After an overnight train ride and little sleep I made it to Berlin.
I checked into the hostel around 5:45 am and got some sleep before taking a guided tour of the city.
I usually pass on guided tours, but I knew very little about Berlin geographically and a lot of historic places aren't marked (what a shocker)
Our tour started in Paris Platz. This is the location of Brandenburg Gate as well as the American and French embassies and the hotel that Michael Jackson showed Prince to the crowd.
The gate (archway) is riddled with history. First it was built to commemorate a German victory. It was later stolen by the French (I believe) then brought back here after another German victory. It used to be the gates into the old city from the King's grounds.
The famous footage of German troops marching past Hitler under an arch with Nazi banners on it occurred here.
The Berlin wall was built just on the other side of the gate.
The backside was west Berlin (England, France, US). This was the site where Reagan gave his famous "tear down this wall speech", it also is the spot where David Hasslehof celebrated along with thousands of other Berliners.
The next stop was the reittstag. This building has always been the seat of the German government. But more than that, it plays a pivotal role in Hitler's rise to power. The building was set fire to in Feb. 1933, Hitler, who had just been sworn as Chancellor asked to have 30 days to conduct an investigation against the soviets who were linked to the cause. From there, he had fee reign to imprison anyone. A good portion of the Reittstag's seats were occupied by the communist and there was an upcoming election. Hitler decided to begin a smear campaign against the party giving a smaller party known as the National Socialist party more seats and boosting Hitler to power. Stay tuned for the rest of the story.
Our next stop was the memorial to the murdered Jews of Europe. Please note the title. This is the official name. Not Holocaust memorial, but the memorial to the murdered Jews of Europe. It opened in 2005. The monument is made up of concrete blocks all the same size, with varying heights that create a wave pattern when viewed airily. The monument creates a maze like feel when inside and is impossible to see when someone is coming or where they went. This is one of the biggest theories surrounding the design, to create the feeling of those who felt lost during the war. During it's construction there was lots of controversy, not only because it only recognized Jews but also because the company that dug the footings as well as the chemical coating for the slabs also produced gas for the gas chambers at concentration camps.
A block away from here was our next stop, a parking lot. However, this was no parking lot. Underneath this lot was the location of Hitlers bunker. This is the bunker where he spent the last years of his life away from the outside world, went crazy, got married, then killed himself. The body was then burned, partially then captured by soviets who took it and buried it. They didn't tell anyone they had the body, instead told the Allied forces that Hitler had escaped to South America. The bunker was partly demolished after the war, again in the 1950's and another attempt in the 1990's. A small portion still exists but it's entrance is unknown to the public. A small marker wasn't placed at the site until 2006.
Our next stop was Checkpoint Charlie. This was the final checkpoint to get into West Berlin and in the US territory. A museum and rebuilt photo op checkpoint now mark the location.
After a short stop for lunch we went to tachless. Tachless is a building in which squatters live and produce art. It is covered in graffiti and features some of the coolest urban art I have ever seen. Everything from homed jewelry to paintings to decoupage that would sell for hundreds at urban outfitters. This place is cool. However, it also is in a part of town that has caught the eye of investors. Sounds familiar to a musical set in mid 90s NYC... minus the AIDS storyline.
Then it was off to the west gallery, this was commissioned after the fall of the Berlin wall and is the longest gallery in the world. This wall is a section of the wall that artists from all over the world were commissioned to paint murals on. The some of the murals are obvious in meaning, while others are more obscure.
Finally was Mustafa's Kebap. Rumor has it that kebaps started in Berlin. A kebap is meat, chicken roasted on a rotisserie, shaved and served in a flat bread along with garlic sauce, veg, tomato, and a few fries. Think Gyro sans pita. It was bangin' which was expected judging by the 30 minute wait at 4:30 in the afternoon, in the rain.
Speaking of rain, did I forget to mention that all of this was in the rain? Downpours to showers all day long. Yet, i find the weather most fitting for Berlin. The city is known for it's dark, wet past, and well it's what makes it beautiful.
Sometimes cold rain can provide the perfect setting, even when site-seeing.
-Until
Matt
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