Berlin, Day 2

Berlin, Day 2

Today's events were viewed under sunny skies and perfect temperatures. Unlike yesterday, when the forecast called for sun and we got poured on, today the forecast called for rain and we got sun. Go figure. But, at least I had rain gear with us, and an umbrella.

Breakfast was at the local pastry and sandwich shop next to the hostel on the main street. We brought back the goodies to the hostel and checked our email and decided where to go. The decision was the Pergamon museum. It's the most popular destination for museums in all of Germany. Surely, there would not be a problem getting in, and now that it's 11 am, we will not have a line. Wrong! We walked all the way to the museum and were delighted with the massive line bleeding out onto the bridge. I walked to the front just for fun and it was a quarter mile long. Or at least it felt that way.

Enough about he problems getting to the museum! There was still some great, different, stuff to see along the way. We walked through Checkpoint Charlie again and were able to read the signs with information about he wall and it's historical significance. Yes, the information is good, but I was amazed at the people that were there reading it. Americans have the view that our history books are portraying, of course, but the displays were presented with all nations concerned being represented as well. By having an American interpretation of the wall, we were able to see what it was like for other people being there too. The Soviets saw it as something different than the Americans, and the East Germans saw it as something different entirely. Also, the number of people there looking at this important area astounded me. People were mostly reading in silence and being courteous of others around. It's not exactly a happy subject and people were being respectful. It was difficult to imagine what this place where I was standing was like in 1989, or even 1961. Not cool. I would have been shot where I was.

After we gave up on waiting in the long line, we headed to the DDR (Deutschland Democratic Republic) museum. This is a new "hands on" museum located just across from the museum island. The creators want you to feel what life was like in the DDR. Inside, you could see the little cars issued to the people called Trabi. They are super compact 2 door beauties sporting a 2 stroke motor. The gas would come with a 50:1 mix with oil. That is a super polluting monster that today we only use in lawnmowers and some boat engines. I am sure glad that we got rid of this technology in automobiles, but if you want, you can rent these little jobbies in town. I bet they are expensive. My luck, I would rent one and crash the thing. The body panels are even made out of a cotton/resin mix. So, I guess, you could be driving a pair of jeans? The rest of the museum displayed how other aspects of life were like. We saw schools, recreation, shopping, and living models. They had an interactive timeline outlining the politics leading to the downfall of the Berlin Wall. The collapse really makes sense if you look back on the DDR and how life was like there. We even heard radio shows and tv programming which shed light on the situation. Coming from America, it is difficult to imagine life like this. In a way, things could be turning into life like the DDR with our social programs and government influence. The whole time I was thinking how it might be like in North Korea. People had money in the DDR, but no one could buy things. There was no exotic fruit, cars, clothing that was fashionable, or a choice for much of anything. Supposedly, the North Koreans are living life in a similar situation, but without much money. Times have to be difficult there. I am glad the museum has preserved something so different, but it is very recent in the timeline, so the people are still living. This is great to get first hand accounts and I even remember the time of the USSR and East Germany before the collapse.

Once again, checking out a museum and trying to tie information together, leaves me with many more questions. At least I now have enough information to form questions where previously I was clueless. History is something so easy to forget. It is a dangerous thing to only live in the present and not have a historical perspective on the world. Sometimes, I wonder if politicians have ever read a book or been somewhere that has had turmoil. These things do not need to repeat themselves!

The trip is ending soon. Tomorrow, we might rent some bikes and go out on the town. We should take it easy and get ready for the grind when we get back.