Ahhh, Berlin. Nice town. Here we are at the Wall, a saturday only asian food street market, hanging out with Mirjam, watching a Tango dance, at one of the large Holocaust Memorials (the peg block thingies), tying out a seasonal alcoholic drink (rather delicious). We did a lot of walking and public transportation riding those 3 days.
What do we find we when come up from the U-Bahn station at Check Point Charlie? Why Vulvas of course! One note said: „Viva la Vulva! The Vulva is dead. Long live the Vulva!“. Had to, just had to, have a picture of that…
A different part of the wall. It is near Check Point Charlie and left plain. Rather moving to read about it and see it in person.
Of course the Tor of Brandenburg. Supposedly the most touristy thing to see but also the heart of Berlin. Many Berliners told us to go see it. There was a demonstration there for equal rights and pay or somesuch, when we arrived. Hundreds of moms and dads and babies and small children. Very impressive. The next day was the Neo Nazi demonstration and the people who came out to protest against the protesters. That one we were nearby and it was quite a hulallaboo. You can read about it on the internet. We did witness the just before or just after event (mentioned on the news) at one of the S-bahn stations between these people and the police. Very aggressive energy and a bit frightening. Riding in the train with them was a tense moment. Berlin police show of force – wow! Also a bit frightening but very very organized and respectful. I was impressed!
The Reichstag – Deutscher Bundestag. Having a card that says disabled is very useful in Europe. (I use my Metro-North card.) Many places offer a reduced admission. Or faster access. Such was the case for getting in to the Reichstagsgebäude. The „Kuppel“ (dome). It sits on top of the main seat of government building for Germany and getting in can take hours! (Security screening – metal detectors, pat down and background check.) Spectacular piece of architecture and fun to see the whole city, as well as the fun-house effect inside.
One experiences (or at least I did) being put into a different perspective when experiencing the The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe (Holocaust Memorial). One’s reference to the outside streets drops away and you are left with only these straight lines of sight that waver up and down, both on the ground and in height. Unique.
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