Berlin was delightful, surprising, intriguing, fascinating, and generally, most pleasantly, oh so delightful.
I am tempted to just say we saw stuff and describe how I felt about it but there are those, who I happen to be relate
d to, who may object.
Okay, let’s start with a pulling down of my personal walls (Hehe). Like my association of Texas with being shot, or my inability to picture Louisiana in a Post-Jim Crow era, I definitely had particular images of Berlin and Germany in my head. Actually, I am not sure my image of Berlin is so much my own personal ideas as it is part of the social imaginary of Germany in general. For example, what do you think of when riding the train in Germany? You think of cattle cars? Or, what about East Berlin? Suppression and hunger? Well, you get the picture but it took this weekend for me to change those images and put them back in their historical context where they belong.
On Friday, Christy, Sarah and I took the train to Berlin. The train went through lots of pretty towns. I l
ove how smaller cities in the Netherlands tend to have stout, cottage-like houses and quiet pleasant looking lanes. Anyway, fast forward six hours and we were in Berlin. The station, Berlin Hauptbahnhof, opened in 2006. It was huge, modern and cool. After grabbing some dinner there, we took the train to the hostel. Our hostel, just opened in February, and like the train station, was clean, modern, and very cool. Also, the staff was friendly and nice. We got our free drink at the hostel bar and then wandered the neighborhood a bit. Immediately in the first block we passed at least five art spaces or galleries and I knew our neighborhood was cool. We also passed by funky bars and cool looking cafes all within a few blocks.
As we were wandering back to the hostel, I began to really think about the fact that
we were in East Berlin. East Berlin. Berlin really does feel like a united city and yet I felt surprised and enthusiastic about it. I kept thinking of that mural we made in Kraftson’s class in 11th grade and the image of the iron curtain being falling. This is random, but I was also thinking a
bout history and the “Lessons of Being of Dictator” that I seem to have learned this year. They should really all just read If You a Give Mouse a Cookie.
On Saturday we ate breakfast at our Hostel Restaurant “Louisiana Kid.” The decor was sort of an odd conglomeration of Louisiana-like things. We basically started the day with a “New Berlin Tour.” It is a tour that is free and then they make their money from their tips. Our tour guide was a British dude who had moved to Berlin. He also was an archeologist and wrote the English version of one of the historical signs that we went by. He did a good job. We saw tons of stuff but it mainly consisted of: Brandenburg Gate and Pariser Platz, Hitler’s Bunker, the Reichstag, Memorial to the Murdered Jews, Potsdamer Platz, Book
Burning Memorial/Bebelplatz with the Alte Koningliche Bibliothek, and St. Hedwigskirche, Checkpoint Charlie, SS Headquarters, Museum Island, part of the Berlin Wall, TV tower, Gendermanmarkt, Luftwaffle HQ, Neue Wache (Memorial to the Victims of Fascism and Militarism), statute of Fredrich II, and other little random stuff. It was a good introduction to the city and was super helpful for when we were wandering later. I thought that Pariser Platz was interesting. As the name would suggest the French Embassy, which is also next to The Kennedys' Museum and a Starbucks, is there. Prime real estate. The U.S. embassy is also going to be there. The other ally is around the corner. It is funny to me that the French embassy had like three old security guards outside and the British embassy had the entire block around their embassy blocked off and tons of security guys. So, in conclusion we saw tons of stuff and it took the entire morning and the beginning of the afternoon.
After the tour we walked around an art market by Museum Island, and the book market outside of Humboldt Universitat. Our tourguide mentioned that they sell used books outs
ide of the university because of the past participation of the university in the Nazi book burning. You might know this but I had no idea that Marx and Engels, Ei
nstein, Planck and pretty much every other German genius went to Humboldt. I took a picture of Planck’s statute cause I’m cool like that. The street that the university is on is called Unter Den Linden. It is a pretty tree lined street with shops and cafes that lead up to Brandenburg Gate. We wandered there for a little bit, etc…Rather than detailing our every action, I will just say we got dinner and went to a concert. My dinner was uneventful, but for desert we all got apple strudel which was delicious. Also, Christy got beer with sprite in it which seems odd but was pretty good. It made the beer made taste less offensive.
