20 Jahrestag der Fall die Mauer

By total coincidence, i was here during the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin wall (09.11). This gave to many celebrations in Berlin, as its obviously an important event for not only people in Berlin, but people all over Germany.

On Sunday the 8th, I took a trip to Potsdam to join a tour group taking a walk along the river, which is where the wall ran, in that area. It was a nice walk, and there was an informative stop with a video at one point. We walked until the Glienicker Brücke (Bridge), which went across the wall when it was up. Its well known for being the spot where exchanges of spies took place.

On Monday the 9th, after class I went to Mauer Park, where there was a performance called "Berlin wall of sound", which involved approx 200 guitarists/basists, who lined up along a path through where no-mans land was, and performed in unison a pre-arranged song prepared for the occasion. It was impressive to see...and when i jumped on my bike and rode to the other end of the park, i could really hear the full effect. It was an arrangement, which means there were four different parts, not just everyone playing the same thing.

In the afternoon, i made my way to Bornholmer Straße, which is just around the corner from where i live. It was here that the first border crossing was opened up, 20 years ago.

The afternoon was delivering some speeches from important Deutsche people, eg Angela Merkel (the chancellor here). I actually missed it all, and arrived as they were packing up. But this was probably better, as a) i wouldn't have understood much of it anyways, and b) no-one was there to get in my way. I got some good photos however.

At night, a few of us made our way towards the middle of town. Our aim was to get to the Brandenburg Gate - unfortunately, and not surprisingly, about a million other people

had the same idea. The station was closed, and our train went straight past it, and instead we

disembarked at Alexander Platz. There were some big screens here, and a whole bunch of people, braving the cold and rain. It was also where a big line of plastic dominos throughout the city ended, that were being knocked over in a ceremonious fashion.

Alexander Platz was good - i guess one downer was that we couldn't really see the fireworks.

And a massive downer was Bon Jovi miming some crap song. I guess how this represented the importance of the day was that the wall was a shit time, and so was Bon Jovi's performa

nce.

The day was finished off with a couple of beers at a traditional East Berlin pub, close to where i live.

For full album of photos, see:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=174952&id=748046284&l=8454612158

Komparativs

As i go through day to day life, there are certain things i see that i think "why don't they do that in Australia?". But, there are also some "thank god they don't do that in Australia" moments. Granted, these are only initial impressions, and only based on Berlin....but here are some:

Great things about Deutschland

Public Transport. This goes without saying. Everyone knows its better here. Everyone knows its shit in Australia. I can't see the point of getting a car here. Everywhere you are, you are no more than what seems like 100m from either an U-Bahn or S-bahn train, a bus, or a tram.

That being said, I live in a suburb a little like Paddington I guess you could say, so I don't know what its like further out in the burbs.

Beer. It tastes better. Its cheaper than water. Its sold everywhere. You can drink on the street/transport. However, I do believe there are problems with alcoholism in Deutschland. But that doesn't really affect me. So its a positive!

Bike Lanes. Of course, it helps that Berlin is an entirely flat city compared to Sydneys hills. So everyone uses bikes. But the best thing i've noticed, is that majority of roads have a bike lane on it, or a bike lane on the adjacent sidewalk. And driver education is all about being aware about bikes. So you feel safe riding in traffic, knowing that people are aware of you and won't hit you.

Shops open. Every night of the week, all shops (eg clothes) are open til about 8pm. Allowing one who works (everyone...) to do shopping after hours, and not be forced to amass with hoardes on the weekend. Supermarkets are open til around midnight each night too.

Bread. Its just so awesome here. And such a wide variety. And i'm saying this, living at the moment in a city thats not well known for bread. Can't wait til i get to the south.

Not so great things about Deutschland

Dog shit. Dogs are allowed everywhere here (shops, trains etc). This i like. What its led to is dog shit everywhere. Yes, people are supposed to clean it up. But they don't. This results in dog shit on bike tyre. Not happy.

Cash registers. At supermarkets. All the supermarkets are like Aldi in Australia; bring your own bag. This i like. What i don't like is basically zero space past the cash register where your scanned items go. And you are left stuffing your bags after paying, while the cashier is throwing the next customers goods in and amongst yours.

Nakedness. At the gym. Simple - wear a freakin towel!

Personal space. A hard one to describe. Maybe Sydney is a faster moving city. But i don't like to dawdle. German people do. In shopping centres (my most hated places - Sydney & Germany). People seem to walk so slow, and get in your way. People block off escalators so you can't get past. People seem to decide that the best place for them to stop & make their life decisions are at the bottom/top of an escalator, regardless of people piling up behind them. At the markets, people get really close to you, get in your way, and just seem so oblivious.

Weather. Goes without saying. I'm quite happy in the cold. But the worst is yet to come. Give me a beach anyday. It is actually really nice when the sun is out, and its a clear sky, regardless of it being 5º. But its crap when its raining.

