Bear and Marmot in Germany and the Czech Republic
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The next day, we grabbed the S-Bahn over to the central part of Berlin. Most of what was considered central Berlin was just over the Berlin Wall in the former East Berlin. The Brandenberg Gate (a tourist hyperelectromagnet) sits on the western edge, with the Unter den Linden stretching out to the east. South of the Brandenberg gate was a desolate land of granite ministries...
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Now central Berlin is one big-ass construction zone. Just imagine a whole spanking new downtown, full of shopping and restaurants and apartments, all going up in brand spanking new gleaming stone and metal and glass buildings... Got that picture in your head? If you don't, just imagine any big new American downtown like Dallas or Atlanta or Denver. Take away the acres of cheap parking, and you've got the new Berlin. It was enough to make Chris ask "What if they built a city and no one came?"
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On Friday evening around 5:00, we walked through central Berlin, from the Brandenberg Gate to the television tower, and not a soul was around. The East German parliament building was pretty amusing. There was a mysterious three story high pyramid in front, covered in orange and brown swirls. Then, someone had the clever idea of painting a big eyeball in the empty space where the DDR shield was (you can see it in the picture on the left). Graffiti covered a good part of the lower stories, too. Those state architects really had a thing for copper-colored reflective glass in the 1980's, and most important buildings were smothered in the stuff. This parliament building was smothered in something else too: asbestos. A big chain link fence now keeps the citizenry away. The next day, we finally did decide to go up in that big television tower. |
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