The comeback city
.....and there I was, Ost (East) Berlin. A city that lived by way of communism, war and division. Berlin is now cavorting in their new found identity. A city where the underground scene is notorious for live bands, drugs, dingy bars, art and general "bloody good times". The lively students of the city are thriving in the freedom of expressing themselves and the art proves it. Anything goes! Staying at a hostel in East Berlin, Jen & I were just a short walk from the remains of the original Berlin Wall and Checkpoint Charlie. Hard to comprehend, 15 years ago I could not walk across the road, unless I jumped the wall and dodged the bullets!! So yip, got the camera out and did the tourist stuff, it has to be done!
Saturday night, we went to an old 5 storey building, that had infact been bombed during the war. There was glass everywhere, artistic graffiti on the walls, broken windows and rubbish littered everywhere. The first two floors were dedicated to artists and their work. Anyone can stroll in and tap into their creative mind by painting, drawing, and doing anything they consider "art". I drew my smiley face and proceeded to the third floor. Creatures cruising, listening to indie music and watching student films on old 1930's style seats. The 4th floor consisted of many rooms, playing different music. You can buy mushroom shakes, space cakes, herbal stuff.....chill on the couch, talk shit with whoever about whatever, watch music videos..... The 5th floor was an open floor, where you can stand on the balcony and watch projected images onto the neighbouring building. Images included war, historical moments, cartoons, space and whatever art minded individual could create, which might be termed "contemporary confusion". This was a place that seemed to have no boundaries, in an artistic sense. A very cool night out!
Our last day in Berlin, was somewhat different. It all began with a small altercation with a German train authority questioning the validity of my ticket. Yes, he was in the right, I made a genuine fuck up by one travel zone. He demanded I cough up 80 Euros. Pleading ignorance, not knowing a word of Deutsch and pretending I was some sort of moron, that was way too much hard work, was the winner on the day. We managed to avoid the hefty fine, jump off the train with a smile and carry on with the days proceedings - our day trip to Sachsenhausen. Even the word alone sends shivers up my spine. Sachsenhausen is a small town about an hour outside of Berlin and the sight of the second largest concentration camp in Germany. I can't say it was a fantastic sight, but it certainly was memorable and very worth while experiencing. Thousands of visitors pass through the imposing front gates to learn and try to comprehend the atrocities that occurred on the exact same soil some 60 years ago. Just about everything at the camp was exactly how it was, right down to the rusty speakers dangling off the concrete control towers.
I loved Berlin. A city that's not pretty to look at, but full of history and so much fun. The beer is awesome!
Until the next adventure....
Toodiloo
Ryan
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