarianism has now been covered with the work of hundreds of artists who were commissioned to fill certain spaces.   We spent maybe an hour walking around and looking at the huge variety of visual art, still essentially “street art” though.  We also went south from there to explore an area with random pieces of beautiful art almost scattered among the store fronts and sidewalks.  We stopped at a shisha bar to enjoy a hookah and a drink in the gorgeous summer Berlin weather, and watched the world pass us by.

One side of the Kuntshaus Tacheles

Someone hates CBS!

In the random side alley with cool shops and lots of graffiti

Near our hostel, in the heart of East Berlin (above and below)

"Another brick in the wall" -- at the East Side Gallery

(For any of you interested in seeing pictures of Berlin's street art, or what I saw of it, check out this album on facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10100319245501461.2495096.21011192&type=3  I'm assuming every one who would be reading this is friends with me on facebook so seeing it shouldn't be a problem for any of you.  If you're a random and I don't know you, well that's weird but thanks for reading anyway!)

One night, while cooking dinner in our hostel’s shared kitchen, we met some people.  There were a couple of girls from USA and also a nice, but quiet Korean couple, among others. We noticed a couple of guitars in the corner and one of us made an off-hand remark wondering whose they were.  When the Korean couple piped up and claimed them, we were surprised.  We got to talking, and through some hilarious broken English, managed to communicate enough to figure out that they were basically touring around Europe and trying to play gigs wherever they could. They didn’t have any solid plans, but would basically just arrive in a new city, try to set up some shows, and stay for as long as they could still find shows to play, then move on to the next city.  It’s the way to live really, when you think about it.  Anyway, they offered to play us some music, and we of course accepted, curious to see what these two shy, previously quiet people could come up with.  They played us two or three of their own original songs (which were very good, the girl could sing very well and her husband was a great guitarist) before finishing with a rendition of Country Load…er…I mean ‘Road’ … that I will never forget.  It was one of those random moments in a hostel common area that makes the whole budget travelling across the world thing worth all the horror stories of messy bathrooms and loud, stinky roommates.

Other bits of the city that I enjoyed hanging around in included the main buildings of the famous Humboldt University (which can boast graduates such as Albert Einstien, Otto von Bismarck, and Heisenberg), and “museum island” which has some glorious squares and large spaces, perfect for a hot sunny day. The crowning jewel of Museum Island’s five permanent fixtures is the world famous Pergamon, which is, apparently, considered by many to be one of the best in the world.  A lack of funds and interest meant that our experience was limited to the outside of the building, but we enjoyed walking along the river and enjoying the scenery of the area anyway. On my last visit to the city, three years ago, I had stumbled upon a falafel stand that, I swear to god, made the best falafel I’ve ever had.  We hunted for it and before too long I had tracked it down.  They’ve grown since I had seen it last (it’s almost doubled in size) but the falafels were every bit as extraordinary as I had remembered.

Before we left Berlin, having since deciding that Prague was to be our next stop, we decided to do a tour of one of the nearby former concentration camps called Sachsenhausen, north of Berlin.  It was one of the first to be established in Germany during The Third Reich, and it was something that Hillary wanted to see.  They have kept a barracks more or less intact (one of dozens that filled the large compound) to show how the prisoners lived.  The guide spoke quite a bit about the internal political structure of the camp, and the way with which propaganda was used to hide the truth about this place from the citizens of the area. Among the many interesting things we saw there was the massive structure in the centre of the compound.  Because this part of Germany had been liberated by the Russians, this structure is a monument the “heroic” Russian soldiers.  There is, of course, controversy surrounding it, as it is a piece of propaganda in itself, but I don’t really want to write pages about a concentration camp. It was an interesting and informative day, not to mention gruesome and sobering, as I’m sure you can imagine a visit to a former concentration camp must be, so let’s leave it there. 

On that cheerful note, it’s time to wave goodbye to Berlin and look forward to the splendours of the Czech Republic.  It would be my first venture into Eastern Europe, and I hope to explore the area more thoroughly one day for sure. We boarded a bus from the main station in Berlin and set off on a six hour journey to Prague. What happened next can only be described, accurately mind you, as a proper Bohemian rhapsody. Stay tuned.