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Published: December 1st 2005
Berlin Basilica
Did you know it was rebuilt in 1950?Guten Tag!
Last weekend, Clare, Jon and I headed for what was once the most divided city in Europe. I’ve had reports from friends that Berlin is “so amazing”, “fantastic”; however, I really had no strong inclination to go. But when an invitation to explore it for the weekend was offered - I jumped.
We arrived late Friday night, negotiating the train lines with hardly a scerrick of German between us. It was bitterly cold and I was ill-prepared and untrained for this kind of weather. Walking to our hostel, I thought “what a dirty city” as ‘dust’ floated down on me. After the penny dropped (along with the temperature), the realisation that it was actually snow and not debris was far too exciting for this stupid Australian!
Our hostel (suggestively named Helter Skelter) was unpleasantly situated above a nightclub, and after some quick-dealing from Clare we were alternatively housed at the Heart of Gold hostel. Comfy, warm and minus the nightclub. Aaahh.
Saturday morning we embarked on a 4 hour walking tour of the city, highly recommended by friends and Lonely Planet alike. Our tour guide was Ida - the Boston expat who is studying in
Berlin Wall
An eerie sight. her parents’ native land. I was told a lot of the students in Germany are American, as their parents moved to the States after the war and so the kids have returned to learn the ways of the old folk. Ida was very informative and very animated and gave the history of the city with gusto. As interesting as it was, I couldn’t ignore the fact that I was slowly freezing from the ground up - the cold coming up through my feet chilling my bones.
We walked past cathedrals, museums, libraries, concert halls, the Reichstag (parliament), the Brandenburg Gate, Bebelplatz (site of the book burning), the Holocaust memorial, universities, until we finally arrived at the former site of Hitler’s bunker. It began to snow and it didn’t stop until we hit Checkpoint Charlie. Brrrr.
I’d had a vague idea of what went on in Berlin’s history - wars, communism, a wall, but the walk really helped to clear it all up. A small town in its beginnings, it became occupied by a mighty military family and grew until the 20th century, when riddled with debt after WWI, it needed a morale boost. Along came Hitler, and you
Colour
There wasn't much of it, so this really caught my eye. know the rest. After WWII, Berlin was carved up by Russia, the US and UK, however it wasn’t until 1961 that the wall was erected. Up to 50 000 people A DAY were leaving East Berlin (Russia’s bit) to head for the capitalist sunshine of the West. So one night, they put up a wall to stop them. It didn’t come down until 1989. There is still a portion remaining, and stone markers throughout the city show where it once stood.
As well as the poverty under the communist government, Berlin had practically been demolished by the Allies in WWII, and as Berlin is now basically bankrupt, there is a lot of construction still being undertaken. They are rebuilding a new city, a place focused on culture and beauty, a place that will be of growth and hope, not militant undertakings.
What else did we do? We ate sauerkraut, sausage and schnitzel, drank beer. On Sunday Clare went to a concentration camp, whilst Jon and I tottered around West Berlin, lunching at the Hard Rock Café of course. We went home to balmy London, and the next day I bought myself a thicker coat.
Interesting as it
was, I can’t bring my self to use the word fantastic to describe Berlin. The past events of the city are still so raw, and with the era of the Iron Curtain belonging to most of our lifetimes, the bleakness of the circumstances are still hanging in the air.
I’m sure I would look upon it differently if the weather was warmer, but it seemed to be the atmosphere of the city. I might try it again in a decade or so.
Love Jude
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Jena
Jena Hazlerigs
Helter Skelter
Hello! I stumbled across your journal thinking back to my own trip to Berlin. I actually stayed at Helter Skelter and it wasn't so bad, but I am glad you ended up with housing you liked! Was your walking tour hosted by New Berlin? I took a 4 hour (free) tour with the company and it was amazing! :)