Berlin: Uber-cool

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Geo: 52.5235, 13.4115

A pretty crappy sleep last night on the train - I kept getting bounced around and we were awoken at 5-6 AM for customs, and then again shortly after for breakfast.

Mary Moment #27: Our train arrived a little bit late in Berlin this morning. The attendant told us that we would be there in about 20-25 minutes so I said to Mary "Hmmm ... with that time I should ..." and just as I was saying "take a crap" Mary said "Yeah, what can we do together in that time?" Umm ... I don't think I really want to take a collective crap with my friend.

Finally - Berlin! Another major European city can now be crossed off of my list. We dropped off our bags at the hostel and went sightseeing. There's a city bus that hits several of the major sites, and would be a good orientation to the city. But it was bad because we couldn't see anything through the painted and foggy windows.

The first tourist site of the day was the Reichstag - we waited an hour and a half to get in! It was a very cold, windy, and rainy day. The Reichstag is a very cool-looking building with nice views from the dome. We wanted to grab lunch at the Reichstag's rooftop restaurant but it was fully booked. So instead we grabbed a currywurst and bratwurst from a sausage stand. Mary was ecstatic to have more sausage!

Next up was the Brandenburg gate - the scene of so much history. I remember watching the fall of the Berlin wall as a child. I was unable to fully comprehend how important were the events that I was witnessing, but deep down I knew that I was seeing something truly special, something that would change the course of mankind.

Later on when I first heard the Scorpions' "Winds of Change", I remembered the incredible feeling I had when the wall fell. Now, whevenever I hear that song, I remember that moment and I think about the fall of the wall. And whenever I hear about the wall, I think about the song. All I can say is ... I am finally here!

Next up was the Memorial to the Murdered Jews - I've seen similar museums before, but this one was a little different. There were excerpts from diaries, postcards and letters written by people describing their deportations. Some were written with a sense of fear days before being deported ... some were even written during the long and brutal train journeys. Many were written by children ... making it all the more moving and powerful.

One display recited names and basic info (DOB, etc.) of all the Jewish victims of the holocaust. It's estimated that it would take 6 years to recite the complete list.

We walked down Unter Den Linden, East Berlin's main street. There was a book store showing a video depicting Berlin's long, rich history. We munched on the Neapolitan chocolate as we watched. Much better than the strawberry yogurt one we ate the other day, but still not as good as the Trilogy stuff we've been devouring. Mary-ism #27: "Why is it so hard?" when eating the chocolate. My response "Well Mary, that's just how you make me feel ..."

We took a nice walk and then returned to the hostel for a shower. Perhaps I would've taken Mary up on her offer this morning if she had offered a collective shower, rather than a collective crap! Off to Mr. Vuong's for dinner - we needed some Asian food! But Mr. Vuong was a fraud - not authentic Vietnamese food and there was no selection. Instead, we found a semi-fast food Vietnamese joint inside of a mall.

After, I knew that I wouldn't be full from the meal. We walked over to Alexanderplatz where I saw a vendor selling grilled bratwursts for 1 Euro!!! I wolfed it down, burning my mouth in the process. Good stuff! The charred flavour of the bratwurst was enhanced by the burning flesh inside of my mouth.

Checkpoint Charlie museum - it was incredible to see the lengths people went to in order to flee the East. Homemade scuba gear, homemade submarines, two suitcases that could be joined together to hide a person inside ... but the craziest story was a guy whose wife was stuck in the East. He dated a woman who looked exactly like his wife, took her to East Berlin, stole her papers, and then used them to get his wife out. The "girlfriend" was stuck there for over two months! We didn't have quite enough time for this neat, but convoluted museum.

We walked back down Unter Den Linden towards the Brandenburg Gate. It's even more beautiful at night. We stopped at the Opera's café for dessert before returning to the hostel. The hostel has a nice vibe and a pretty lively bar area. We briefly used the internet before calling it a night.

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Photos

a
Not a bad little breakfast was served - juice, tea, pre-packaged croissant, bun, jam, butter, etc.

b
Pat is a B@stard to Mary in the Baltics Moment #12,113: For a joke, I took a picture of Mary, as she would say "putting something in her mouth again". Mary-ism #28: Her response to me snapping a photo at this intimate moment was "Mmm!! Mmmmm #!*& mmmm %$^& #@$@#@# %^%%!!! MMMM!!!"

b1
As we pulled away from the first train station in Berlin, Mary dared me to flash the crowd. I did, but only on the condition that she would do the same.
Unfortunately, I can't show you what Mary did. It was far too graphic to be displayed without Interpol arresting me for displaying the most obscene and depraved of pornography.

b2
Our arrival at Berlin's Hauptbahnhof! We are finally here!!!

c
The 1.5 hour line-up outside of the Reichstag.

d
There was an interesting photo exhibit inside the Reichstag. This photo depicts a massive protest, though I can't remember exactly what they were protesting about.

e
The centrepiece of the cupola.

e2
That's a giant sunshade on the left of the picture. It moves with the sun to provide adequate shade.

f
Memorial to Politicians who Opposed Hitler - the memory of 96 politicians who were murdered and persecuted because they opposed Hitler is celebrated here.

g
Curry wurst. Curry-licious!

h
Mary, once again "putting something inside her mouth".

i
The Brandenburg Gate - first designed as an arch symbolizing peace, the Nazis corrupted it into a gate of triumph and aggression.

i2
A picture of the Brandenburg, in the not-so-good-old days.

i3
The Room of Silence - dedicated to the peaceful message of the original Brandenburg Gate.

j
This double row of cobblestones goes all the way across the city, marking where the wall once stood.

n2
The new American Embassy, scheduled to be opened in 2008. For security reasons, roads around it have had to be re-routed and the only entrance is via an underground tunnel. All these extra security measures are a requirement of the American government, and therefore paid for by the American people.

o
The outside of the DZ Bank building, designed by Frank Gehry. Those of you familiar with Gehry's work will notice that it's very inconspicuous and nothing like his other ground-breaking and unique works. This is because the buildings on Pariser Platz are supposed to be simple, so as not to detract from the Brandenburg Gate.

p
The inside of the DZ Bank building - now THIS is more like Gehry's work!

q
Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe - it's actually controversial because it honours only the memories of the Jews killed in the holocaust. Many forget about the other groups murdered in the holocaust - the Gypsies, homosexuals, and political prisoners. The German government has promised to build memorials to these other persecuted groups in the future.
Finally, note the pillars that make up the memorial - they are all specially coated with a chemical that allows for easy removal of neo-Nazi graffiti.

r
The second balcony up in the middle of this hotel is famous as the spot where Michael Jackson once dangled his baby.

r1
These crosswalk signs are originally from the East German days. The government planned on changing them all to the West German-style ones, but people protested because these cute little signs were so popular.