Kevin11 [is not the] Foreign Minister: A Divided City No Longer

Pariser Platz - named so many years ago to piss off the French

I have always been amazed by the concept of war, especially, past wars. Mostly, because they don't make sense, but also because countries tend to behave in such ways which make even less sense. Even equating countries with toddlers doesn't quite explain things. The results of WWII are evident throughout Germany, and although Berlin nowadays acts like one city, it is quite clear from how it looks that there are two sides to the coin.

One of my favourite Communist murals - on the side of the DDR's Finance Ministry building

Destroyed by the Allies in WWII, the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church
was rebuilt (apart from one of the towers) and now houses a cool
flying Jesus!

Even today, the concept of rules of war - what on earth is that all about? Of course, the reasoning is great, but if countries are going to agree on rules of war, wouldn't it make a lot more sense to simply agree on no war? Similarly, the whole idea behind embassies having sovereign land in other countries where the pretense is a 'diplomatic mission', but both countries (and everyone else) know that it's all about spying. But I digress.... What happened in Germany, and in particular Berlin, during the Cold War, is almost impossible for me to fathom. But it has definitely created a source of fascination.

Trabants on safari next to one of the few remaining parts of the Berlin Wall

Not growing up in Communism, I find the engineering feats of this group of people absolutely amazing. Whether is it the massive, and massively uniform, ugly concrete towers in the form of residences, or the Trabant cars which despite seemingly consisting of a plastic mould, a few seats, and the engine of a whipper snipper which somehow still run today, they are certainly sites to behold. But they did create some things to stick out; the futuristic looking (at least for its time) TV tower at Alexanderplatz, the geeky yet cool world clock, or the huge 'power to the pioneer' motifs found on prominent buildings in East Berlin.

The Brandenburg Gate at night, seen from the Reichstag

The city has been largely rebuilt following the War, but much of the original character remains. The Brandenburg Gate boasts the grandeur of earlier times, whilst the classic Reichstag building with the ultramodern facelift that suits Germany's position in today's word economy. The Reichstag, which became the home of the German parliament when it moved to Berlin from Bonn, is definitely worth a visit. Without a guide you don't actually get to see inside the building, but with a free online reservation you get to go to the roof to soak up the great view - and with it, walk up the spiral inside the modern glass dome. Definitely some great views.

Like many things in Berlin though, the Reichstag clearly illustrates that although Germany was unified just over 20 years ago, it was more like West Germany subsumed East Germany. It seems quite obvious that it was not a partnership of equals, but an integration of the East into the West. The way the history is told in the city clearly illustrates this point. Whilst all us Capitalists intrinsically know that 'we were right and they were wrong', when the West tells the story of reunification, we don't seem to rub it in the noses of the Communists, or Russia, that 'the West won' - I'm not sure why though.... Maybe, leave the past in the past, and fight new battles in the present.

We of course just spend lots of time walking around the city. Initially, with the Free Walking Tour, as I seem to do in just about every city that has it, but then just a lot to enjoy the sights and get from A-B. It's a large city, but still quite walkable. We also took a self guided walking tour with a focus on Communist sites - from the boring grey residential buildings, to the wide promenade of Karl Marx Alle, to the old Soviet theatre and restaurant. All very retro. All very much a demonstration of Berlin not looking like a single city. Back to the walking tour - yet again, fantastic. A great mesh of history, culture, architecture and general knowledge thrown in, and what's more, by an Australian guide! As per usual, I highly recommend them!

Berliner Dom, on Museum Island

Berlin definitely has a lot to do, a lot to see, and can keep you busy for plenty of time. Be it 4 days as one may plan, or 5 days as a result of missing one's flight home! I need to go back though - with a museum pass. Despite not being much of an art critic, I think I could do with a quick stroll through the art museums on Museum Island - the buildings themselves were fantastic, and maybe, just maybe, there will be some pieces of artwork inside that will impress me. More importantly though, I think I require a visit to the nerdy German Technology Museum - somewhere, I imagine, I might be able to spend a full day. We did manage to cover some interesting museums though - the DDR Museum for example, a cool, hands-on museum with lots of information about the DDR - but being stuffed full of people, a little kitschy, it wasn't perfect, though still thoroughly enjoyable!