Berlin
Ah, looking back, this place was amazing. This can be said about most of Europe, but the scale is just absurd. From buildings to sculptures, and of course, the food. Its no wonder that Germans towers over every other race on this planet. The only country that can equalize the German scale physically is the US, but unfortunately there is a difference between the two. Yes, if the Germans are vertically enormous, the Americans are equally so, except horizontally. What’s the national obesity rate now? Over half wasn’t it? Why does that happen.. Say, if Germans and Americans consume similar portions of food everyday, and considering Germans are the heaviest beer drinkers only following Checs and the Irish, why are Germans more physically fit? Of course there isn’t a single solution, but here’s an obvious one: transportation.
Well known as an oil-hungry nation, it’s not surprising then that the main method of transportation in the US is the car. It doesn’t matter in the US if you’re 300 lbs or 75, as long as you can put your foot on the right pedal and drive normally. All it takes is stepping out of your garage, getting into your car, drive to your destination, and there you go, mission accomplished. The most calories burnt during this process might be the constant reach for fries in the In-n-Out bag. So basically I’m just criticizing the American custom of being excessively reliant on car transportation. If Americans are going to eat as much as they do, they have to do so the German way. It’s simple: eat, move, eat, move.
Germans, like other European and Asian countries, bike everywhere. Except unlike the Chinese and the Japanese “bikers” with massive boxes in front, their bikes are cool looking, and fast. While Japanese bikers must use those annoying bells to move people out of the way, Germans decided to design bike lanes throughout the entire city. Coming from Japan where I can walk faster than half of them bikers on the street, every biker in Germany looked like a professional, if not retired cyclist. Looked legit.
The reason why I brought up the bicycle lane is because it demonstrates one of the characteristics of Germany that I learned to respect. Germans know how to deal with their issues. Stuck on a problem? Ask the Germans. Same goes for Japan except Japanese are book smart and knows how to play with technology, whereas Germans are capable of thinking outside the box and quick in identifying solutions. I’m not quite sure how to word it. Japanese are better at detailed exams like SAT2 subject tests, whereas Germans might be better at SAT1 which contains broader knowledge and short answers. For example, did anyone know that Germany has parking spaces for dogs outside of pharmacies (the only store that doesn’t allow dogs inside)? That's not technology, nor is it in textbooks. It’s just the German way.
Simple is the best
It’s a famous saying, though I’m not quite sure where it comes from. I hear it often in Japan, though Japan’s inventions these days are anything but simple. Purikura boxes bigger than my room, or real life “significant other” (sex) dolls. Are they really necessary to mankind...really. So again, what I like about Germany is that they know how to keep stuff simple, and good. I like simple. Audi is simple. I like Audi. So yeh, I just wanted to announce being a fan of Audi. In the states I was able to keep it rather to myself since it’s not the most popular car on the street (which is what I liked about it), but in Germany, the home of Audi Motors, its hard enough to walk a block without seeing one. The more I see it the more I like it. Sometimes I can’t help but to take a photo on it with my iphone, pretending to be talking to someone on the line. I just want to store it in my album, separate from the travel one. It’s the Japanese side of me that comes out strong for once.
Back in High School
I should of listened to the teacher more. Whatever he or she (I don’t even remember my history teacher) said in my World History class would of really come in handy while walking around Berlin. But then Berlin has so much history remaining in the city, learning it about it all would take more than a school year in high school..for me at least. The entire city is an open-air museum. Key historical events one after another..from milestone to milestone. Taking a tour would have been nice, if only I knew about the free tour offered (which I later find out about). I did attempt to see everything on foot with no guidance like always, but with scale as big as Berlin’s, both in geographical and contextual term, I probably saw only half of what this city has to offer..
But I was fascinated by what I saw. No doubt. I probably didn’t get to see everything, but I also had unexpected discoveries.
