Berlin

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We were in Berlin two weeks before the World Cup, and it was interesting to see them getting ready, from erecting a giant soccer ball in front of the historic Brandenburg Gate to a stadium behind the Parliament building that I thought would get really loud on game days, but found out later that it wasn't a real stadium, but a miniature one where World Cup parties will be held.

Since Pam and I were only in Berlin for a day, we explored only in East Berlin. But those few square miles were full of history. The highlight of the day was taking a free walking tour. For an hour and a half, we learned about Berlin during World War II and the following years of communism. I remember when the Wall fell in 1989, but being in Berlin made it hit home just how recent it was that East Berliners were living under the Iron Curtain while we were enjoying democracy and capitalism. Passing people on the street, you wondered what side of the wall they had been on just 17 years ago. Considering that most of the history in Europe goes back centuries and milleniums, this history is still fresh. We walked down a street where the wall had separated apartment buildings in East and West Berlin. The occupants were close enough to open their windows and shout to each other, but lived in completely different worlds.

The highlight of the walking tour for me was learning about the new Holocaust Memorial, which opened a year ago. Pam and I had seen it earlier in the day but didn't know what it was because there was no sign. We just thought it was a cool piece of modern art -- dark gray slabs of concrete that got progressively taller as you walked toward the center. Kids were jumping on the blocks and tourists, including us, took pictures in the center where the slabs stretched far above our heads and made for a cool picture. But on the walking tour we found out this was a memorial to the 6 million Jews killed during the Holocaust, giving it a somber feel. One theory is that the artist intended the memorial to recreate how it felt to live in Germany during the Holocaust -- in the early years there was still light (the smaller slabs) but as you walk toward the center and the concrete slowly rises above your head, that represents how people were trapped and couldn't see how bad things were. Then as you continue walking to the other side, the blocks get shorter again to represent the end of the war and Hitler's reign. It was really cool to walk through the memorial and think about the different interpretations.

We stayed that night with Becky's friend from BYU, Sam, who took us out on the town. We started by going to the opening of the city's new central train station, which was a really big deal for the formerly divided city. Then we went to a cool bar called "White Trash." I knew I was in Germany because there was a hard-core metal band playing in the basement. It was great staying with Sam because we went out like locals instead of going to a bar full of tourists, and learned a lot about the post-Cold War developement of East Berlin from Sam and his boyfriend Gunther, who's German.

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Photos

Path of the Wall
When they tore down the wall, they placed these bricks where the wall had stood so it would never be forgotten. Here the bricks cut across the middle of the street. We didn't even notice it until our tour guide pointed it out.

World Cup Fever
They were painting the world on this giant soccer ball when we were there. I later saw a photo of it finished on the Internet. It looked cool lit up at night.

Fake Stadium
This is the "stadium" they were building in the heart of Berlin. It's actually a mini version for World Cup parties. But we were duped for a while.

New Train Station
Even though it was raining, thousands of Berliners came out for the opening of the new central train station.

Gunther
Bars in Europe don't have pitchers because they prefer a fresh pour. We were at an American-themed bar so Gunther got a chance to pour his first pitcher, as Pam assisted.