Danke Schon, Darling, Danke Schon

So I have returned from my jaunt across the ocean. I hope you didn't miss me too much. Oh, God, you did! You missed me! That is so sweet of you! I missed you too. Well, I'm not going to update you on every little detail, that would be long and boring and utterly pointless. Later, I will fill you in on some stories, but for now I will just tell you a little of what I saw and learned. This is all about Berlin. I went to Vienna too, but Berlin took my breath away. And how could it not, with architecture like this:

This is the Scandinavian embassies' building. A green, curving, organic shape lit like something fantastic under the sea, or a ghostly visage in the woods by night. By day it is the perfect embassy for these five countries whose landscapes are almost otherworldly beautiful, and are known for their clean design.

As you might be aware, after World War II, Berlin was flattened, devestated, and divided. In fact, the oldest building in the city only dates back to the 17th century. That might seem ancient to our young country, but to a city that dates back to the 13th century, it's astounding. After the war, and after its re-unification, Berlin has come back with some of the most inventive, creative and beautiful modern architecture to be found in one city. In fact, one thing that amazed me is that most of the really unusual architecture was for the government buildings. Being used to the formal, neo-classical government buildings in our own capital it gave me a feeling of lightness, and forward thinking optimism to see this government building:
This is the Reichstag, the parliament building that was originally built before the war, then burned down (supposedly by a Dutch Communist, but it might have been by the Nazis in order to suppress civil rights and remove Communists). After the war it was rebuilt, and the glass dome allows one to look right into the heart of the government, a symbol of the openness of the government today.










Here's our hotel:
It was cheap and stylish. Not to mention friendly, clean and staffed with helpful people. Thank you Motel One!






And although I am not usually a fan of commercial spaces and shopping malls, I was interested to see Potsdamer Platz, which in the antibellum days was a city center;

then a symbol of the divided city,

The Berlin Wall is a misnomer, as I learned, it was two separate walls on each side, with a Death Strip down the middle, for gaurds to patrol. Guess which side is which!
Underneath this cooridor, and parts of East Berlin, ran the West Berlin Unterbahn, the former entrances that remained on the East side were closed off and the platforms gaurded, as the Western trains sped past without stopping. This gave rise to what was called the Ghost Underground.

Now, after the wall has come down (we're still going to refer to it as a wall, even though we know what it really is, okay?) and a few years of desolation, Potsdamer Platz became a city center once again. A double cobblestone line runs the length of the city where the two walls once stood. It's surprising to come across it and imagine how divided the city was, and yet, so close.

I'm a sucker for history of any kind, and so I was intriqued by everything there is to learn about Berlin's recent history. And therefore we went to one of the most interesting buildings in Berlin. That squiggly metallic building is the Jewish Museum. You might think this was all about the Holocaust, but you'd be wrong. Surprisingly, there is less than you would think. And that has received some criticism. From my perspective, the good side is that as you are walking through the museum you learn about Judaism throughout Germany's history. Unfortunately it feels as though the facts of the atrocities were brushed over a little. I don't want every detail, but I do want a little more than the paltry information they gave. Despite those sentiments, parts of the museum were powerful interpretations of the isolation, terror and fear that Jews in Europe might have felt at this time. The Holocaust Turm, or tower, is a small, dark, unheated metal room with a sliver of a window at the top, where outside noises can be heard, muffled and frightening. The damp cold of this dark room, along with the street noises, made me understand for the first time the emotional isolation and terror that they might have felt.

Later on we went to the Fernseherturm, or TV tower at Alexander Platz, affectionately called "der Alex". Der Alex was built during the height of the divide, as a sort of Communist display of pride and power. It is pretty impressive. I like to think of the West Berliners wondering what was going on as this tower steadily rises on the other side. The view from it now is pretty incredible.

Berlin is, as I have heard, 'young, poor and sexy'. I would have to agree. I can't wait to return to this city and explore what else is hiding away in it. I feel as though it is a place I could live, the streets are wide and the city is spread out enought to make me feel like I'm not too crowded in. It is a place you can be alone with your thoughts, or be inspired by all the activity going on. I hoped to find that in New York, but I always felt crowded, or swept along, out of control on those streets. Here, I could have the best of both worlds, and practice my German too.