24th Oct (Sun) - Berlin
PRELUDE:
The overnight coach that I took from Amsterdam to Berlin was stopped by the police on patrol in the middle of the night, like around 2am. At first, I thought the stop was for toilet break, so I totally ignored the lights that went on and continued sleeping (I was on the aisle seat). Then, one of the beefy policeman knocked into my elbow accidentally as he walked passed me to get to the back. Since my elbow was kinda supporting my head, I was jolted awake. They were doing a passport check. So I grugdingly took out my passport and passed it to the officer. He took quite some time to flip through my passport and finally, he found my entry stamp from Paris. And I was allowed to go back to sleep once more.
But sleep evaded me. I was too awake by that point so I looked around and witnessed a few passports being confiscated. The police got back into their car (which was parked right in front of our coach) and didn't re-enter until about 45 mins later. The atmosphere in the coach was strangely tense. The driver too was tense or impatient with the unexpected delay.
When they finally got back on, most of the passports were returned to their respective owners, except for one unlucky guy. I couldn't tell where he originated from but he was asked to go back to the police station with the officers. He didn't put up a fight (darn! I could use some action for entertainment) but he did put up an argument with the police. After about another 10 mins or so, he finally gave in and went with the police. And for the rest of us, we continued on with our ride.
*****************************************************
So. I'd spent the past 3 days in Berlin. As per usual, I joined the free walking tour so that I could get the most info at the shortest time plus some lesser known local facts or tales. But personally, I'm not in love with Berlin.
It's certainly rich in history - from the Nazi history to the Cold War/ Berlin wall. Just these two alone would give anyone an info overload in just a span of 3 days. But, I have had fun learning them. As for the city itself, I didn't get that vibe - the kind that would get you all excited and almost ready to jump at every opportunity. Nope. None of that. Unlike Amsterdam.
However, it's not hard to spot traces of the underground scene within the city, particularly graffiti art. I supposed there really was a hidden energy and vibe behind those tell-tale signs just that I didn't manage to experience it.
Now, just a recap on some of the places that I've been to around Berlin:
1) East-Side Gallery
Overall, I think it's rather overrated. I get it that it was to commemorate the collapse of the Berlin wall and the new found freedom, but some of the works didn't really appeal to me. Somehow, I felt that those few didn't convey the coming of the nation as one or the freedom theme that as strongly. But then again, such things tend to be rather subjective. What's beauty to me may be shit to you. So, there. You could take my comment as a pinch of salt. In any case, if you can't find your way to the wall, you could always get a small book which compiled the artworks in selected souveneir shops in Berlin itself. Or if you still wanna give it a shot, alight at Warschauer Str. and walk towards the direction of Warschauer Str. U-Bahn station. After walking straight down for about 3 mins or so, you would reach a traffic light. You should be able to see the start of the wall/ gallery diagonally on your right.
2) Checkpoint Charlie
Erhhh... apart from the historical significance, much of what we see today appeared to be super touristy. Even my tour guide said that it's rather sad to see that little had been done to commemorate the past. Today, you could see someone posing as an American soldier and you could just go up to him to take a photo at the checkpoint. In addition, you could also pay to get a East Berlin stamp on your passport. This was of course, just a tourist souvenir. Whether you would get into trouble or not at the official customs, it's for you to find out. If you miss the stamp at Checkpoint Charlie, you could also get it from the souvenir shop somewhere along the East side gallery.
Another remaining stretch of the Berlin wall could be found close to the checkpoint as well. The history of the Berlin wall (i.e.: the rise of the Cold War, how the pple felt and fared with the divide, how they tried to escape to the other side of the wall and how some of them succeed or perhaps killed for trying) could be found nearby as well - to be exact, it would be on the sidewalk leading up to checkpoint charlie.
