We arrived in Berlin on May 16. Our first stop was the Berlin Zoo. I think this may be the first time that I have seen an actual panda. I have to say that I was not really impressed with the zoo. I wouldn't go so far as to say they were neglected, but the animals were mostly in cages and not in habitats. It was kind of depressing to see a massive lion sleeping on a subway tiled shelf.
Near the zoo is a church that was bombed during the war. It was interesting to see that the Berliners had rebuilt the church around the ruins as a reminder of the war, rather than erasing history. I found this to be a common theme in Berlin: to erase, memorialize, or build anew?
Some groups have chosen to memorialize their cause. This is the Jewish Memorial. It is a field of concrete boxes all the same dimension except for their height. The ground plane is varied and creates hills and valleys and adds to the vertical differences among the boxes. You begin a walk through the memorial almost tripping on the low boxes and in the middle, the boxes tower over you. The architect says that there is no significance to the size, number or height of the boxes. You are left to find your own meaning. Also, the architect made several universally designed paths through the boxes so that people of all abilities can experience the memorial. Universal access was definitely more prevalent in Germany than in Italy.
We did a free walking tour from New Europe, which really means that it is tip based. They give tours in most major European cities and I would recommend them to anyone, not just cheap college students. The guides have a different perspective on a city than just historical dates and monuments and they are working to get a bigger tip, so they make it entertaining. Our guide took us to a parking lot just adjacent to the Jewish Memorial and asked us if we knew where we were. It turns out that the parking lot is above the location of Hitler's bunker where he was reportedly found dead when the Soviets arrived. This site is an example of erasing history. However, out of respect for the millions that died, I don't think that this is a site that should be memorialized but at the same time, I don't think it should be totally erased.
Our next stop on the tour was Checkpoint Charlie and the Berlin Wall. If you are in Berlin, don't waste your time finding Checkpoint Charlie...it was a total tourist trap. I found it ironic that the Berlin Wall, that for so long so many people wanted it torn down, had to have protective fencing placed around it to keep some parts of it still standing. 
This photo is inside the Memorial for Victims of War and Tyranny. It is kind of controversial in Berlin because it is for anyone who died, not necessarily only for the "good" guys or the heroes. Still, I found it to be really moving as the statue is a mother holding her son 
Our next jaunt was to the Jewish Museum with an addition designed by Daniel Libeskind. It is a really unique building that is kind of lightning bold shaped in plan. Libeskind is also the architect selected for the September 11 memorial in NYC.
On our last night in Berlin we made a visit to the Brandenburg Gate. It is located on Parisier Platz, named that way after Napoleon came and conquered. This is the location of the French and American Embassies. The American Embassy was designed by Frank Gehry. Also on this square is the famous Adlon Hotel. Never heard of it? Me neither until our guide told us it was the hotel where Michael Jackson hung his baby over the balcony.
Our last day in Berlin we went to the Reichstag, or where the German parliament meets. It was originally built in the 1890's and was refurbished by Sir Norman Foster in 1999. He added a open air glass dome over the top of the meeting chambers. It allows for natural air ventilation and provides for a transparent government. It is free and open to the public...which means that everyone goes there. We waited in a long line in freezing winds with every school group in town!
The last thing we did before boarding our night train to Paris was to go deep into East Berlin to the Eastside Gallery. It is a portion of the Berlin Wall that was left standing that has been given over to artists that paint their freedom of expression across the wall. Some of them are redone by new artists to commemorate what had previously existed. Overall, Berlin wasn't my favorite city. Because of the way it was rebuilt after the war and due to the division between East and West, there is no central part of town to go to hang out and people watch. I am getting a little travel weary and am glad that I will be in Paris for an extended amount of time.
No comments:
Post a Comment