After dinner, we went to see and hear the Berlin Symphony Orchestra in the Konzerthaus. We had gotten rush tickets. The guidebook says the concert hall is “opulent” which I th
ink is just about right. It was really beautiful. The most exciting thing to me is that was we got to hear Beethoven in Berlin! We also heard some Bartók and Barber. After the concert we decided to take a break at the hostel but some people, whose names might be Christy and Sarah fell asleep, and so we called it a night.
The next morning we went to the Jewish Museum. It was huge. I think we spent three to four hours there and we could have spent more. It was also really well done. Ther
e was also a special exhibit which was basically the media studies section of my first year course. The new part of the building itself was interesting and designed by Daniel Libeskind who is designing the 9/11 or the World Trade Center memorial. After the museum we went back to Checkpoint Char
lie which was close by and then took the train to the Eastside Gallery. The gallery is actually an open air gallery on the one of the parts of the wall that is left. It was really neat but far bigger than I expected. After the gallery we sat outside at a café along the Spree River and then wandered about. For dinner Christy and I got currywurst. Later we wander around Tiergarten. We tried to go into the Reichstag Dome but the line was too long. Their dome is clear to reflect transparent democracy. Because they let people into their parliament, the security and line takes a long time. We did some other random stuff before going to bed. The next day we rode the train home.
Other Observations:
I decided that Berlin allows you to ascribe your own meaning to things in the city and to the city itself. It doesn’t project an image of itself in the same way as other cities do. It is a “New Berlin” that is perpetually changing, building upon it’s past but looking towards a bright future. These ideas were imbedded in objects ranging from the Memorial to the Murdered Jews, the variety of Graffiti all over the city, to the buildings, the voids and inconsistency of architecture. They all make you not only inhabit but think critically of your surroundings.
The tour guide said that you if you come to live in Berlin you “….will be
part of making Berlin into what it is going to be.” Many of the things we saw or used had opened or were built since 2000. It’s kind of amazing.
They just marked Hitler’s former bunker and death site because they didn’t w
ant it to become a sight for neo-nazis or anything. There is now a historical sign but they left it a parking lot which is pretty much appropriate.
Berlin had street signs on the corners. Convenient. Seriously, the little signs on buildings are not as useful as street signs on the corner. Also, it seemed like people dress any way they wanted. I couldn’t pick out one style. I obviously liked this. Another thing I appreciated was that their drinks were normal sized. I ordered a soda and was amazed at its size because there was more than three sips worth in the glass.
Berlin was cheap! It was definitely the cheapest city using the euro that I have been to. We were walking around seeing meals for 5-7 euros everywhere. It was awesome.
It is so odd to think that Berlin has only together for 18 years. That’s
in my life time. It is amazing to reflect on the kinds of things people have lived through. Imagine being a Berliner born in the 1930s or 1940s. I am not sure how many of these people there really are but it is incredible. Even in the U.S., my parents’ generation has experienced so much fundamental change.
One of the things I continue to find compelling over here is historical guilt. It is interesting the way that it manifests itself differently as well as the ways that countries try to reconcile their histories.
The difference in tourists in Berlin is that there seemed to be quite a few Israelis. The other main groups in our hostel seemed to be American, Canadian, Italian, Spanish, and English.
So, in conclusion, I never cared to go to Berlin. Really I didn’t but I am so glad that I did. It was a delight. It would be interesting to see what I thought about it if I stayed longer. It was my last weekend trip which is kind of sad but I am also kind of getting ready to go home. I still have lots to do for school and things see in the next couple of weeks.
