Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
Zane
The past few days I've had the pleasure of spending time with Mick and Katy in Berlin. Fortunately they know where all the trendy cafe's are and helped me with a detailed map and tips so that I could navigate around the city which was a good thing as they weren't interested in the tourist type sight seeing... not surprising when you consider they've lived here on and off since the early 1980's. Still it was fascinating to hear their perspective on some of the more recent historic events including the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and the continual transition surrounding the unification of East and West Berlin.
I remember Mick giving me a piece of the wall back when I was a kid. Okay, so it just looked like any old chunk of concrete, but it was symbolic of a period in history that seems almost unimaginable in retrospect - effectively dividing a city into two separately governed states! Today I visited Check Point Charlie which stands as a small reminder in a part of the bustling city centre, however during the cold war it served as a heavily guarded crossroad between East and West. The Check Point Charlie Museum stank heavily of American capitalist propaganda with the ultimate prize being the failure of communism in the East. Still, it was fascinating to learn how far each government would go to prove they had the better system and even more amazing to discover the ways in which Berliners attempted (and often succeeded) in crossing the border for over 20 years!
Even though the majority of the wall which once zig-zagged across the city has now been demolished, there still remains a few sections. One part has been transformed into an enormous canvas for artists. Unfortunately most of the artwork has deteriorated over time but some of the more prominent pieces had been restored in 2000. My favourite was a painting made to look as if a car was crashing through the wall towards you. Disappointingly, only two days ago some losers had decided to write their names and the date right across the centre even though there were plenty of signs asking for the work to be respected. I'm guessing they were tourists.
Another reminder of the former division is the difference between the traffic light crossing signals. In the former communist east the traffic men are fat and have little hats where as the crossing men in the former democratic east are skinny and much more like those you see in Australia. Gradually I've been told that the old fat crossing men are being phased out as they break down but it's still a good way to tell when you've ventured from one side of town to the other.
In the evening I took some fantastic "post card" photos of Brandenburg Gate and The Reichstag. After passing the famous parliament building's intricate security measures I was able to take a lift to see the modern dome lit up on the roof and a fantastic view. Not as fantastic as the view I hope to see from the Fernsehturm (TV Tower) tonight, which shadows over the city and much like many others hosts a revolving restaurant and look out.
Tomorrow I head back to London, but my journey doesn't end there. This weekend I'm off to Dublin with Dave and Belinda. Expect more ramblings soon...
Zane
- comments