Recycling. I'm a little undecided about this one. Here, each bottle has a "pfand" included in its price (like 7c). So to get it back, you have to return the bottle to a return point. This is annoying. I guess it encourages recycling, but i feel that we recycle pretty good in Australia. I guess here it gives something for the homeless to collect. And you don't feel so bad leaving a bottle in the street as a result.

Annoyance - twice i've been at a club, and you get a plastic chip for your glass, which is redeemable for €1- when you return it at the end of the night. Laziness!!

Smoking. Hard to believe an ex-smoker would say this. But even when i smoked, i tried to respect others air. Here, so many people smoke. And everywhere. The no-smoking-in-bars law is i think in place, but not enforced. So you smell.

Weathering the Weather

Given that i'm a warm person anyways (usually a tshirt out in winter, when others have jackets on), its no surprise that i'm dealing with the weather pretty good so far.

There was a week about 2 weeks ago that the average was about 5º, with night time supposedly getting down to near 0º (it was actually forecast to snow that week...but it didn't). I've been enjoying it so far to be honest. Compared to for example Walter & Dan, i'll see them put two tshirts on, a hoodie, then a warm jacket + scarf, where i'll have maybe a t-shirt, warm jacket & scarf. Definitely the scarf & beanie are an essential, & i find that these two items do all the warming work for me.

This all being said, i'm quite confident i'm in for a rude shock when winter actually hits.

Currently, i'm in the market for some ski gear, for usage on the slopes in St Anton am Arlberg for new years eve.... so will pick up some warmer clothes in due course.

My ride to school

Each day, when i ride to school, i ride right along a path through no-mans-land where the wall used to stand.

I ride through Mauer Park (Wall Park).

Here is a quick visual that shows where the wall used to run.

There are fleamarkets there every Sunday. Last Sunday they saved my life - because it is here I purchased my gloves, scarf, and some warm socks!

See my ride here

Berlin Street Art

There is a massive contingency of spraypaint graffiti here in Berlin.

Not just the crappy tags you see on a rickety shitty rail train in Sydney - but decent, abstract art. Reminds me of the art that the Gorillaz music uses.

Goes back to the liberation of the place, when the wall came down & all that.

Especially found in the area where i live (Prenzlauer Berg), and more widely in all of East Berlin.

Here's an extract from a webpage that articulates it a little better.

The roots of graffiti culture can be traced back to West Berlin in the early 1980s, when the

American-occupied sector was the reluctant melting pot of anarchist punks, Turkish immigrants and West

German draft resisters. Kreuzberg, a neighborhood surrounded on three sides by the Berlin Wall, blossomed

particularly well, with miles of wall space and little police scrutiny.

The first so-called writers were heavily influenced by the New York City scene. Works about the time, like the

1983 film “Style Wars” by Tony Silver and Henry Chalfant, and the 1984 book “Subway Art” by Mr. Chalfant

and Martha Cooper, enjoyed a cult following.

But while the west face of the Berlin Wall was blanketed with graffiti, the east face was orderly and gray. The

notorious Stasi police kept graffiti under wraps, and writers in East Berlin risked imprisonment or worse if

they were caught red-handed with spray cans — assuming they could even get their hands on paint.

All that changed, of course, with the fall of the wall in 1989, which opened up vast new blank walls virtually

overnight. Artists, musicians and young people flooded East Berlin, heralding a shift in the youth culture

from west to east. The pockmarked walls of Mitte, Friedrichshain and other gray neighborhoods were soon

carpeted in colorful squiggles.

Graffiti may be vandalism, but it is also celebrated as street art and even regarded as an integral component

of Berliner Strassenkultur.

I'll aim to take photos of some stuff when i'm out and about.

you can keep tabs on it here

Oktoberfest

Day one, Donnerstag 1 Oktober.

After an early morning flight to München & killing a little time in the city, I navigated to Jan's place, & met him & Dennis, dumped einer bag, then off to the fest!

Spent the afternoon in Ochsenbraterei (roast Ox) tent. Was good to see the tent when not so brimming capacity (ie a weekend).

View photos here

3.5 Liters

Day two, Freitag 2 Oktober.

Hannah has now joined us. Great to catch up with her!

Spent the afternoon at Schützen Festzelt (shooting association), thanks to Dennis who had a reservation from 12 - 4. Right on the dot, we were kicked out from our seats. As a friday, there were many more people....so we were stuck in the aisles for a bit.

After a little time there (not so fun in the aisles...standing...getting shoved past, and beer spilt), myself, Nina, Dennis & Jan wandered around the festival, and went on some rides. Quite reminiscent of the Easter Show.

View photos here

4 Liters.

Day three, Samstag 3 Oktober

Dan & Walter had flown down the night before, and secured a spot at a table at the Ochsenbraterei at the spry time of 830am! We didn't join them until well after lunch...the tent was packed.

