Berlin!

So, finally, after years of waiting around, I've started travelling. You could argue that I started that last year with Prague, Regensburg, Banska Bystrica and the Tatras, but it feels real this time. Mainly because it's comfortable and money isn't a struggle. The only disappointment is the lack of banter in the hostels. The last couple of times I've stayed in hostels, there've always been people up for doing things at night, but not here. I don't know if it's because it's been so cold or because of the type of people around. I have a feeling it's a bit of both. Ah well... It doesn't matter anyway cos I'll be with Sandra in Cologne and I'll finally have some banter. :)

Ok, so, I wanted to tell you about Berlin. It was amazing! First of all, it's HUGE!! And it feels it. Though Munich's pretty big, it doesn't feel like it at all. In Berlin, EVERYTHING is big and the train stations are so complicated! Just ordinary stops are difficult to get around and you should see the main station! It's on like FOUR or FIVE FLOORS!! I've never seen anything like it! It's a super MEGA city! I mean I've been to Budapest and Vienna, which are pretty big and even Hamburg is BIG, but the main stations are NOTHING like in Berlin. It was like a whole other world in itself.

Other than being big though, it was actually very beautiful. I had no real idea what to expect, but it wasn't what I expected at all. My student, Alex, said that Berlin was dirty and unsafe and not all that nice, but I think he was being typically Bavarian - they don't like the north much. :) I obviously didn't get to see all of it and what I did see on the walking tour concentrated mainly on the historical sights. That was enough I suppose. I did want to see more, but it was too cold and it got dark really quickly, so there were a couple of things I wanted to do that I didn't get an opportunity to do. Anyway, yeah, compared to Munich, it was a little dirty and not as pretty, but it was pretty safe. Other than a strange man on the underground who was chatting me up and a drunk, homeless man saying that since it was a beautiful day, I shouldn't be a Christian because he didn't want me to die - yeah, I had trouble understanding that too - I had no problems.

Unlike Munich though, where buildings aren't that high because of the law saying that no building can be higher than a church spire - there are a couple of exceptions - there are plenty of tall, TALL buildings and most of them are only 18 years old - especially in the east. I think the Germans have done a fantastic job of rebuilding the bombed buildings over the last few decades and almost all of it looks pretty much like it did in the past. Of course new shops and places like McDonalds and KFC kinda bring you back to the present, but you can almost imagine what it was like. The most amazing thing was being at the sights as the guide repeated German, particularly Berlin's, history.

The most surprising thing though was the Berlin wall. I guess I was expecting something similar to the wall separating Israel and Palestine. That one is HUGE and very, very oppressive. But the Berlin wall is actually not that high at all and not very oppressive. I think it was more the death strip with guard towers and orders to shoot on sight on the east side that was the oppressive and scary part.

I was really moved when I was in Berlin by Germany's history. What I think is really tragic is the big scar that the Nazis have left on Germany and I don't think it's one that will ever heal. The Germans obviously don't want it to heal because they want to be reminded never to let something like that happen again. But I think they also want this to be a reminder for the whole world. Still though, because of this scar that will forever be present, no one German can ever really say that they are proud to be German, which I think is really sad. If Berlin is anything to go by, Germany has a lot to be proud of. In 18 years, it has re-developed and become one of the most happening, dynamic cities in Europe and it doesn't even look like 90% of it was destroyed in WWII! That's impressive. Also, there is this great feeling of optimism where there's been such oppression in the past. I wish more people could see it and realise that there is more to Germany and the Germans than just their Nazi past.

Other than the walking tour, I also went to the film museum, which was really interesting. Of course, a large part of it was dedicated to Marlene Dietrich, which is understandable. I was surprised there was no mention of Nosferatu though. I thought that was German... But anyway, it was interesting to see how the Nazis also affected film and how terrible it was for actors and actresses who were Jewish or married to Jews. It was so sad to hear how they suffered and how almost all of them who weren't fortunate enough to make it to Hollywood died in all those concentration camps. It's hard to imagine that in this day and age when the rich and famous seem to be exempt from everything. I also tried to go to the Pergamon museum, which is pretty famous, but the que was so long and it was getting very cold by that point that I didn't wait. It'll have to wait to another time I guess. :)

Needless to say, it's made me fall in love with Germany that bit more. :) I've never been happier about my decision at 11 to learn German instead of French. Now I know plenty of French speakers feel that way about France - I won't hold that against them. ;-) As much as I'd love to go to Japan, right now, the thought of leaving Germany is completely incomprehensible. I'm glad I signed a 2-year contract. :D Now get off your backside and come see for yourself!!