Berlin

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Berlin. I thoroughly enjoyed myself last time I visited as a tourist and was looking forward to a 4 night break to escape the working life in England. I have just entered back into the daily wonders of working and it felt like the right time for a little side trip. On that note it was nice just to take a break for a couple of days, and in a city like Berlin it was sure to be a pleasure.

Sarah and I met in Ecuador last year whilst we were studying spanish. We first met in the courtyard of our school at salsa classes where we demonstrated to our teacher that we had no idea how to dance. After becoming good friends after 6 weeks in Quito we planned to meet up later in our trips. Eventually we saw each other again in Cusco for 1 week where she was volunteering in an orphanage during the day whilst being the bar girl at the craziest hostel in the city at night. Finally we spent our last 3 weeks together travelling from Buenos Aires up to Rio. So after messaging eachother for 2 months it was nice to finally meet up again. She has lived in Berlin for most her life so I was looking forward to seeing her side of the city rather than the usual tourist path.

Her mum lives in Potsdam which was a city I quite enjoyed on my last visit there. Well actually she lives in Rehbrucke which is a quiet german suburb with beautiful houses where local transport is usually a 40yr old bicycle with the basket on the front. The local market around the corner had a variety of fruits and vegetables and an amazing bakery that serves traditional bread from the times of the DDR. After feasting on a variety of breads, meats and spreads that her mother prepared for us we then jumped on our bicycles and headed for Potsdam. Riding around the cobblestoned Dutch Quarter was a delight to see but not very good for our bums. The restaurants, chocolate shops and little boutiques makes the town very unique. As Sarah said it feels like you are in Holland, especially with everyone else riding bicycles. We rode through town to Castle San Souci and joined the mass of tourists enjoying the park and surrounding gardens. We found Sarah's old school on the edge of the park, an old mansion that was somehow converted into a place of learning years back. It looked more like an English country home with the semicircular driveway and grand steps leading up into the entrance. A bar that was built on a sand base was the last stop as we slumped into some deck chairs and enjoyed the view over the lake. Potsdam certainly didn't operate at the same pace as Berlin but it was a nice place to relax and enjoy the history.

In the evening her mum talked extensively about the recent history of Berlin. Sarah's family grew up in West Berlin so this is where her point of view lies. Of course I vaguely knew about the east and the west but it was fascinating listening to Sarah's mum vivid recounts of specific events and also what daily life entailed on both sides of the wall. This conversation was also held whilst she was cooking a traditional South German meal called Spetzler which is a beef goulash stew with special home made noodles. Needless to say I enjoyed it immensely and to the liking of my host I had a few generous helpings. Sarah's friends arrived after dinner for a few drinks before we made our way out to Potsdam. I felt awkward because I couldn't speak German but they all made a concerted effort to speak a little English and made me feel very welcome. I also had a little book of English-German Sarah gave me which limited me to one word answers in the most horrible German accent imaginable. The night was cold and a few more ales were had to keep everyone warm. Luckily this was Berlin and not London and everything was amazingly cheap. A lift home from Sarah's friend was a nice reminder that we weren't travelling anymore and I was in her backyard.

Wandering down the stairs to the kitchen we were surprised to see Sarah's mum had already been to the bakery and had a big spread waiting for us. Having eaten enough food already I wasn't going to decline the invitation and had my fair share before our lunchtime departure. We were going to spend the next two nights in Berlin at Sarah's dads house so I said goodbye to Heidi and thanked her for her hospitality. To my surprise she was intent on giving me a present for my trip to Berlin which I was very reluctant to accept. When the Berlin wall came down Paul went down to the Brandenberg gate with a sledgehammer and took a few noticeable pieces of history home with him. Heidi wanted me to have one of these pieces, which I found difficult to accept. Knowing that I wouldn't get through security with a large jagged rock in my hand luggage I left it in Sarah's keeping, thus making me feel slightly better about it.

Getting the train into Berlin was probably more exciting for me than it was for Sarah. Seeing the Reichstag on the right as we pulled into Haubtbahnohf brought back good memories of my last visit here nearly one year ago. We rode the train to Hackerhoff Market and then strolled around Sarah's favourite neighbourhood on the way to her Dad's house. Paul's house was a few minutes behind the Hachschen Höfe and couldn't be anymore central. The apartment was on the top floor and the rooftop garden was amazing, with a fantastic 360 degree view of central Berlin. To say I was impressed would be the ultimate understatement.

Paul not only welcomed me into his house but was also willing to walk around and tell me the history of the area. Having himself been actively involved in the Jewish community in the area every street corner had its own story. Even Paul's apartment has history written all over the walls. A family tree painted on the inside wall of the apartment block outlines the Jewish owners of the building pre-1939. Dates of birth are followed closely by dates of death with Auschwitz being mentioned more than once. A sad reminder.

I remember aimlessly walking around this area on my last visit but the history and stories were notably absent. For the next 2 hrs we walked around Central Berlin with Paul talking, me listening intently, and Sarah being slightly amused and maybe even slightly embaressed at her Dad's knowledge. I won't bore you with the details but a few stories are still stuck in my memory. When the order went out in November 10th 1938 for the New Synagogue to be burnt to the ground it was alight within hours. However, a police officer named Wilhelm Krutzfeld who dutifully saw the fire immediately reported it to the fire brigade, where it was subsequently extinguished. There were obviously lots of questions asked of the officer from the SS as to why he would call the fire brigade under the current circumstances. His answer was simple: "I see a fire, I call the fire brigade." He was instantly labelled a jewish sympathiser and for the rest of his career he was hassled relentlessly by the SS. However, to his credit the synagogue still stands today and I believe there is even a small plaque to commemorate his actions.

After information overload for 2 hrs Sarah and I headed back to Potsdam for a BBQ at her best friends place Mandy. Her house was only a few doors down from Heidi's house and when we arrived the BBQ was well alight. These were another group of friends of Sarah and again they were all quite shy speaking English. After a few drinks however and some drinking games they loosened up and spoke freely. I still had my little german book that was more a case of amusement rather than help.

That evening we caught the train into Berlin and went to Havana Club which is a really cool salsa dancing/latin bar with a few levels to strut your stuff. In typical Berlin fashion we danced until sunrise when I duly ate my first kebab this trip....they are so good here. I could still taste it the next morning when Sarah and I stumbled out of bed around midday. We weren't hungover at all it was tiredness more than anything. Being Sunday we decided to take it easy and after sleeping on the gorgeous roof terrace for a few hours we wandered around the streets talking and eating ice cream, eventually falling asleep on some grass across from the Museum's quarter. Paul and Karen went to the orchestra in the park later on in the evening so we occupied the couch watching a few DVD's to unwind my final hours in Berlin.

I left early the next morning slightly exhausted but with a big smile on my face. There is no question I will be back to Berlin, its only a matter of when.

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