I will leave you with the words of the Hoff, who as we all know, saved East Berlin:
“I've been looking for freedom
I am tempted to just say we saw stuff and describe how I felt about it but there are those, who I happen to be relate
d to, who may object.Okay, let’s start with a pulling down of my personal walls (Hehe). Like my association of Texas with being shot, or my inability to picture Louisiana in a Post-Jim Crow era, I definitely had particular images of Berlin and Germany in my head. Actually, I am not sure my image of Berlin is so much my own personal ideas as it is part of the social imaginary of Germany in general. For example, what do you think of when riding the train in Germany? You think of cattle cars? Or, what about East Berlin? Suppression and hunger? Well, you get the picture but it took this weekend for me to change those images and put them back in their historical context where they belong.
On Friday, Christy, Sarah and I took the train to Berlin. The train went through lots of pretty towns. I l
ove how smaller cities in the Netherlands tend to have stout, cottage-like houses and quiet pleasant looking lanes. Anyway, fast forward six hours and we were in Berlin. The station, Berlin Hauptbahnhof, opened in 2006. It was huge, modern and cool. After grabbing some dinner there, we took the train to the hostel. Our hostel, just opened in February, and like the train station, was clean, modern, and very cool. Also, the staff was friendly and nice. We got our free drink at the hostel bar and then wandered the neighborhood a bit. Immediately in the first block we passed at least five art spaces or galleries and I knew our neighborhood was cool. We also passed by funky bars and cool looking cafes all within a few blocks.As we were wandering back to the hostel, I began to really think about the fact that
we were in East Berlin. East Berlin. Berlin really does feel like a united city and yet I felt surprised and enthusiastic about it. I kept thinking of that mural we made in Kraftson’s class in 11th grade and the image of the iron curtain being falling. This is random, but I was also thinking a
bout history and the “Lessons of Being of Dictator” that I seem to have learned this year. They should really all just read If You a Give Mouse a Cookie.On Saturday we ate breakfast at our Hostel Restaurant “Louisiana Kid.” The decor was sort of an odd conglomeration of Louisiana-like things. We basically started the day with a “New Berlin Tour.” It is a tour that is free and then they make their money from their tips. Our tour guide was a British dude who had moved to Berlin. He also was an archeologist and wrote the English version of one of the historical signs that we went by. He did a good job. We saw tons of stuff but it mainly consisted of: Brandenburg Gate and Pariser Platz, Hitler’s Bunker, the Reichstag, Memorial to the Murdered Jews, Potsdamer Platz, Book
Burning Memorial/Bebelplatz with the Alte Koningliche Bibliothek, and St. Hedwigskirche, Checkpoint Charlie, SS Headquarters, Museum Island, part of the Berlin Wall, TV tower, Gendermanmarkt, Luftwaffle HQ, Neue Wache (Memorial to the Victims of Fascism and Militarism), statute of Fredrich II, and other little random stuff. It was a good introduction to the city and was super helpful for when we were wandering later. I thought that Pariser Platz was interesting. As the name would suggest the French Embassy, which is also next to The Kennedys' Museum and a Starbucks, is there. Prime real estate. The U.S. embassy is also going to be there. The other ally is around the corner. It is funny to me that the French embassy had like three old security guards outside and the British embassy had the entire block around their embassy blocked off and tons of security guys. So, in conclusion we saw tons of stuff and it took the entire morning and the beginning of the afternoon.After the tour we walked around an art market by Museum Island, and the book market outside of Humboldt Universitat. Our tourguide mentioned that they sell used books outs
ide of the university because of the past participation of the university in the Nazi book burning. You might know this but I had no idea that Marx and Engels, Ei
nstein, Planck and pretty much every other German genius went to Humboldt. I took a picture of Planck’s statute cause I’m cool like that. The street that the university is on is called Unter Den Linden. It is a pretty tree lined street with shops and cafes that lead up to Brandenburg Gate. We wandered there for a little bit, etc…Rather than detailing our every action, I will just say we got dinner and went to a concert. My dinner was uneventful, but for desert we all got apple strudel which was delicious. Also, Christy got beer with sprite in it which seems odd but was pretty good. It made the beer made taste less offensive.After dinner, we went to see and hear the Berlin Symphony Orchestra in the Konzerthaus. We had gotten rush tickets. The guidebook says the concert hall is “opulent” which I th
