In The Aftermath of History

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I have sometimes overslept on trains back in England (usually due to alcohol) and I’ve been woken up by the guard when the train has been sitting at the last stop for half an hour. That would not have been a good idea on this train as its ultimate destination was several hundred miles away in Moscow. I suspect that I wouldn’t have got anywhere near that far before being woken up by customs officials, soldiers or the police, but it was an interesting thought.

I had arrived in close aftermath of all the historic events that had taken here two years previously. In fact I remember all that taking place when I was previously travelling and was working in Melbourne (see And The Holiday Ends) at the time. There were the memorable images of Mr Baywatch / Knight Rider / The Hoff singing whilst the people were celebrating and tearing-down sections of the wall.

I had not visited Berlin whilst it was divided, but it was apparent that a lot had changed. Most of the Berlin wall was now gone as they were understandably keen to get rid of it forever (although many small pieces of it were on sale in numbers shops and stalls) and the two halves of the city were starting to integrate again.

Despite much having changed, there was still a strong legacy of the former divisions. It was clearly still a city of two halves, each resembling two completely different periods of history. One half was glitzy, busy and compact, with modern buildings and lots of lights and colour. The other half was miserable with loads of grey apartment blocks and, well, that was about it. That said, it was interesting to note that most of the best museums and other historic buildings had been in what was the Russian sector. They obviously staked their claim before the British and the Americans arrived.

I did a lot of walking, although I also made use of the excellent underground (U-Bahn) system. Of course, I saw the Brandenburg Gate, along with Berlin Cathedral, the Siegessaeule Column, Checkpoint Charlie and the war damaged Kaiser-Wilhelm Church.

Despite what I said about the greyness of the former East Berlin, there is a very impressive telecoms tower, which dominates the skyline even from deep into the former West Berlin.

Berlin is a stunning city and that tripod of mine earned its keep again.

My wife and I came back to Berlin many, many years later and the only reminders of the divisions were those being kept for the sake of history (see The Internet Couldn't Stop our Capitalist Decadence). In fact the East German heritage (if that's the word for it) was actually being celebrated (the Trabant car is an icon).

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Photos

Berlin Cathedral
The cathedral and Telecom Tower at night.

Brandenburg Gate
The Brandenburg Gate at night.

The Berlin Wall
The legacy is still there.

Checkpoint Charlie
Crossing from West to East Berlin.

Kaiser-Wilhelm Church
Bombed during the Second World War.

Siegessaeule Column
And the traffic through the Tiergarten Park.

Kaiser-Wilhelm Church
And the traffic nearby.

Fountain
A fountain in the shopping centre near the Kaiser-Wilhelm Church.

East Berlin
Dominated by the Telecom Tower.