Berlin
Ed November 6th, 2008
I have spent much of my last day here in Berlin wandering the roads and avenues, taking photographic documentation of the endless array of memorials and tourist destinations. The city has a subtle ability to remind you that it’s history is darkened with suffering and war. Yet this mingles with a warming sense of humble possibility. Despite knowing much of Berlin’s history already, I was unprepared for the emotional effect it would have on me. It is hard to ignore the ghosts that haunt this place, not that you would ever want to. My time here has left me in a sombre mood, yet I have immense appreciation for the city and it’s people.
The tour. With fond memories of the previous free walking tour we had participated in in Florence, we made our way to Paris square, home of the epic Brandenburg gate. Here we joined up with another free tour. Operated by a European “free” walking tour outfit (free in the sense that you don’t have to pay however tips are obliged), the information and experience we received from the very enthusiastic guide, were invaluable. You can go and visit the Holocaust memorial (pics can be viewed in the pics page), or see Checkpoint Charlie but the guide really made the events and history come to life for us. It altered our entire perception of the city and can’t be recommended enough.
The town. We were fortunate enough to have some friends, Tom and Jess, join us from England. We spent a good deal of time over the next few days patrolling the less “upmarket” areas of Berlin. Due to the harsh economic environment, Berliners have lived in for the past century, the city still has pockets of grungy, dark warrens that are just fantastic. Tom was exceptional at ferreting them out. He was more aware than us that these dilapidated and battle scarred burrows were home to a vibrant culture of art and design. Berlin has a very strong creative undertone and this combined with a low income culture produced some amazing displays often created from scrap rubbish. We also encountered a variety of amazing second hand stores.
The nightlife. We were told by our tour guide that Berlin has a vibrant nightlife. Unfortunately we were there on a Monday and Tuesday. This however was not going to prevent us from enjoying some of the unique venues (and booze), that can be found around the city. Place we visited:
- A bar that looked like a cross between a war movie set and an H.R. Geiger artwork. Probably there since the war, it had a brutalised interior with twisted metal sculpture. Very industrial and very awesome.
- A lounge bar that had the feel of an underground bunker (and possibly once was). Operated by a Haitian (maybe Jamaican), chap. Bob Marley and classic blues were the music of choice.
- A bubbling cocktail bar where we spent over 10 Euros each on a cocktail, which probably isn’t that bad. It still felt like robbery though as we were probably just paying for the slice of pineapple in the glass. I thought we were ordering booze, not fruit.
- A late night American style eatery, full of drunkards (I include myself in that). At around 6 Euros a meal we were expecting Mc. D’s level food yet received huge orders. It looks like the Berliners love their massive meals as much as the rest of Germany.
Impressions. By the end of my time in Berlin I was in a very somber mood. I dedicated half a day to backtracking some of the stops on our tour to photograph them properly. The city felt like it was acutely aware that it had been in some way responsible for a great deal of suffering (though the Nazi’s and Russians are far more culpable). For a large European city, the people felt particularly humble. Warmer and more open the most. Less caught up in the significance of their materialism. It is this combination of humble warmth that made me fall in love with Berlin. Of all the cities I have visited so far, Berlin is the one I would most like to live in. In fact if I can learn a little German I may just attempt that.
If you intend on visiting Europe I highly recommend making Berlin one of your destinations. Learn what you can about the its history during World War 1, 2 and the rise and fall of the Berlin wall. It was truly rewarding.
- Places we have been to
- Comments(3)
I love this country, the people are so friendly
Absolutely. Stylish also. Did you know the SS uniforms in WW2 were designed by Hugo Boss?
Any country with a designer attired army gets a deffintate coolness vote (even if it was 70 years ago).
I thought of Kyle, Shay and you as I walked down some of the back streets of Berlin. I thought what a vibrant city. The street art made me think of Kyle. The boutique stores made me think of Shay. The air was a buzz with creativity. The city as far as cities go, is fairly new – most of it being rebuilt after the war of course; allows for a more modern, edgy atmosphere. It was cool and totally badass. There was a certain feel to Berlin that made me think of you. Perhaps there was a certain precision in terms of how the city ran. It might have been the efficiency of the street signs, the unique organized nature of the people. The connection being that I feel as though your work reflects these particular adjectives also (efficient and organized – especially so, now that I have read some of your writing).This particular sense of precision was not without flare. There was a definite modern feel to the place – Artsy but refined. Stylistically, I feel as though I can absolutely distinguish between the work that Kyle and you create. Your two styles being very different. Berlin was a place that could cater to all. Berlin to me, was beautiful; and definitely a place where designer types like you guys would flourish.