the day continues...

 There is a U Bahn stop across the street from my hostel front door, literally (see photos).  I took that across town for an Embassy visit, and then of course ran into other interesting things in the neighborhood.  I gradually made my way back to the center of town and the Reichstag, the Brandenburg Gate and Potsdamerplatz, from where I followed the brick trail that denotes the location of the Wall-I believe this is the Western line, with the death strip between that and another wall inside it.  I visited an old guard tower along the way. So much of the old stuff was destroyed, either as the city modernized, or in the aftermath of the Wall coming down because people wanted rid of all of the reminders.  Eventually some of it  was protected.

I think it would be hard to be a Berliner, with respect to the rest of the world.  Living here would probably not be any kind of burden, what I have seen is a clean, ordered city (I did see a few homeless people this morning), with fantastic art, cultural life, architecture, infrastructure... but still, just as we Americans bear the burden of how our prior (and current) generations treated Indians, or slavery, or pick your shame, so the German people have some history to live down that may take a few more generations. I am reminded that the Nazis had no corner on cruelty, we see it all over the world.  Then again, I seem to have a guilt complex, so maybe I overapply that to others. 

I went to the Topography of Terrors along the way.  I am going to post only a couple of photos from the exhibition, but be warned that they are photos of death.  I walked away from the building somewhat undone, not by Hitler and his henchmen exactly, although of course they were evil.  It was the looks on the faces of many of the people as they were humiliated, beaten, tortured and killed, for such crimes as being of the wrong race, religion, sexual orientation or political beliefs.  Or maybe because someone coveted their property, or had an old grudge to settle.  The police were given such complete power in daily life, and ultimately the choice of life or death; people were taught by public demonstrations of shaming, death or other rebukes; there was no meaningful way to dissent.  And then I thought of so many other circumstances of terror both now and in history, some involving only a small group of people, some a whole race.  It is not new to humans.  I am reading The History of the World, by Frank Welsh, arguably not complete nor even scholarly (sorry, Tyler and Lilly). We have been conquering, killing, kidnapping and other happy things since we came into being.  All very interesting from an academic perspective, but to see those faces, those eyes today.  Holy shit.  I just walked and cried, and put music in my ears and wished it weren't so.

Then on to Checkpoint Charlie, which was the way that Clay drove when he entered the Communist East with his busload of tourists.  Now it is a touristy thing, but I found it moving nonetheless, thinking about my brother's personal history there. 

It has been quite a day.  A very good day to be alive.

I am posting some photos to Picasa now, will try to post a link, or you can use the link from my post a few days ago too.