Saturday, 4 August 2012

Eastside vs. Westside


Oppression was the dish of the day. Mainly that caused by the Berlin wall that effectively divided East and West Germany as well as that of the poor old Jews. Some people would think that 6 hours spent in museums was a bit oppressive, my feet would definitely agree. My mother would probably be proud of how much I walked today. 

This morning saw a trip to Checkpoint Charlie –The Wall Museum. I tried and failed to stop myself from bursting into tears at the selfless acts of some people to help others escape. Like Franz Walander. Franz was a German officer of some sort, who printed lots of foreign passports to help the Jews escape persecution during the Second World War, Only to get to Sweden (the goal) to be seized himself. 

Another case was much later when Germany was divided by the wall, John (I think his name was John) Ireland converted his car so that he could hide people inside. At the risk of his own life e helped ten people to escape from the East.
I’m all for interactive things in museums but when, in the case of the JΓΌdisches museum, you get Albert Einstein doing a dance across the screen, is that really a good idea?
Nevertheless, I learnt all about Einstein and the theory of relativity as well as the history of Nivea. The name was taken from the Latin word ‘Nix’ meaning snow.

After all that ‘intake of knowledge’ I was in the need of sustenance (read cake). On the quest for cake I stumbled upon ‘Berlin Lacht’ a sort of fair with a load of street artists. The first ‘comedian’ I saw wasn’t even funny. ‘Lachen’ I did not, especially when he lifted and swung an anchor (an actual ships’ anchor) by his ear lobes.

It’s a bit weird to be sat in a deck chair with a Bratwurst in the middle of a city square at half seven at night. A bit like summer.

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