On June 26, 1963, President Kennedy gave one of his most famous speeches in Berlin, Germany. At the time, the Soviets attempted to stop the mass exodus of residents from east to west Berlin by constructing the infamous Berlin wall. In an attempt to convey his solidarity with the plight of the Berliners, Kennedy ended his speech with his famous "ich bin ein Berliner" (I am a Berliner!). The speech both roused the crowd and made quite a few people chuckle. By adding the article of "the" (ein), Kennedy was actually referring to himself as the famous jelly doughnut that shared the name "Berliner." So, as a tribute to the only president in our history to refer to himself as a jelly doughnut, I bring you some news and views from my most recent trip to the famed city of Berlin:
Lillian and I departed on Thursday evening, April 14 on an overnight train from Vienna to Berlin. It was our first overnight train and we were both a bit nervous about what to expect. The room we were in had size bunk beds, 3 along each wall. My reservation was for one of the top bunks; Lillian occupied a bunk on the bottom. We left at around 10:30pm and arrived into Berlin at 9am. Sleeping was problematic for me because I couldn't quite extend my legs out of fear that I would kick an alarm that was positioned over the door. That, coupled with students making noise until after 1am made for a long night. Thankfully, the return trip on Sunday evening the 17th was much better (except for the group of 13 year olds who sounded like monkeys at the Berlin zoo).
Our Friday in Berlin was filled with the usual "hiccups" when you visit a new city. We had to figure out the public transportation routes, determine which tickets to buy, and so forth. The more you use public transportation the more you understand the underlying logic that all systems share. But there is still a sense of being lost when you try to figure out how everything is connected. It took us a couple of hours to get the students checked into their hostel and for Lillian and I to check our bags at our hotel. We were only a couple of blocks from the students and were conveniently located a block from the U-bahn stop and a variety of shops.
I decided to pay for all of us to utilize a hop on, hop off city tour bus on our first day so we could get a lay of the land. I think this turned out to be a good choice. We stopped off at Checkpoint Charlie to see where people once had to pass through the Soviet section of Berlin into the Allied controlled section. We found this to be quite touristy, but from my perspective it was worth it just to stand there an imagine what life was like just 50 years ago. We also were able to see parts of the Berlin wall, Potsdamer Platz, Tiergarden Park, the Rathous, and the Reichstag (now Bundestag). That evening Lillian and I enjoyed a great pizza from a local Italian restaurant across the street from our hotel.
On Saturday, the RA (Brian) led us to some other famous sites. We spent some time at the Reichstag just sitting on the lawn enjoying the warm sunshine. We inquired about a tour but were told that you have to make reservations 2 weeks in advance because of security concerns! We then walked to the Holocaust Memorial. It was really an unusual memorial. From a distance it looks like hundreds of gray tombstones, but when you get closer your realize that they are simply gray blocks of concrete that are of different sizes and angles. I believe it was constructed in 1997 and the artist wished to convey the senselessness and disorderliness of the holocaust. Each of the concrete slabs was treated with a chemical that allows workers to easily remove graffiti. In a sad twist of irony, the company that produced the chemical for the memorial was also the producer of the gas used in the gas chambers in concentration camps.
We concluded our Saturday tour at the famous Sony Center. At first I was rather nonplussed. The Sony Center consists of an IMAX theater, some cafes, a photography museum and a few shops. The buildings are connected in a circle such that there is a large plaza in the middle that is covered by a glass dome. But the large screens that play in the Sony Center show that this is indeed a famous place. Berlin is the sister city to Los Angeles because of its connection to filmmaking and movie screenings. Many famous people have come to the theater in the Sony Center for premieres.
Lillian and I then separated from the students and walked over 5 miles back to our hotel. We ended up back at our Italian restaurant (Portofinos) and each of us sampled a different dish than the night before. We concluded the evening by watching a movie in on my iPad (Imagine That with Eddie Murphy).
Sunday was a free day for everyone. Most of us made our way to the Berlin Zoo. It was really a spectacular zoo with many endangered animals. I believe in total there were 17,000 animals in the zoo! Lillian and I took it slow and then made our way to the train station for the return trip. Other students visited the Jewish Museum and a wax museum.
Overall, it was an amazing trip for a number of reasons. First, it gave Lillian and I an opportunity to connect in a much needed way. Ever since we came to Vienna I feel that she has had to fight for attention. She is separated from friends and has two brothers who often have needs that can frustrate her. But on this trip we were able to have great conversations, walk through parks while holding hands, enjoy meals without interruptions, and otherwise relax together. I know Annamae and I would love to have this opportunity as well!
Second, Berlin was worth seeing in an unexpected way. It is very different from other European cities I have seen, largely because many of the stately historic architectural buildings were destroyed in the war. As such, Berlin is constantly being reconstructed and reflects a confluence of new and old, historic and modern.
Third, Berlin is a vibrant cultural center where art and popular culture reflect something that I found to be unique compared to Vienna. And finally, just being in a place where so much happened in the last 50 years (e.g., Hitler's bunker and suicide, the division of Berlin into 4 sectors, etc) gave me goosebumps. I hope to read and study more about this amazing city.
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