eesh been ein Bear-lee-ner

In my research schedule, the big cities are the daunting hurdles. Berlin is not only big, it’s changing fast, and I am personally committed to having a great chapter on it in my book. Compared with Berlin, Munich is now stale strudel…flat beer. Berlin is it. It’s not only emerging…it’s cheap. And for anyone into 20th-century tumult, Berlin puts you in hog heaven.

I have a powerful image of Hitler and his right-hand man, Albert Speer (his architect), poring over plans for postwar Berlin…built up in a way to make Paris look quaint. Of course, by 1945, the city was in ruins, Hitler was identified by his dental records, and Speer was in jail writing his memoirs (“Inside the Third Reich,” which provided me with my best Third Reich images).

With my last few visits, I get this queasy feeling that Speer’s vision is coming true. The latest example: the massive new Hauptbahnhof (central train station) — the only one in Europe with major lines merging at right angles. Toss in 80 stores and local subway lines — and it’s a city in itself.

The other strong feeling I get in Berlin is that it’s a victory celebration for capitalism. Like Romans keeping a few vanquished barbarians in cages for locals to spit at, capitalism and the West flaunt victory in Berlin. Slices of the Berlin Wall hang like scalps at the gate to the Sony Center (at Potsdamer Platz, the biggest office park I’ve ever been in).

A sleek SAS Radisson hotel now stands on the place where the old leading hotel of East Berlin once stood. I remember staying there during the Cold War, and a West German 5-Mark coin changed on the black market would get me drinks all night. Now five euros is lucky to get me a beer, and the lobby of the Radisson hosts an eight-story-tall exotic fish tank the size of a grain silo with an elevator zipping scenically right up the middle. Next door, a little DDR Museum is filled with mostly East German tourists rummaging through the nostalgia on display from dreary life under communism.

Across the street, statues of Marx and Lenin (nicknamed “the Pensioners” by locals) look wistfully at the local Space Needle-type TV tower East Berlin built under communism. The best thing locals could say about it back then was, “It’s so tall that if it falls, we’ll have an elevator to freedom.”

Enlarge photo

The victory party rages on at Checkpoint Charlie. With every visit, I remember my spooky 1971 visit — when tour buses were emptied at the border so mirrors could be rolled under the bus to see if anyone was trying to escape with us.

Thirty-six years later, Checkpoint Charlie is a capitalist freak show. Lowlife characters sell fake bits of the wall, WWII-vintage gas masks, and DDR medals. Two actors dress as American soldiers posing for tourists between big American flags and among sandbags at the rebuilt checkpoint — like the goofy centurions at the Roman Colosseum. Across the street at “Snack Point Charlie,” someone sipping a Coke said, “When serious turns to kitsch, you know it’s over.”

Brandenburg Gate faces Pariser Platz — the ultimate address in Berlin. It’s a poignant place. Within about 100 yards you have: the vast new “Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe”; a memorial to the first victims of Hitler (96 men, the German equivalent of congressmen, who spoke out in the name of democracy against his rule in the early 1930s and ended up some of the first killed in his concentration camps); the new American Embassy (still under construction, with such high security that visitors will enter through a tunnel via a park across a busy highway); a big Starbucks; one of the “ghost” subway stations that went unused through the Cold War — now looking like a 1930s time warp; the balcony where Michael Jackson dangled his baby (according to local guides, the sight of greatest interest for most American tourists); the glass dome capping the bombed-out Reichstag (capitol building) where on the rooftop on May Day 1945 Russian troops quelled a furious Nazi last stand; and hills nearby created entirely of the rubble of a city bombed nearly flat 60 years ago.

The newest addition to the neighborhood is a Kennedy museum filled with JFK lore, such as the handwritten note he referred to with the phonetics for his famous Berlin speech. As I read his note, I could hear his voice: “eesh been ein Bear-lee-ner.”

Thinking of the amazing story of Berlin — Speer’s vision, Hitler’s burning body, the last stand on the rooftop, the communists, the heroic American airlift, Kennedy’s speech, Reagan’s “tear down this wall” speech, the challenge of reunification, and the gleaming city visitors marvel at today, I hopped into a cab.

I asked the driver if he was a Berliner. When he turned to me, I realized he was Turkish. He said, “I’ve lived here 31 years. If Kennedy, after one day, could say ‘Ich bin ein Berliner’ — then I guess I can say I am a Berliner, too.”

Comments

25 Replies to “eesh been ein Bear-lee-ner”

  1. Great blog! Thanks for bringing us current on what is happening in Berlin. I loved Munich but Berlin is a different game.

  2. My husband and I just did a round-about (June) on the pretext of his buddy´s wedding in Dusseldorf. So we went on to Bremen, Bremerhaven, BERLIN, Dresden, PRAGUE, VIENNA, Salzburg, then a 2-day trip up and down The RHINE (your book to the letter), with Bonn and Cologne included. Then flew back home from Dusseldorf. We improvised our own little tour and detours of interest, but your “Best of Europe” was our travel Bible, even if it is quite a brick to carry. What you have called “cooky cutter” IBIS Hotels where a godsend for us older travelers. Oh! I regret the comment posted just before mine. I´m sorry for thet fellow. I hope he is not issued a Passport. Best regards and thanks, Rosa Campay-Bertsch.

