Peace, Love, Berlin

Here are my top three moments/stories from Berlin in no particular order:

3. Real World: Berlin

We arrived at our hostel in the morning after waking up at 2 a.m. the night before to catch our crack-of-dawn flight. Tired, and sore from carrying our luggage everywhere, we were ready to unload, take a quick nap, and get exploring. As we walk up to our hostel, a man with a camera stops us and asks if he could film us walking up to the hostel. Turns out that they were filming a promotional video to put on their Web site and they wanted us in it.

At first, we thought it was kind of funny and were pretty good sports about it. But after more than one take of us walking in, filming us checking in, and having a camera shoved in our faces while we unpack our clothes, I think we had all had enough.

Even worse, the next morning, while half of us were half naked getting ready, the camera crew barges in and asks to film us! They filmed us at breakfast, they filmed us on the computers, and on and on...Finally, as a last request, we all sat along the bed and yelled 'We LOVE the Rixpack!' enthusiastically. We were told to imagine we were speaking to Brad Pitt, and in our sole male traveler's case, to Pamela Anderson...I'm not sure if it worked...

At this point, I think most of us were annoyed, especially because filming was slowing down our morning a little. After that experience, we all had a little sympathy for those unfortunate souls who decide to enter the realm of reality television. Given that they didn't know what they were getting into, it must be an extremely aggravating and painful process being filmed 24/7. We were about to do some damage on those cameras after 20 minutes. However, for those pitiful reality television stars who decide, after having been through it once, to take this on as a career, I have less sympathy.

The hostel itself was actually wonderful, clean, shiny, and new. Our flamboyantly gay hostel owner, our perfect-for-building-forts bunk beds, and free breakfast made for a positive experience. So hopefully if y'all ever stay there filming will be over...

2. East Side Gallery
In 1989, when the Berlin Wall came down, hundreds of artists flocked to the stretch of the wall between the Oberbaum Bridge and the Ostbahnhoff and painted pictures of peace, freedom, and the overcoming of inhumanity. Because it was such an ad hoc initiative, the preservation of these paintings weren't held in mind at the time, and a huge restoration process began as it started to deteriorate.

It was a unique experience, being at both a historically charged site and an art gallery in one. The paintings were so emotional, and it was a brief glimpse into the feelings and thoughts that were stirred up by this separation between East and West.

I really liked this quote that was painted alongside one of the paintings...
Aside from the commentary, the each of the paintings were really beautiful and moving in their own way. Here are some of my favorites...

'Brotherhood Kiss' by Dmitry Vrubel
I like how the light got caught right at the border of the painting.

A gate embedded into the wall. Very mixed media, very cool.

1. Bears!

Strolling along the Berlin streets, you come across a LOT of bear statues. Yellow bears, Coca-Cola bears, Native American bears etc. etc...Turns out, that the bear is a symbol for Berlin. Called 'Buddy Bears' they were designed to promote peace and harmony, and the 144 bears standing in a peace circle at the Berlin Haupbahnhof station in Berlin represent the 144 countries in the UN. And the two buddy bears in the middle are little beacons of global peace.
...not to mention they are adorable!

Hehe...Alanna, I thought you'd appreciate this one.

Berlin definitely brought out my inner hippie. The tragedy and intolerance the city has seen in its history has made it wary of a repeat, and as a result it's shaped up to be a pretty progressive city. There is something for everyone here. Lots of delicious vegan and bio restaurants for the veg population, an underground scene for the alternative crowd, and lots of bears to remind people to love one another.