Went to the Berliner Mauer today. Well, the part of the Berlin Wall that's at the East Side Gallery. There are parts of it at Postdamer Platz but I wanted to see the larger stretch of the wall. It's roughly ~30 minutes away from where I live in Berlin, so not so bad at all.
It was really strange to walk along the Wall. Not because it didn't live up to my expectations (It really did go beyond) but because I never thought I'd actually see it. I've always wanted to travel around the world and see really famous historical places, ones that played a huge role in World history - not just American. I never thought I'd have the chance to walk along the Berlin and know that I have a few months to come back and see it again.
It's covered in graffiti promoting peace and freedom. As well as memorials to the 136 individuals who died trying to get from the East to the West over/under the wall. Seeing it is a lot more powerful than reading the stories and watching documentaries (DUH!)… I might go back on a day when it's not snowing and I'm not with a group of people and just walk along it slowly. That and see the other parts of the wall that are left around the city.
It was really interesting to see the difference between East and West Berlin as well. Lichterfelde, the part of Steglitz which I live in, is in the most South-Western part of Berlin. It's really modern and filled with residential areas and little stores. It's ~20 minutes from Mitte. In East Berlin, particularly around Ostbahnhof, it's more industrial and the buildings are much older. It's grayer. Partly because it was extremely cloudy today, but partly because of the atmosphere.
I'll give it a day and write more. Pictures will go up on Facebook soon.
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