Berlin

Today i set out by foot from my neighborhood (Nollendorfplatz in Berlin Schönefeld) to see the City's historical sites. First destination, the Brandenburger Tor. Prior to the erection of the Berlin Wall, this was a central plaza, and cars passed freely through this gateway arch. When i was first here in '88 (a year before the Wall cam down) the Brandenburg Gate was caught on the no-man's on the East German side of Berlin between the two barriers encircling West Berlin, the Wall.

The Wall itself is mostly torn down, all this new found real estate in central Berlin being so valuable. Farther east, a good chunk remains standing. Various artists were commissioned to paint memorials, and so as such, this is both are and an historical monument, but locals and tourists alike keep adding their own graffiti, as in the days before the fall of the Wall, at least on the West side.

Here, the Reichstag building, the seat of German government until the end of World War II. It suffered heavy damage and the dome was destroyed. Final reconstruction wasn't complete until Germany's reunification.

Opposite the Berliner Dom stands the remains of the East German parliament building. A modern structure in DDR times, it was found to be thoroughly contaminated with asbestos.

Der Fernsehturn (TV tower) stood as a powerful symbol of East German power and technology. At the time though, most complained they couldn't buy bananas.

TGIF

It was a straight shot with the train from Stuttgart to Berlin. It was a pretty, and pretty un eventful ride. Much of the way, i watched Harry Potter, dubbed in German, which was interesting, since i've seen it at least 30 times in Dutch.

I also saw more windmills (all modern power generators) than i ever saw in Holland.





From the Berlin Hauptbahnhof, it was just 3 stops with the S-Bahn and 2 stops with the U-Bahn to Nollendorferplatz, the neighborhood where Rob and i stayed back in 2004 when we rode our bikes from Prague to Berlin. Then just 3 blocks to where i'm staying. I'm chilling out just 3 doors down at a nice corner pub. I'm plugged in, hooked up and online. I also have a dunkles Hefeweizen, so all is right with the world.

It's called the "Nah-Bar" ("Near-Bar") and i left a very clever note for my host: "Hallo Ingolf! Ich bin in der Nähe, und zwar in der Nah-Bar." Which i would translate, but it would sound nearly as clever. It's been such beautiful weather here, unseasonably warm. Bad for the crops of wheat. Good for the hoards of tourists. Of which i am. Lucky me.

For a while, it was just me and this other guy, and i don't mind saying, he was kind of attractive. And then he took a cell phone call. Ok, it was a gal. Doh! And now as the bar slowly begins to fill... I haven't seen so many lesbians since... well, since i was back home on Hawthorne. The 'tender has been very nice. First watching my bags when i went to leave the note, and now supplying me with electricity. The internet connection is just some free wireless thing from somewhere near by, which didn't require a password.