berlin part two
The kebab was a depth charge. It exploded in my stomach and I awoke feeling like sh*t. Took me a whole day to recover. I carried out my plan to see the many sights of Berlin regardless.
Kebabs, dreadful things.
Dragged myself around Berlin with great difficulty. Thankfully, I joined a tour which took in all of Berlins significant sights. Tourism by speed. I was entertained by seeing all the things of the city and more. It never occured to me that the former wall was so extensive. I had thought it just spilt the city in two. Silly. West Berlin was plop in the middle of eastern Germany. The good old GDR. The wall wrapped itself around the whole area of west Berlin. Some 164 km in all. Little remains.
I enjoyed seeing all the tourist things. Reichstag, old buildings (there are not many, 70% of the city was flattened during WW2) and hearing of the rich history of the city. The Jewish memorial is something special. It consists of 2,700 granite blocks, of varying size. The floor swerves, dips and pitches. The height of each stone block is irregular. The idea is to disorientate. Just like the feeling those who were murdered. I went back there at night to walk through its maze too. The stone block's are lacquered with a glaze. After this glazing, it was discovered that the company that manufactures it was the same company that produced Kylon B. The chemical used in the gas chambers. Tragidically ironic.
Berlin is a city of contradictions. A place both liberal and strict. A place where one cannot but be amazed by its rebirth. Valhalla. They claim to be the biggest building site after Shanghai. Wealth abounds yet the city authority is 60 billion euro in debt.
I like this city, I like the ever so accommodating people, I like the rhythm of the place.
Oh, I almost forgot, for one of my readers, a very pretty one at that. A princess, in fact! There are Irish pubs everywhere, in all cities. Everywhere I go, I cannot help but find one. Beijing, Seoul, Moscow and so on. There are 27 Irish pubs in Berlin alone.
Maybe I should write a book and call it 'Around the World in 80 Irish pubs'.....
Kebabs, dreadful things.
Dragged myself around Berlin with great difficulty. Thankfully, I joined a tour which took in all of Berlins significant sights. Tourism by speed. I was entertained by seeing all the things of the city and more. It never occured to me that the former wall was so extensive. I had thought it just spilt the city in two. Silly. West Berlin was plop in the middle of eastern Germany. The good old GDR. The wall wrapped itself around the whole area of west Berlin. Some 164 km in all. Little remains.
I enjoyed seeing all the tourist things. Reichstag, old buildings (there are not many, 70% of the city was flattened during WW2) and hearing of the rich history of the city. The Jewish memorial is something special. It consists of 2,700 granite blocks, of varying size. The floor swerves, dips and pitches. The height of each stone block is irregular. The idea is to disorientate. Just like the feeling those who were murdered. I went back there at night to walk through its maze too. The stone block's are lacquered with a glaze. After this glazing, it was discovered that the company that manufactures it was the same company that produced Kylon B. The chemical used in the gas chambers. Tragidically ironic.
Berlin is a city of contradictions. A place both liberal and strict. A place where one cannot but be amazed by its rebirth. Valhalla. They claim to be the biggest building site after Shanghai. Wealth abounds yet the city authority is 60 billion euro in debt.
I like this city, I like the ever so accommodating people, I like the rhythm of the place.
Oh, I almost forgot, for one of my readers, a very pretty one at that. A princess, in fact! There are Irish pubs everywhere, in all cities. Everywhere I go, I cannot help but find one. Beijing, Seoul, Moscow and so on. There are 27 Irish pubs in Berlin alone.
Maybe I should write a book and call it 'Around the World in 80 Irish pubs'.....
posted by Ciarán at 1:57 p.m.
1 Comments:
Hey C!!
I feel priviliged to get a small but significant mention in your blog! Made me smile like a Cheshire cat!
Berlin sounds like a city I'd like to visit. Might do so soon...and pop into all 27 Irish pubs!
Keep writing....
Post a Comment
<< Home