Berlin

Best city we’ve visited so far. This is a place that makes it quite clear to me that living history [not that history’s ever dead (or is it?)] is much more interesting than castles and big cathedrals/churches. In Berlin, you can feel a city remaking its history and changing its what typifies its neighborhoods and itself as a whole every year. I like the new history of Berlin compared to old ruins. It breathes.

Case in point:

I spoke with a guy while traveling who had been to Berlin back in 1965, at the height of the Cold War. He said that West Berlin was a party town, swinging like London, and that when he went through Checkpoint Charlie (the currently touristy area where Westerners used to present passports to cross over into the East) and stopped into an “East Berlin” bar it was populated by a bunch of old guys smoking and staring at one another. Today, the roles have reversed. East Berlin (where the area where we stayed, Prenzlauer Berg, is located) is the heart of the city, both historically, artistically, and if the extremely high density of bars and restaurants is any evidence, in the minds of the people. For those of you in New York (and ignoring geography), it would be like if NYC were broken in parts and Queens was occupied by the west and the rest of the city was under communist control. The west would want to make their part of the city an advertisement for democracy and would therefore turn Queens into a neon- emblazoned party town on steroids, complete with boxy modern architecture (kind of like Korea). Then, after the city were re-united, everyone would realize how Queens is a nice enough place, but it sure as hell isn’t Manhattan, and Queens would go back to being what it was always meant to be, a primarily residential area, but with big, boxy modern architecture as a reminder of the past. And Manhattan would be Manhattan again, as it should be, but it would suddenly be much cheeper than Queens and its streets would have names like Karl Marx Allee and be lined with glorious Baroque Communist buildings originally built for the biggest and best Communist party officials and friends of the communist party that would now be thought of as a hip and kitschy place to live by Wessies (west siders) until they found out how loud the street gets.

By the way, I’d like to live here on Karl Marx Allee for aesthetic and kitsch reasons, despite the noise.

One of the best things about being here was that we had a lot of time to get to know the city and Sue and Jung-Eun had a friend, Youngjoo, who was kind enough to host us for part of our time and give us advice on where to go (despite her heart still being in Paris). We walked the streets of Prenzlauer Berg regularly for 8 days, going to the same markets and the same subway station. This made it feel like we were moving into the city, rather than visiting, which I really liked. It also made it impossible not to notice how quiet the city is. It’s not empty, just very peaceful and friendly. It also, while definitely becoming gentrified, isn’t in the same way that New York is. At least in the area of Prenzlauer Berg, condos aren’t springing up left and right. The old buildings (and their ghosts of communism) seem like they aren’t going anywhere.

Speaking of, I read that the city was unattractive, specifically due to its bizarre mélange of modern and old architecture, communist “bloc” architecture and geometric western style. I found it fascinating, and not the least bit ugly. I especially like how much of the new building of the past 15 years are completely different from any of these styles and have managed to make the city that much more vibrant for the fact that its history is apparent in its skyline. The sprawling, yet manageable Tiergarten also helped to give a more attractive impression.

It really makes me wonder about a unified Korea, especially after learning that the unemployment is 18% in Berlin, mostly due to East Berliners being out of work.

I went on two tours, one introductory free tour, and one pay tour of “Communist Berlin.” Both were excellent and gave me a sense of the city that just exploring on my own wouldn’t have. The excellent operator was City Tours, and they do free tours in several other Euro cities. I recommend you check them out when in Europe.

An interesting role reversal took place here. I was the one out and about, going on tours and sighseeing and Sue was hanging out relaxing. She attributed this to already having been to Europe.

Neighborhoods- We got out on bikes and toured the city in addition to exploring areas throughout our time. A few notable neighborhoods were Kreuzberg, which has a huge Turkish population and was one hip neighborhood of the former West Berlin that has remained hip and Lichtenberg, a particularly economically depressed area in former East Berlin famous for its skinheads. I went there without Sue.

As budget travelers, perhaps the most attractive aspect of the city was its affordability. Food, drink, hostels, rent (so we heard) were all among the most affordable in Europe. That’s why Berlin is known as the cheapest Euro capital and has a thriving art scene. In fact, our host YoungJoo (an artist) moved here simply for the city’s affordability. Having a native, and one on a budget, give us advice on where to go, is great-better than hostels and fellow travelers.

Berlin makes me ask the question again: What is travel-A collection of sights or the feeling of a place? The idea that it’s a feeling is felt here more than anywhere.

Jung-Eun left us to visit a friend in Slovenia before heading back to Korea. It was great having her, and I’m glad we had a great day exploring the city on bike and the best beer in the world (so far) in German beer to send her off.

If you make it to Berlin, due the daytrip to Sanssouci in Potsdam. Check out the pictures for why. Highly impressive and great for strolling. It also adds Frederick the Great as one of the many biographies and non-fiction books I have to read-Neruda, South American history, Polish history, Irish History etc.