ink is just about right. It was really beautiful. The most exciting thing to me is that was we got to hear Beethoven in Berlin! We also heard some Bartók and Barber. After the concert we decided to take a break at the hostel but some people, whose names might be Christy and Sarah fell asleep, and so we called it a night.The next morning we went to the Jewish Museum. It was huge. I think we spent three to four hours there and we could have spent more. It was also really well done. Ther
e was also a special exhibit which was basically the media studies section of my first year course. The new part of the building itself was interesting and designed by Daniel Libeskind who is designing the 9/11 or the World Trade Center memorial. After the museum we went back to Checkpoint Char
lie which was close by and then took the train to the Eastside Gallery. The gallery is actually an open air gallery on the one of the parts of the wall that is left. It was really neat but far bigger than I expected. After the gallery we sat outside at a café along the Spree River and then wandered about. For dinner Christy and I got currywurst. Later we wander around Tiergarten. We tried to go into the Reichstag Dome but the line was too long. Their dome is clear to reflect transparent democracy. Because they let people into their parliament, the security and line takes a long time. We did some other random stuff before going to bed. The next day we rode the train home.Other Observations:
I decided that Berlin allows you to ascribe your own meaning to things in the city and to the city itself. It doesn’t project an image of itself in the same way as other cities do. It is a “New Berlin” that is perpetually changing, building upon it’s past but looking towards a bright future. These ideas were imbedded in objects ranging from the Memorial to the Murdered Jews, the variety of Graffiti all over the city, to the buildings, the voids and inconsistency of architecture. They all make you not only inhabit but think critically of your surroundings.
The tour guide said that you if you come to live in Berlin you “….will be
part of making Berlin into what it is going to be.” Many of the things we saw or used had opened or were built since 2000. It’s kind of amazing.They just marked Hitler’s former bunker and death site because they didn’t w
ant it to become a sight for neo-nazis or anything. There is now a historical sign but they left it a parking lot which is pretty much appropriate.Berlin had street signs on the corners. Convenient. Seriously, the little signs on buildings are not as useful as street signs on the corner. Also, it seemed like people dress any way they wanted. I couldn’t pick out one style. I obviously liked this. Another thing I appreciated was that their drinks were normal sized. I ordered a soda and was amazed at its size because there was more than three sips worth in the glass.
Berlin was cheap! It was definitely the cheapest city using the euro that I have been to. We were walking around seeing meals for 5-7 euros everywhere. It was awesome.
It is so odd to think that Berlin has only together for 18 years. That’s
in my life time. It is amazing to reflect on the kinds of things people have lived through. Imagine being a Berliner born in the 1930s or 1940s. I am not sure how many of these people there really are but it is incredible. Even in the U.S., my parents’ generation has experienced so much fundamental change.
One of the things I continue to find compelling over here is historical guilt. It is interesting the way that it manifests itself differently as well as the ways that countries try to reconcile their histories.
The difference in tourists in Berlin is that there seemed to be quite a few Israelis. The other main groups in our hostel seemed to be American, Canadian, Italian, Spanish, and English.
So, in conclusion, I never cared to go to Berlin. Really I didn’t but I am so glad that I did. It was a delight. It would be interesting to see what I thought about it if I stayed longer. It was my last weekend trip which is kind of sad but I am also kind of getting ready to go home. I still have lots to do for school and things see in the next couple of weeks.
I will leave you with the words of the Hoff, who as we all know, saved East Berlin:
“I've been looking for freedom
still the search goes on.
I've been looking for freedom
since I left myhome town”
(It's a great song. Yeah, we’ve been listening to it)
(It's a great song. Yeah, we’ve been listening to it)
1 comment:
I'm so glad you liked Berlin! We should go back together sometime and spend, like, I dunno, a whole fortnight there!
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