  3. During the late ‘30s and early ‘40s, a few men, at the head of state, turned Germany into the most hated nation in the world, and for the next 40 years the East Germans were brainwashed by their liberal-left government. But isn’t it wonderful to observe how fleeting and how superficial that brainwashing was. The ideas of freedom are so ingrained in human nature, no debriefing or retraining was needed when the Berlin Wall fell. They knew instinctively how freedom works. —- In 1991 at Alexanderplatz, I commented to a lady at a market booth that she was a beautiful young lady, dressed in an attractive manner, with a pleasant hair style, and she looked nicer then many young ladies, with “bed hair, and thrift store clothes,” we see in the US and in West Germany. Her response, “We can’t afford to have our hair styled like that, and can’t afford that style of clothes, but just as soon as we can afford it, we will.” A good reason to rebuild the Berlin Wall.

  4. If you even take only a slight interest in history I would recommend a trip to Berlin. I visited East and West Berlin as a student in 1974 and again in 2005. There is so much 20th century history to see. Among the usual sites I would recommend in particular the former Gestapo headquarters. I also found myself fascinated by the ruins of the Anhalter Bahnhof. I do agree with Rick’s point about the Potsdamer Platz. It was rebuilt lacking that any identification that this is Berlin. The buildings are large, modern, and lack architectural harmony. I thought I was walking around on the set of a bad futuristic sci-fi movie.

  5. This Ben guy is totally cracking me up. Ben: take the whole pill! Don’t just crush it up in your ice cream and think it will keep the demons away. Keep on travelin’ everyone else. Great blog about Berlin. My uncle escaped East Germany with his mother & siblings to come to America. We are planning a family trip there next year, and I will really use that Berlin chapter when we do. My uncle hasn’t seen the city since he was 13 and literally running for his life. Guten Tag everyone!

  6. I was in Berlin twice last year while living in Prague. My first reaction, coming out of the bahnhof, was how western it felt compared to Praha. But it quickly became one of my favorite places because it feels so alive while still paying great respect to the negatives and positives of its history. I almost started considering myself a Berliner as well! A really interesting city and I certainly enjoyed your thoughts on it, Rick! Thanks!

  7. Howdy all! Berlin sounds like another world. I live in Wyoming. The most excitment we have is the rodeo coming up. I just love the clowns. I’m planning my family trip to Germany. It will be a real eye opener for my five kids. Take care, Rick. We love your travel show! We are learning how to travel the world outside of Wyoming.

  8. We often conduct a “Humberd Poll.” After the Berlin Wall fell, the 1991 “German question,” asked with hand signals and finger pointing was, “Eins Deutchland besser Zwei Deutschland?” One Germany better than two Germanys? Usually the answer was yes, but the “nos” made sense after we asked more questions. Young people in the West were not happy with tax increases needed to rebuild the East, young people in the East were excited about their chances for an improved life. The pension of the elders in the East, based on the East German Mark, does not buy enough to live well, they have no way to earn money needed to take advantage of the improved situation. Most older people in the West were excited to see their country returned to “normal.” —Alexanderplatz in East Berlin included a large world clock that told the time in major cities all over the world. In 1980, I said, “Why do people in East Berlin care what time it is in Tokyo, they can’t even visit West Berlin.”

  9. My wife and I are going to Germany mid Sept. We will be spending ten days and are planing our trip with Rick’s books and advice. This is our 1st time out of the U S. We plan on Bavaria and some Austria. Any good tips or advice on places to sleep. Thanks Keep up the good work Rick

  10. My 19 year old daughter and I (her 60yo Dad) are going to backpack Europe for 3 weeks starting Aug 9th in Berlin. We end up in Copenhagen where she will do overseas study at the Business School until late December. I really enjoyed the last 2 blogs – right up our alley. NOTE: We will be doing the the ‘college’ route, hostels and all…

  11. Thanks Rick. I can “feel” Berlin…the essence of traveling. We just returned from a trip to Stockholm and Riga, Latvia. Stockholm was like a dignified matron – set in her ways, a bit prim and proper – clean and neat. Riga was like an adolescent…sowing her wild oats. Vital, energetic, reeling in new freedom, and figuring out what it means (good and bad) to be free and democratic. It was wonderful. I would highly recommend Riga!

  12. Dave, So nice you went to Riga Latvia! Not many people do visit there. I yet need to go because my daughter in law is from Riga Latvia, and now she and my son live in Texas! A big change for her! She and my son are in Riga right now for the summer. When I met Rick in Edmonds, WA. for the travel festival, he said he has been to Riga. My daughter in law offered to be Rick’s tour guide if he ever does a TV show there. How about it Rick?! I’m going to be in Berlin this November!! Can’t wait!! Lisa P.