The morning was spent having a traditional Bavarian breakfast...Weißwurst, Kraut, Bread, cold cuts etc etc. I opted to not have the traditional beer with the breakfast.

Farewelled Dennis & Nina, and myself and Hannah joined Dan & Walter. Much fun.

After a while, head to the Englischer Garten. The two plusses was that it was a great weather day, and many others from the fest had the same idea as us, so it was teeming with people.

After time here, myself and hannah marched back to the fest to find one of her friends, but with no luck. Entertained ourselves on some more rides.

View photos here

3.5 Liters

Day four, Sonntag 4 Oktober

Having had enough of the fest, and farewelling Hannah back to Zurich, I met Dan & Walter, and one of their mates, and embarked on a short walking tour through the Alt Stadt, finishing with lunch.

Walter pushed off to the train station to head to Berlin, and myself and Dan found the area in the river in the Englischer Garten where there are surfers!

A little nudged by german engineering (ie not all natural), its technically illegal, however authority turn a blind eye, due to it being a popular tourist attraction.

View photos here

Walking tour

Wohnung Suche

My Wohnung Suche (apartment search) is now over.

Today I move into my new place, a WG, which stands for Wohngemeinschaft....which basically means flat-share.

I am sharing with 5 others (so its quite a large place!), and will be getting lots of practice speaking German (even though they can speak english). The way it basically works, is that people leave Berlin for a portion of time (most usually a semester, to study elsewhere), and rent their room out to someone (like me) for that portion of time, so they're not put out for the rent. I think the person whose room i'm living in is on holidays, hence only two months availability (which works well for me).

If you wanted to google map it, punch the following into the search bar:

Paul-Robeson-Straße 30, 10439 Berlin, Germany

(yes, that is my awesome new bike)

the movies

so last night Dan, Walter & I went down to the famous Sony Centre at Potsdamer Platz. We saw District 9. I've already seen this, but cause i rate the movie, i was happy to see it again.

The reason we went to the Sony Centre as opposed to something a little closer, is that the Sony Centre plays movies in their original form - which means they're not dubbed, as most english movies are here.

Two strange observations:

1) After about 15 minutes of ads, the lights come back on, and people walk around with trays with snacks & stuff, going "ice-creams, ja?", for morons who are too deconstructed to purchase their stuff prior to the movie, and enjoy wasting everyone elses time

2) When the movie has finished, the lights stay off (presumably until all the credits are done rolling), so you have to navigate yourself out of the cinema in the dark (unless of course you enjoy reading credits).

Tour Die Mauer

The best way to get around Berlin is definitely on bike. Myself and one of Dans work mates Walter went on a good 25km tour around some parts where the Wall were. Starting in East Berlin, which is where we are now, in a suburb called Prenzlauer Berg, and making our way down through Friedrichshain...crossing the River Spree & where the wall was into Kreuzberg.

Walter is a great tour guide....i think i'll head back to a free museum we saw, which is quite near where Dan & Ella live.

I've also now figured out why Mauer park is called Mauer park....

see full album here

Pineapple Express

is a shit movie. Don't watch it.

The Office however....watch that.

Initial explorations & impressions

For this first week, I have been crashing at my friends Dan & Ella's place. They have been very accommodating, & i'm quite grateful.

On the first day Ella took us on a little walk, primarily to go visit Dan at his place of work. The photo on the left is NOT where he works. It is a squat, that is also used as an artists space. What I found interesting (besides the weird characters habitating in its surrounds), was what Ella pointed out, is that the building is very indicative of East Berlin (where we are). Because there wasn't as much money in the Eastern economy, fewer of the delapidated buildings have been rebuilt. In my opinion, they should leave them like this, because it gives the place character & story.
I also had a currywurst for lunch. Simon was obsessed with this in 2006.

I went with two of Dans work mates to a Football match between Hertha Berlin & Freiberg at Olympia Stadion. Its only early stages of the competition, and given Hertha's 0:4 loss, was supposedly a boring match. I however enjoyed the trip to the Stadion, exploring the Stadion itself, which was built by the Nazis...you can see in the pic its very 1930's design. The "empty" stadion of approx. 40k people was also a sight to see, compared to the pittance we get at NRL matches in Aus.



I borrowed Dan's bike and went on a bit of a run down to some of Berlins famous landmarks. I'll let the pictures below do the talking.
Riding around Berlin is amazing...the whole city is flat, and 90% of roads have a bike lane. If no bike lane, the cars are über friendly and aware of bikes.

welcome

welcome, to my Deutsche Geschichte (German Story).

a way for me to pass the time with my new mactoy, & release my inner nerd (as lee would have you believe).

also a way for me to share some sights & adventures that i encounter.

i'll try to keep these brief & interesting (more pictures = less typing).

ja!

airport byes