Berlin is Bananas!

HELLO!! It has been quite some time since I've written, and I do apologize. I was enjoying a trip to Berlin, Germany, to visit the one and only Anna White!

a Berlin version of Oktoberfest

What a trip! Here are my first impressions of the city: It was cold and rainy/overcast most days, and many of the buildings are Soviet-style with the big concrete-looking blocks, so I wouldn't call it a pretty city. They're still reconstructing former death strips (areas between walls where people trying to get from East to West Berlin during the Cold War were shot), and so cranes are everywhere. Apparently, it's a haven for the weird (and I heard that from different people--guides, Anna, an American who's lived there for 14 years, etc.). That's not a negative! People who typically feel out of place in life are said to feel quite at home in Berlin. Intriguingly enough, I did not. Although I often looked homeless (because let's be real, I didn't pack for day or night life in Berlin), I was assured I wasn't being judged, which I believe is the draw for many people. I didn't find people overly-friendly, but then again, I wasn't overly-friendly (language barrier and all). People do shove on the subways instead of using the classic "excuse me," and I was not pleased when a woman completely ignored the queue sign and skipped right to the counter (from behind me). If you are a history buff, however, Berlin is for you. Basically, the world history of the 20th century transpired in some form in Berlin. That's intense, especially when you're there.

Humboldt University--Albert Einstein was educated here.

I just liked this.

Brandenburger Tor (Brandenburg Gate)

I think this is the German History Museum.

Construction

During our Cold War tour, we heard the great story of Checkpoint Charlie and tanks amassing and JFK having to call Khrushchev to deescalate the situation. They love him here!

The Cold War/East Berlin bike tour really impressed me. Berliners have such a different viewpoint. Our guide really distinguished between socialism, the idea, and the U.S.S.R. in practice. It was the fact that troops openly fired on East Berliners peacefully protesting an increase in working hours without an increase in pay that really turned the people of Berlin against the Socialist State.

The giant "middle finger" to the West and the world clock

Socialist Realism

East Berlin movie theater

Piece of the Berlin Wall. This went up overnight in 1961. Our guide said, "Imagine you had a one-night stand that night and then couldn't get back home. That's the longest one-night stand of your life. One-night stands are dangerous, guys."

Guide chalked a map for us to understand the geopolitics of the time.

Berliners have a strong opinion about building walls. 

Mother Russia weeping for her children; the Soviets built a massive memorial to those who lost their lives in Berlin in WWII

Anna took her students to Dresden for a weekend, and so I got to tag along! After two days with this group, one of the students said to Anna, "Do you know who the girl is who keeps following us around?" Important question. I got a kick out of it. Dresden is lovely, but the Old Town has been rebuilt after firebombing, so it's technically a new town that looks old. I can see the argument for authenticity both ways, but I prefer old towns to actually be old.

Really lovely

The god of drunkenness is above because Wagner (maybe?) believed that theater should be about drinking in passion.

Brand new. Finished in the late 1990s, early 2000s. 

Porcelain--the biggest porcelain mural in the world, I believe

sketchy building but fun jaunt

brand spanking new

Dresden Military History Museum--very cool.

This was a British girl's doll house during WWII. She decorated.

Berlin was having a week of showing off their structures and noteworthy buildings with a light show. In three videos, I give you Berlin's Festival of Lights!

Note: Berlin isn't actually bananas, but this happened, and I just learned about it. Also, thanks to Anna for being a fantastic hostess as I country bop!