3) Topographie des Terrors (near Checkpoint Charlie)
The info site was constructed on the grounds of the previous central institutions of Nazi persecution and terror (Between 1933 and 1945). It currently holds exhibitions that documented the “Third Reich”. If you're interested in the history just before the Holocaust, do have a visit. The nearest station would be Potsdamer Platz and a short 5 to 8 min walk to the site from the station. Personally, I was very surprised and partially shock that the crimes/ terror was extended to silencing hospital patients as well. It could be the disabled, the mentally-challenged or those with terminal or infectious illnesses. Children were not spared either.
4) Juden Europas (Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe in Berlin)
There's been a lot of speculations on the meaning behind the memorial. The creator had kept it a secret so that pple could see it for themselves and have their own interpretations. For instance, some said that the stelaes form a graphical chart/ pattern that charted the gradual growth of anti-jew sentiments, its peak and then its decrease. Another saying was that the stelaes represented people of different age/ life stages who had all met with the same discrimination and fate. Despite the different perceptions around the idea behind the memorial, one thing was for sure, it looked like a mass grave. There's also a small museum (free entry) just underneath the memorial. It's really worth to take a look as you would get to read and hear accounts of the victims and their lives before, during and after the terror.
5) The site where Adolf Hitler committed suicide.
There's no museum or memorial to tell you that "hey! this is the site." In fact, you wouldn't even know or notice it unless a tour guide or a local pointed it out to you. This was because, the govt. did not want pple to come here and "worship" the guy behind all the terror nor let it be a mtg place for pple with no good intentions. There's only a insignificant-looking signboard that listed info in a factual, no-nonsense manner. The underground bunker had long been destroyed and all entrances to the remains have been completely cut off as well. Today, a car park's built around it and a green grass patch now grows on top - where residents would walk their dogs and let them poo there. It's located near Juden Europas.
6) Sachsenhausen concentration camp (outside of Berlin - alight at Oranienburg station & walk for 15-20mins)
It's a pity in a way coz back in those times when the war has just ended, the locals were so into de-nazification that most of the original buildings, photos and other precious data/ documents/ items were destroyed. But you would still be able to see a few of them in this camp.
And here's the usual random shots segment to end off this post:
The overnight coach that I took from Amsterdam to Berlin was stopped by the police on patrol in the middle of the night, like around 2am. At first, I thought the stop was for toilet break, so I totally ignored the lights that went on and continued sleeping (I was on the aisle seat). Then, one of the beefy policeman knocked into my elbow accidentally as he walked passed me to get to the back. Since my elbow was kinda supporting my head, I was jolted awake. They were doing a passport check. So I grugdingly took out my passport and passed it to the officer. He took quite some time to flip through my passport and finally, he found my entry stamp from Paris. And I was allowed to go back to sleep once more.
But sleep evaded me. I was too awake by that point so I looked around and witnessed a few passports being confiscated. The police got back into their car (which was parked right in front of our coach) and didn't re-enter until about 45 mins later. The atmosphere in the coach was strangely tense. The driver too was tense or impatient with the unexpected delay.
When they finally got back on, most of the passports were returned to their respective owners, except for one unlucky guy. I couldn't tell where he originated from but he was asked to go back to the police station with the officers. He didn't put up a fight (darn! I could use some action for entertainment) but he did put up an argument with the police. After about another 10 mins or so, he finally gave in and went with the police. And for the rest of us, we continued on with our ride.
*****************************************************
So. I'd spent the past 3 days in Berlin. As per usual, I joined the free walking tour so that I could get the most info at the shortest time plus some lesser known local facts or tales. But personally, I'm not in love with Berlin.
It's certainly rich in history - from the Nazi history to the Cold War/ Berlin wall. Just these two alone would give anyone an info overload in just a span of 3 days. But, I have had fun learning them. As for the city itself, I didn't get that vibe - the kind that would get you all excited and almost ready to jump at every opportunity. Nope. None of that. Unlike Amsterdam.
However, it's not hard to spot traces of the underground scene within the city, particularly graffiti art. I supposed there really was a hidden energy and vibe behind those tell-tale signs just that I didn't manage to experience it.
