Berlin
I arrived in Berlin first thing on Friday and checked into
my flat in The Adina - a very centrally located apartment hotel not far from
Check Point Charlie. It is part of the Australian hotel/apartment chain Toga P/L
which operates Medina serviced apartments. For anyone visiting Berlin it is
difficult to imagine better located accommodation at a very reasonable price.
Berlin is close to the eastern border of Germany and after WWII
was divided up between the allies: -France, USA, England and Russia. Relations
with Russia soured as the cold war took effect in the late 1940’s and, like
Berlin, Germany itself had also been split between the Russian controlled east
and the UK/USA/France controlled west. Over the initial fifteen post war years
nearly 2 million East Germans relocated to the West Germany (usually via
Berlin) and the Russians found the presence of Berlin so deep in East Germany territory
a major irritant. But the allies were determined to maintain hold of West
Berlin.
East Germany was a puppet of the soviet bloc and was known
as the GDR (German Democratic Republic) and West Germany was known as the
Federal Republic of Germany (FRG). In the 1970s they both gained a separate
seat at the UN and after the soviet bloc disintegrated in 1989 reunification occurred
during the early 1990s.
The City
Berlin has elegant boulevards and tree lined streets and
there is no obvious evidence of the incredible effects from the allied bombing
in WWII which devastated the city. The layout is orderly and is dominated by beautiful
parkland, the Tiergarten, and the Spree River and its tributary the Spandau.
Checkpoint Charlie
This was a famous landmark during the time of the Berlin
Wall. It was the gate between East Berlin and the US sector of West Berlin. It
was the scene of various escapes by vehicle from East Berlin and a symbol of
the tension that continued during the cold war period.
The bus tour included well known landmarks such as the
Reichstag, the Brandenburg Gate, the Humboldt University, the shopping precinct
of Potsdam Place and the busy hub of Alexanderstrasse.
Brandenberg Gate
Eich bein en Berliner
In a speech to the people of West Berlin in 1962 US President
Kennedy famously uttered these words (or something like them) meaning “I am a
Berliner!” This was very well received at the time and I thought of this
proclamation on my first day in Berlin when in the space of two hours three separate
strangers approached me to ask for directions! Two were Germans from out of
town. This happens a lot to me no matter what city I visit and I have no idea
why. It was not as if I was wearing a Tyrolean hat or lederhosen! As it
happened, I did know the answer for two of my questioners and I gave a very confident
answer to the third!
Berlin Subway
The subway was very clean and efficient and appeared new
(perhaps it was a new line as the original lines date back to the 1920’s). On a
visit to Munich some years ago Sharon and I had noticed that there were no
ticket barriers on entrance or exit from the subway station and the same applies
in Berlin. In almost every other major city I can think of you have to use a
ticket or card to activate an entrance or exit gate in the subway.
This must reflect something about the German character or
willingness to conform-or perhaps there are dire fines for fare evasion!
I took a trip out to the eastern suburbs and alighted at
various suburbs for a look around. Some were dormitory suburbs with tall
residential blocks; others were commercial hubs or villages.
Museum of German
History
I came upon the entrance to this museum by chance on a main
thoroughfare. I left nearly four hours later – and was thoroughly impressed
with how the museum presented its story. Basically it traced German history
from Roman times. For each century there were easy to comprehend narratives
explaining what happened along with the implications. With this there were
artefacts, household furnishings, clothing, medallions, artworks or other items
representative of that period.
In the last few centuries there were obviously more items to
exhibit – but the curators did a wonderful job keeping the displays relevant
and interesting. I had not formally studied modern history but with the ravages
of WWI, and the clash of nationalism and socialism in Germany in the subsequent
decade, the rise of Hitler and his party appears to be understandable. However,
it would have been difficult for the average voter to have anticipated the
extremities and depravities his ultimate behaviour and policies as leader-even
though there was little to misinterpret about the direction he would probably
take.
Christmas Markets
Christmas markets are a European tradition which Sharon and
I have enjoyed previously. In Berlin there were several elaborate markets
either operating or being set up. They are clusters of beautifully lit solid
wooden stalls selling food, mulled wine, craft products, Christmas decorations
and souvenirs. They usually operate in the evening and are popular places to
congregate.
There is an island which is home to several museums but as
this trip was more of a reconnaissance mission I will visit that next time. But
I did also visit other museums including one focusing on the German/European
statesman Willy Brandt who had been a mayor of Berlin in the early 1960s; and
an interesting museum focusing on communication – commencing with how we
communicate as humans through to all the technologies we have adopted to assist
from - steam engines to mail, phones, TV, the Internet etc. It was a very
interactive venue and utterly absorbing.
I left Berlin on Sunday evening en route for my brother’s
house near Rennes in Brittany. After weighing up various transport options, I elected
to take an overnight sleeper train from Berlin to Paris and then to change to
Montparnasse station for the TGV to Rennes. My companion for the night in the
sleeper compartment was a young German executive who works for Wikipedia and he
takes this travel option pretty frequently.
Although it was a 13 hour journey the rattle of the train and
the sound of the wheels clacking over the tracks is somehow soothing and I had
an excellent night’s sleep.
Berlin rail station has been rebuilt and is an engineering
marvel. Many other cities have several stations on the perimeter of the city
with tracks heading off in various directions. Berlin was reopened in 2007 and
has a set of east west lines and two storeys below a set of north south tracks
and can therefore service travel in any direction from the city. It is close to
the city centre and connected to the subway system.
Rennes
I arrived in Rennes mid afternoon on Monday and enjoyed
meeting up with my brother, Gar, and his two sons, Paul and Gregoire. The boys
are doing well at school and next year Paul will be going to the senior high
school. I had previously visited in March this year and am increasingly
familiar with Rennes which is the capital of the province of Brittany. This
area has an interesting history and was settled by Celtic tribes originating
from Wales and Ireland centuries ago. There is a current emphasis on the
special history of the region and many signs are presented in French and Breton
and the Breton language is being taught in many schools. It was amusing to
learn that the song for the Rennes FC is sung to the tune of the famous Welsh
anthem, Land of Our Fathers!
On the following day Gar and I drove around the area and did some short trail walks within an hour of his home. There are so many small villages or communes in the area and the highly regulated building codes ensure that the villages are restored very attractively and have excellent services.
Discount flights out of the nearby airport at Dinard are
infrequent at this time of year and I left this afternoon and arrived in London
ahead of my flight to Dubai on Friday evening.
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