The diversity, vibrence, and culture of Berlin never cease to amaze me. The city is a bed for artists, musicians, writers, and people from all over the world who admire beauty and creativity. Expression can be seen all over Berlin by the graffiti that covers many walls, and, unlike in America, it isn't as systematically removed. This is something I love, seeing the bridges of the S-bahn track and alleyways covered in vibrant colors, words, and images.
No where is this mix of culture and expression more prominent than at the East Side Gallery, a kilometer stretch of the Berlin Wall that remains standing and is covered in works by artists from around the world. It is a monument to Berlin's eighty year long struggle for peace and freedom.
Two of my good friends, Margaret Wormer (who is studying in Rome and who you may remember from my post about Rome) and Lisa Koller (who is studying in York, England) visited me the weekend of April 5-7, and walked with me along this incredible memorial.
Even Batman has a place
Lisa, me, Margaret
There has been controversy surrounding the East Side Gallery in the months since I've been in Berlin. A large open area of green sits behind the East Side Gallery, and that plot of land has been sold to a developer. In order for construction vehicles to have access to the area, part of the wall had to be torn down. The day of the demolition, thousands of protesters showed up, and, only a little over twenty years after the Berlin Wall came down, Berliners were demanding that the wall remain standing.
The protesters have won for now, but who knows how long this battle will be going on.
Section of the wall that had already been removed.
Green area causing all the controversy.
Margaret stayed four nights with me and Lisa stayed the entire week. We went to Yorckstraße, my least favorite S-bahn station for various reasons, and visited the graves of the famous Grimm brothers! Fairy tales are some of the my favorite stories of all time, and so realizing that these greats were buried only twenty minutes from my house was incredible. Plus, the graveyard itself was beautiful.
For the Doctor Who fans
My final "cultural event" paid for by my program was to attend a football (soccer) game at the Olympische Stadion, the stadium where the 1936 Olympic games were held. I have never witnessed anything like it, partially because the stadium itself was so huge, and partially because I have never seen fans this insane during any kind of game in the US.
Rebecca and I at the game
Hertha BSC, the Berlin team, was playing Braunschweig, and Hertha won with a whopping 3-0. The Berlin fans were extremely enthusiastic about this. There is really no way to understand what I mean except through seeing it on video, but that doesn't even fully capture the hype.
Also, they did that for at least fifteen minutes straight. And that's not even an exaggeration.
The next video is the insanity that I just happened to be filming when Hertha got a goal (tor).
I very much enjoyed myself, particularly just watching the crowd go crazy. I have really been exposed to so much of the diverse culture of Berlin, and I love every minute of it.
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