Day 5 - Earl Grey in Berlin
Trip Start
Aug 31, 2008
1
6
14
Trip End
Sep 13, 2008
Berlin,
Germany
Friday, September 5, 2008
This will be a short entry as I am fairly shattered and only got back to the van late. I managed to get into the centre of Berlin easily enough, and walked up from Potsdamer Platz to the Brandenburger Tor. Remember I hadn't been here since 1991, and the difference was staggering. So many new buildings, big and brash and actually nice looking. No traces of the old wall (at least not here) and many swish roadside cafes.
The gate itself hadn't changed of course, and in the brilliant sunshine it was crying out to be photographed, which I did. So did everyone else. I really liked the holiday atmosphere in the Pariser Platz in front of the gate, people just strolling around enjoying the weather, fountains going, good quality signs everywhere, and several barrel organ players lending a definitely continental feel to the whole thing. It all felt so relaxed.
Just down from the gate was the Jewish Memorial, a thousand or so stark grey slabs, all in lines and in a rough square. I guess that the tall ones represented the adult victims, the small ones the children - and perhaps the slabs at an angle or irregularly shaped were the handicapped? Whatever the reasoning behind it, it was a simple and effective memorial. Mind you, I bet in the dull wet weather, these grey slabs look really ominous and almost threatening, as they are so featureless.
I called into several souvenir shops, and I was tempted to get lots of tacky tourist stuff. Actually I think I'll succumb to temptation and do this tomorrow. I wasn't surprised to see "genuine" bits of the Berlin wall still for sale. What makes me suspicious is that every piece had coloured paint on it. How come there were no plain bits? Only the Western side was painted on, and not all of it. The interior and the eastern bits would have been plain grey. I refrained from buying any, as I have a real piece at home. I picked it up out of the wall foundations in 1991 next to the Brandenburger Tor. I can personally guarantee its authenticity (and yes, it is plain grey).
The only museum I had time to go in today was the German History museum, on Unter den Linden. Never been here before, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The ground floor concentrated on 1920 to the present day. You've never seen so many posters and photos of the era, with good explanations as to what started the rampant financial crisis in 1923 - turns out it was the French and Belgians who occupied the industrial Ruhr region, causing the workers to protest, strike, then refuse to work just to repay war costs to the French. How come I have never heard of this in English language history books?
Then there were all the early developments of the national socialists, always a fascinating subject. Just how a cultured country like Germany could be so taken in and mesmerised by this cult beats me. England certainly saw through Oswald Mosley's fascist party early on, and nothing came of that.
In the impressive café I needed a break, so I ordered a huge strawberry torte and a glass (yes, a glass) of Earl Grey tea. The waitress gave a look of panic when I asked her how good her English was. Then I said no problem, and continued in German. She was obviously so pleased, she kept asking me if everything was all right, and did I want anything else. She was young enough to have been my daughter!
Second half and I went around the first floor. This covered everything pre-1920, starting with pre-Roman. What surprised me was there was so little prehistoric stuff on show. A small island like the UK has a mass of such things in its museums, so I just assume I haven't been to the right German museum yet. There was so much to see that I really couldn't do it justice. My recommendation, if anyone wants to go to this museum, is to spend the day there - it's fabulous.
German transport lived up to its reputation for being on time and clean. I had absolutely no problems getting back to the campsite, and I'm looking forward to another museum visit tomorrow. The great thing about Berlin is that there are so many museums to choose from, and they are mostly fairly close together.
Hope my feet recover by tomorrow morning!
