October 17, 2001: Berlin (2)
After breakfast, I walked out to the camping ground along the canal. Thick mist shrouds us completely and I can't see the canal that should be right there.
Many camping cars park at the ground. The hotel is in the mist behind me.
Klaus said, "Today is misty, just like Norway morning." We will head to downtown Berlin by train from now. Klaus drove up to Kurmme Ranke U-bahn station by car and found a good free parking spot on a street. I took a picture with Klaus at Kaiser Wilhelm Gedeachtniskirche.
Berlin is so vast, and we got on a sightseeing bus (left) first to get the outline of the city. The bus provides six language earphone guide including Japanese. The two-storied bus puts a temporary roof on the top because it is so cold today. The roof, however, rattles noisily above my head. The headquarters of Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra stands in a unique design building whose concept was taken in the design of Japanese Suntory Hall in Tokyo.
We soon came up to Potsdamer Strasse on which a part of the Wall was preserved for the hard memory. On August 31, 1961, the Wall was suddenly built overnight by communists. I still clearly remember the moment on TV news the Wall was destroyed in 1989.
"The Wall stands still wet in the cold autumnal drizzling"
A picture of a female was snapped by accident. Her grim stare was very impressive. The right picture shows a museum on the crime of Nazis, built on the ground of Gestapo Headquarters.
Haus am Checkpoint Charlie came in sight next. Before the collapse of the Wall, Check Point Charlie was next to this museum. A documentary exhibition is open in the museum under the theme of the Wall. The large red star on the wall (right) was brought here in commemoration with the collapse of Chausesk Administration of Czech.
The left picture is National Opera House and Berlin Dome on the right. Construction cranes are everywhere, however. Berlin was almost destroyed up to 80% by WW2. They have been continuing their efforts to rebuilding the capital according to the original design. They still have a long way to go. The Central Station will be completed in 2010.
Every large building accompanies construction cranes.
Central Library on the left and Unter den Linden Strasse, der hauptstrasse im Berlin. Viel besungener und bereuhmtester Boulevard Berlins.
We came up to Brandenburger Tor, the starting point of Unter den Linden Strasse. Unfortunately, the Tor was under construction, completely covered with canvas on which the picture of the Tor was printed in life size. I could barely see the statue of the Goddess of Triumph on a carriage and four Roman combat wagons. It is said that just around the Tor was the Wall. The bus passed under the Tor (right.)
After going around the city, we got off the bus and visited Kurfeurstendamm Platz, one of the biggest shopping place since the days of West Berlin. There are many shops of brand goods and boutiques. I paid the compliment of saying hello to a bear that proudly stand everywhere in the City.
We took lunch in a wonderful restaurant in the Platz. We enjoyed tasty wine and food in a relaxed atmosphere.
Kaiser-Wilmhelm-Gedeachtniskirch. Nur die Ruine des einst so preachtigen 113 Meter hohen Turms steht noch. Die Kirch wurde von Franz Schwechten 1891-1895 aum Gedenke an den 1888 gestrbenen Wilhelm 1 gebaut. The ruin is preserved in commemoration with the people's hope for peace.
There are so many commemorative items in the Kirche. The beauty of restored ceiling paintings moved me.
Next to Kaiser-Wilhelm Kirche stands modern Union church. The blue stained glass is very uncanny sight. People can construct such a wonderful thing, and at the same time, they can kill each other. I wonder why.
Berlin has a long, flourishing, and hard history since the first step in 13th century.
We then returned back to Charlie Point to look through the Museum. There are many serious displays on the Wall and people who wanted freedom. Some of them jumped out of the windows of the building, others managed to escape by using car trunks or hot balloons. Many citizens were shot to death in the tunnel or barbed-wired streets on their way of escaping. Actual displays strongly tell the history what happened in those hard times. For what purpose the Wall was built? What gave rise to the doubts and suspicions in the hearts of humankind? I kept standing in front of the displays for a while.
In the evening, we visited an Internet Coffee shop that Klaus found for us. It was on the second floor of a bar. I asked Klaus to check if the computers in the shop can indicate Japanese characters. A clerk said they could indicate it, but not write with. I checked E-mails for the first time in Germany and wrote messages to my son and friends in English or in Roman character.
We then bought canned beer or snacks at a nearby supermarket and returned to the hotel. I said thank you Klaus and talked many things with him.
This is the first time for us to visit Europe. I have been expecting to visit Berlin, because I have learned in school and on papers or TVs about the East-West division and cold wars. This time, I witnessed the city and thought my understanding was not enough to grasp the problem correctly. I wanted to return here after the capital completed its re-construction.
