We went to Berlin for a weekend, which really was not enough. Some dislikes Berlin, Berlin is messy, dirty. But for some reason I think that is what attracted me the most. We had a crash 3hrs introduction of Berlin history during the walking tour on our first day. Was not a good idea, really. Snow, wind and walking are really not a good match. Nonetheless, it gave us a slightly better idea of how and why Berlin became to what it is today - pretty cool really.
I never knew that much about history. I mean, ask me the years of the World War 1 and I will give you a Google link. But as we were walking through central Berlin, I couldnt help but wonder what it is like for these people before 1989. That is the year the wall was decontructed, in case you are like me. Have you ever seen those movies, where they put scenes from the olden days on the left side and the present day on the right? At one point I felt like I was in one of those movies. We were walking, and I thought to myself who threaded along here before? Who were they? Why were they out? What were they thinking?
To anticipate your question, no I did not smoke anything then.
Another thing I really like about Berlin is that Berlin really has alot of faces. You turn from one alley to another and immediately get the sense of a whole different side of Berlin. And I am not just talking about the clear difference in architecture and feelings between the former east and west. Such a shame that we didnt get to explore the whole city I suppose.
Oh and the food. THAT GLORIOUS GLORIOUS FOOD. It scares me how I start drooling at the thought of those glorious wurst, bread, pretzels... Maybe I should get one of those baby-napkins that you put to prevent drool from damaging your shirt. Girls grew up wanting to live in a gingerbread house or a castle. Clearly they have low expectations. My wish is now to live in a German bakery. My sister told me I'll be a mouse. A HAPPY-BELLY MOUSE! MAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUS!
And the nightlife. On our last night, we went to this underground club that played minimal electro music in one of its room. At one point they played Paul and Fritz Kalkbrenner's Sky and Sand. That was it. The lights was off. On. Off. On. I thought of nothing, breathed and blinked. On my right people did the same. On my left some guys started fighting and threw a table. That is a scene I will remember.
We also went to visit some museums: the Holocaust memorial and museum for the murdered Jews, the Jewish museum, and perhaps the most memorable one is the visit to the Stasi Gefangnis. It was the political prison in East Berlin, controlled by the state DDR. We arrived late so the guide had already started the tour. After awhile, I realized that he sometimes used personal pronouns such as "I" and "we". I was curious yet felt impolite to ask. His sentences were short, sometimes too short to fully comprehend.
"... They gave prisoners a bucket, in a cell for 4 people. It was hard for new prisoners. I felt shame."
"In my file it says 'long, vertical forehead', 'short fingers'."
Halfway through the tour he told us that he was arrested for being suspected of attempting to flee from the east to the west.
He put an emphasis on suspected. His sentences remained short, but his tone changed thereafter.
He told us that he couldnt bear living in a country where one cannot freely express what one thought or felt. As we were visiting the former interrogation rooms, he started telling us about these torture methods developed by the DDR. He said the physical torture was bad but the mental torture was even worse. A number of people officially worked for the Stasi, yet the unofficial number is overwhelming. A woman got arrested, and during her interrogation they served her favorite tea as a reminder. Her husband worked for the Stasi, she didnt know. I read some stories on this yet hearing this firsthand was way more intense. It felt real. How would it feel if you cant even trust your husband, your wife, your friends, your family?
Some officers secretly went in your flat when youre not there, rearrange the furniture now and then. They follow you, watch you, listen to you to the point of paranoia.
Who developed these methods, I asked. They are so well thought of.
The psychologists, he answered.
He then told us how he got into a rather heated discussion with an old man in the park last week. The old man thought the Stasi regime was way better than how it is now. Our guide disagreed. The old man retorted: "...well then they forgot to kill you!"
I had goosebumps when I heard this.
That reminded me of something a friend of mine told me before, that some people still consider Stalin to be a hero even if he killed more people than Hitler.
Some things I can never understand.
Yet some things I am glad to know, even when it's hard.
At the end of the tour, he smiled and waved his little fingers.
Just like how I waved my own little fingers to Berlin. Until then.
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