Let's jump back to my time in Berlin. I arrived on the 12th of June, but it was getting too late to do anything touristy, so I just went out and walked around the city center. I was really surprised by how beautiful the city was. It was also really clean, which shouldn't have been a surprise. This was Germany after all. The city had a really open, moving, growing feeling, and even though there was widespread construction, it still felt alive and bright.
The next day I went on a free walking tour offered by New Europe, a really great company. The tour guides are paid only in tips, so they are always on their best behavior. It was an awesome tour, I learned a lot, we even went to the unmarked parking lot above the bunker where Hitler and his wife committed suicide. Walking through the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe was really an experience. It is brilliantly constructed to give this frightening feeling of disorientation. The ground dips beneath you and suddenly towering blocks of concrete surround you on all sides. Other people come in and out of your field of vision, seemingly fleeting and insubstantial, on their own invisible paths to nowhere. Just when you begin to think there is no way out, the ground begins to rise again and you can see the street beyond the concrete. The monument has sparked some controversy, because of its size and its elusive meaning, but I think it does a brilliant job. It explores the lack of control, fear, and disorientation without attempting to capture or portray something "realistic," an impossible feat as these events are beyond understanding.
On my last day in Berlin, I walked myself into exhaustion, but the most memorable part of the day was the Berlin Zoo. I really enjoyed wandering around and for the first time in a while I really just relaxed, forgot about deadlines and schedules, and looked at animals! I'm not sure about the quality of those enclosures, but as I said I pretty much just let myself enjoy the fun animals. I saw Gorillas getting fed, giraffes, elephants, lions, tigers, monkeys of all sorts, and had a generally lovely time.
Then I went to the East Side Gallery, the longest surviving section of the Berlin Wall. It has been completely decorated by artists from all over the world, so it is a really fascinating walk. Here are a few of my favorite panels.
I was pretty sad when it was time to leave Berlin. Even though I ran around frantically trying to see everything, there is still so much I didn't get a chance to see! Berlin was honestly one of my favorite places, it was beautiful and clean and thriving. The wall came down a little over 20 years ago, there are still bullet-holes in some of the buildings, and there is construction everywhere, but the city is healing and growing and the culture that is developing there is fantastic. I can't wait to go back!
I'm still reading! Keep those updates coming. :)
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