Auf Wiedersehen, Berlin

Having been out of Berlin for a full day now, I feel as though I can reflect a bit on what we saw in this beautifully complex city.

Our trip started with a stroll down Unter den Linden, a street that, in many ways, demonstrates the complexity I am referring to. Its grand entrance (the Brandenburg Gate) is flanked by huge stone columns and gorgeous statues. As you pass through the gates, you see a bustling tourist center lined with German cafes and yes, of course, the occasional Starbucks. There were bike tours and kids playing and street performers. If you didn't take a moment to read the glass panel hiding unobtrusively in a shady alcove of trees, you might not have had any idea that you had just crossed from what was once West Berlin into what was once East Berlin; that nearly 150 people had been killed where you stand.

This was not the last time Casey and I felt conflicted while exploring Berlin. After all, to even a casual observer such as myself, it is very clear that Berlin is undergoing rapid change and as a city, has the near impossible task of moving forward while remembering and commemorating a sometimes dark social and political past.

Despite this, and perhaps because of it, Berlin has so much to offer. This post would get obscenely long if I were to report back on every activity and adventure we had here, so I will stick to some highlights. One of Casey's personal favorites was the Pergamon Museum, a colossal museum displaying ancient architectural works such as the Ishtar gates and the Pergamon alter. We took pictures of both, but even a photograph would have difficulty capturing the sheer immensity of either of these structures, which showcased the best of art and architecture from such disparate places and times in history.

The Neue Nationalgalerie, which we explored on our third day in the city, was one of the best art galleries either of us as ever been to. For those of you who are ready to book a trip to Berlin, I have sad news for you. The gallery is a temporary one, and not all of the collections on display have been as well-received as this one (which focused on German artwork from 1900-1945). Why did we like it so much? The layout was simple -- not too big, not too small. Each room had a theme, whether it was arranged by artist, political or social change, or just created within the same time period. The (free) audio guide was insightful; I don't need a play-by-play of what I'm looking at, I can see it for myself... And of course, the artwork was phenomenal. Paintings that could be at once hilarious and tragic, and sculptures that made you want to know more background than even an excellent audio guide could tell you. One of my personal favorites was a piece by Kirschner called "Potsdamer Platz" that was painted near the start of the first world war. The only reference to the war within the painting, which was of two well-dressed ladies standing in the foreground of a busy cosmopolitan center, was the darkened sky in the background which predicted dark times ahead.

Another favorite tourist activity that Casey and I have taken to is something I like to call "topping things". Within the first two days, we climbed to the top of the Berliner Dom AND took an elevator to the top of the all-too-touristy TV Tower (the tallest structure in Berlin, constructed during the Cold War as a demonstration of technological superiority). Each experience had something wonderful and different to offer, but our favorite climb was on our final day in Berlin proper when we went to the top of the Reichstag building at night. The Reichstag is a government building, specifically where the Bundestag (German congress) meets for 22 weeks of the year. The neo-classical facade of the building, with its German flags and inscription declaring, "For the German People" is certainly impressive. However, once we got inside, we realized that the interior of the building is actually brand new and showcases some of the most forward-thinking and innovative "green" technology the world has to offer. By this point, the juxtaposition of new and old did not suprise us, rather it seemed natural. The large, all glass dome that caps the enormous building is a free-standing steel structure that allows visitors to catch a breathtaking view of Berlin, while giving them a birds-eye peek at governmental proceedings below. As we walked upwards along a spiral that winds around the inside of the dome, a radio-guided audio tour told us what we were looking at in the city below, as well as giving us a history of the building itself.

Overall we had a fantastic time in Berlin. We had delicious food which, despite Casey's last posting, DID include some German specialties like currywurst (sausage covered in a spicy curry sauce) and apple streudel - mmmm. We took a trip to the zoo, saw many more museums and architectural wonders than I have space to elaborate on here, and we still had plenty of time for one of my favorite things: relaxing after a long day with a tall German beer (whose name I certainly could not pronounce) while people-watching from an outdoor cafe.

On to Vienna!