Now, just a recap on some of the places that I've been to around Berlin:
1) East-Side Gallery
Overall, I think it's rather overrated. I get it that it was to commemorate the collapse of the Berlin wall and the new found freedom, but some of the works didn't really appeal to me. Somehow, I felt that those few didn't convey the coming of the nation as one or the freedom theme that as strongly. But then again, such things tend to be rather subjective. What's beauty to me may be shit to you. So, there. You could take my comment as a pinch of salt. In any case, if you can't find your way to the wall, you could always get a small book which compiled the artworks in selected souveneir shops in Berlin itself. Or if you still wanna give it a shot, alight at Warschauer Str. and walk towards the direction of Warschauer Str. U-Bahn station. After walking straight down for about 3 mins or so, you would reach a traffic light. You should be able to see the start of the wall/ gallery diagonally on your right.
2) Checkpoint Charlie
Erhhh... apart from the historical significance, much of what we see today appeared to be super touristy. Even my tour guide said that it's rather sad to see that little had been done to commemorate the past. Today, you could see someone posing as an American soldier and you could just go up to him to take a photo at the checkpoint. In addition, you could also pay to get a East Berlin stamp on your passport. This was of course, just a tourist souvenir. Whether you would get into trouble or not at the official customs, it's for you to find out. If you miss the stamp at Checkpoint Charlie, you could also get it from the souvenir shop somewhere along the East side gallery.
Another remaining stretch of the Berlin wall could be found close to the checkpoint as well. The history of the Berlin wall (i.e.: the rise of the Cold War, how the pple felt and fared with the divide, how they tried to escape to the other side of the wall and how some of them succeed or perhaps killed for trying) could be found nearby as well - to be exact, it would be on the sidewalk leading up to checkpoint charlie.
3) Topographie des Terrors (near Checkpoint Charlie)
The info site was constructed on the grounds of the previous central institutions of Nazi persecution and terror (Between 1933 and 1945). It currently holds exhibitions that documented the “Third Reich”. If you're interested in the history just before the Holocaust, do have a visit. The nearest station would be Potsdamer Platz and a short 5 to 8 min walk to the site from the station. Personally, I was very surprised and partially shock that the crimes/ terror was extended to silencing hospital patients as well. It could be the disabled, the mentally-challenged or those with terminal or infectious illnesses. Children were not spared either.
4) Juden Europas (Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe in Berlin)
There's been a lot of speculations on the meaning behind the memorial. The creator had kept it a secret so that pple could see it for themselves and have their own interpretations. For instance, some said that the stelaes form a graphical chart/ pattern that charted the gradual growth of anti-jew sentiments, its peak and then its decrease. Another saying was that the stelaes represented people of different age/ life stages who had all met with the same discrimination and fate. Despite the different perceptions around the idea behind the memorial, one thing was for sure, it looked like a mass grave. There's also a small museum (free entry) just underneath the memorial. It's really worth to take a look as you would get to read and hear accounts of the victims and their lives before, during and after the terror.
5) The site where Adolf Hitler committed suicide.
There's no museum or memorial to tell you that "hey! this is the site." In fact, you wouldn't even know or notice it unless a tour guide or a local pointed it out to you. This was because, the govt. did not want pple to come here and "worship" the guy behind all the terror nor let it be a mtg place for pple with no good intentions. There's only a insignificant-looking signboard that listed info in a factual, no-nonsense manner. The underground bunker had long been destroyed and all entrances to the remains have been completely cut off as well. Today, a car park's built around it and a green grass patch now grows on top - where residents would walk their dogs and let them poo there. It's located near Juden Europas.
6) Sachsenhausen concentration camp (outside of Berlin - alight at Oranienburg station & walk for 15-20mins)
It's a pity in a way coz back in those times when the war has just ended, the locals were so into de-nazification that most of the original buildings, photos and other precious data/ documents/ items were destroyed. But you would still be able to see a few of them in this camp.
And here's the usual random shots segment to end off this post:
Labels: Berlin - 2010
posted by ikan bilis at 5:52 AM
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