The Berlin Wall. When I first saw this I couldn’t move my feet and arms. Just froze. No joke, that’s how much power lies with this wall today. Again, I wasn’t on a tour so I was walking along random streets and allies, when I realized that I was walking along the Berlin Wall. Majority of the wall is gone today, so the remaining parts are scattered throughout the city and it’s quite difficult to spot it out since there’s no sign saying “Hello, this is the Berlin Wall”. Some parts better preserved are turned into open-air museums.
Took me about 2 hours to read through all the panels. Some I read it twice because I couldn’t help doubting what I saw. The museum shown in this photo is particularly significant because along this wall, on the other side of the panels, once stood key buildings of Eastern Berlin; including Gestapo’s office, SS headquarter, the execution building, and the hospital for the ill (which for the most part functioned as an execution place). On panels were photos and descriptions of what happened during the holocaust, from the establishment of the Nazi Party (ex Social Democrat Party), to the fall of Berlin Wall. It was all here. No twist, no bias, no bending of perception. Photos don’t tell complete stories, but it was enough to goose bumps after goose bumps down my spine.
Checkpoint Charlie
This is where politicians and military men crossed over to the other side of Berlin. Berlin at the time was divided into regions amongst the allies and the communist east. France, Britain, and the US controlled the West, and the Soviet influenced East Germany occupied the East. Checkpoint Charlie is the main location for government personnel and other figures with authority who had the right to cross over to the territory occupied by another nation, mainly for meeting and negotiation purposes. There was a time when ordinary people were able to cross over to work or for vocational purpose, but risk was inherent, and East Berlin slowly started to confiscate that right. Eventually as the glassy relationship between the Allies and Soviets started to crack, the tension at this checkpoint also flared up. At it’s worse time a boy from Eastern Berlin attempted to flee to the West and was shot by an Eastern border officer. Because of this and the fact that the Allies failed to react to the shooting swiftly, there was an uprise in Western Berlin. Today there’s a memorial by the checkpoint for all those people who lost their life at this place. Along with souveniers of course…
Where the checkpoint to enter the US territory used to be.
The Jewish Memorial
I also went to the Jewish Museum and the New Synagogue. I find the history of the Jewish people very interesting..and disturbing. It’s disturbing because the issue still goes on today in the Israel-Palestine conflict. People sympathize the Jewish population after what happened in WW2. What happened in WW2? 6 million Jews were wiped off the face of earth. That’s 2/3 of the entire Jewish population in Europe. They were also deprived of their territorial right and forced to become diaspora. Well, that’s an issue not yet solved, is it. Yet we tend to forget that it’s a related issue, and think that “those Jews are always getting themselves in trouble”. No. With economical and political competence that they’ve built up from scratch after the holocaust, they’re finally able to fight for what’s been lost a long time ago. So I think the Jewish Museum and the Synagogue, both funded and ran by the Jewish community, are few of the most respectful place to be. It’s one of those places where if bunch of tourists my age were running about and throwing up fobby peace signs like no other, I’d be more disappointed than irritated because people of my generation can’t even TRY to appreciated what’s left of…what’s no longer available.
The Jewish Museum
The inside of the Jewish Museum. Its design is simple and contains no color besides black and white. It’s so that viewers see nothing but the truth.
The entrance to the Holocaust tower. It’s a entrance to a triangular room with a tall ceiling. Many Holocaust victims comes here..for different reasons. Imagine how many Jewish survivors today had to leave their family during the Holocaust. The room is for those who feel guilty, even though they shouldn’t, for various reason to come and cope with such mental burden and trauma. Inside is nothing but concrete way and a small hole at the very top to allow sunlight to enter.
The Synagogue
oh man I can't do Berlin in one post. Coffee break.
WOW you saw the Berlin Wall! I know that there's a slab from it sitting on LMU's campus right here in LA! When I first saw it I was amazed not only that we even acquired such a piece of history, but also that it was so typical... its covered in graffiti, like as if someone just cut a piece of wall out from downtown LA. I can only imagine how you must have felt being there where it came from!
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