  13. Rick! THANK YA’, THANK YA’, THANK YA’ FOR SUCH A GREAT BLOG! AND BEN, SHAME! SHAME! SHAME ON YOU FOR BEING MEAN, MEAN, MEAN! GOMER PYLE

  14. Bob, Germany in September is beautiful. It is a great pick for a first European trip. My wife and I get a car and go wherever she wants. Bavaria is breathtaking and a joy to travel. Do not limit yourself to big hotels or name brands. We have not been disappointed with any place we have stayed. We do not plan where we will stay. we just stop at any local hotel. In southern Bavaria definately see Nueschwanstein and walk across the bridge and up the trail to get a different view of the castle. See the church in Weis for the rococo style. Stay inside the walled city of Rothenburg. Learn a few words before you go. Mainly, relax and have fun! Happy travels. John

  15. Does anyone know if there is any truth to the story that JFK actually said I am a Berliner wrong? I had heard some time ago that literally translated he said either “I am a doughnut” or “I am a hot dog”. I don’t speak German but I think it had something to do with using ein instead of something else. If true thank heavens the crowd knew what he meant. I find it funny Rick followed his last post with a mention of JFK and Reagan speeches in Berlin. I remember watching an interview with the guy who wrote Reagan’s speech when he said Gorbachev tear down this wall. I guess the professional diplomats went into a tizzy over that line and demanded it be removed from the speech. I guess stuff like that makes the cocktail party circuit awkward.

  16. Thanks for the great blog, Rick. Today’s blog on Berlin gave me a new interest in learning more about the city. I just ordered a copy of Albert Speers’ Inside the Third Reich. I also checked out the suggested reading list that you recommend for the Best of Berlin, Prague and Vienna tour. I may add Berlin to our travels next year. Travel opens one’s mind!

  17. German does not use an article when speaking of place, so Kennedy should have Ich bin Berliner. Ein Berliner IS a pastry, so yes, Kennedy did say he was a “donut”. Under the circumstances, it passed.

  18. All your blogs have been great, but I was especially interested in your Berlin input, as it’s been 15 yrs since my last visit. The description of Checkpoint Charlie Museum as capitalist kitsch saddens me, as owner/founder Rainer Hildebrandt was a dear friend and tireless worker for freedom. But thinking of him, his prewar Polish artist girlfriend, and how they were reunited after many years – one of the greatest love stories of all time – has brightened my morning and brought back wonderful memories. He wrote so many books, including one on her sculptures, but their personal story is the one that should be told. No fiction novel could ever compare. Thanks and Happy Travels Patsy

  19. I tell people that, while Seattle is my home, Berlin is my city. I’ve been there twice in three years for extended stays, and the city never ceases to fascinate. The changes are all the more astounding to me personally, as I was assigned to Berlin in the early 1070’s while serving with the USAF. The astounding difference in emotional atmosphere between Berlin then and now never ceases to amaze me.

  20. Skinless Sausages My last visit to Berlin was fantastic. Stayed at Pension Peters. They are so friendly and cheerful and helpful. Berlin is hopping. Rick put me in the SavignyPlatz neigbourhood, with great bars and eateries. One night all you can eat buffet for 5 Euro. I had these sausages at a stand that was very busy. Saw on “another” travel show a lady running a stand explaining that 50 years ago or something they had rationing and no skins for sausages. They cooked them without skins and today people eat them and harken back in time. The ketchup is from a large container but they add special stuff. Delicious and you feel really like a local eating them at a stand. Berlin has so much to see. Reichstag very good as is the bombed out church. Was at mass in the new church. Tourists not supposed to enter for mass but I was inside when mass started. Thanks again to Pension Peters for a wonderful visit. Like staying with friends. Berlin is a winner.

  21. Thanks for sharing. Now I am even more excited for my Berlin trip at the end of August. I wanted to hear a really really recent review of Berlin. Guten Tag!

  22. Rick, I think Berlin deserves a book of its own, it matches London or Paris for me. We just missed you at Pension Peters by a couple of days, Annika and Christoph’s expansion and continued great service keeps us coming back.

  23. Crusty— Actually, the debate about the donut is completely absurd. It is absolutely OK to say ich bin ein Berliner. It isn’t AS correct as ich bin Berliner, though. A Berliner is a kind of pastry, just like a Amerikaner or a Kamaruner. The funny thing is that it is called a Pfankuchen in Berlin anyway.

  24. I read about Rick’s recommendation to include Cinque Terre on any Italian trip and I just did that. Cinque Terre is literally 360 degree spectacular paranoma: cliffs that drop away inches from the sandy footpaths into a sla of deep sapphire. An attempt to photograph Cinque Terre will be either futile or a cheap, touristy venture to eat away at the landscape with the eye and end up with a picture that does nothing to represent the emotions that courses through one’s views at Cinque. For hardcore urbanites like us Singaporeans, the green that flourishes in Cinque is a feast for the soul. Exchange concrete staircases for worn-in paths, stepping stone boulders and the real sun that gilds your skin pale gold. Breathe in air that is not clogged with exhaust fumes & pollution. How can one photograph the moment when the tired 5 of us step at a flimsy wooden fence and take in the view, the silence, the sheer simplicity at the happiness of being there? At Cinque, life suddenly seems so much more simpler and uncomplicated. Cinque, definitely a must for any Italian vacation!

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