As my friends and family slept in their beds at home in Canada, I touched down in a city that most will learn about for years in school, but will probably never visit: Berlin, Germany.
I have to admit, I was a bit hesitant about how Berlin would appeal to me. In general, I love European cities; they’re full of rich history, culture and stories. Every street corner has a tale to tell, every building has a secret to share. And, normally, I’d be eager to explore every nook and cranny and dig up as much history and tall tales as I could—but there’s something about Germany that always makes me cringe just a little.
It’s hard to ignore the atrocities that went on in this country during WWII, and try as I might, I couldn’t stop thinking about them as I walked the streets of Potsdamer Platz in the heart of Berlin. The streets I walked on today were nothing but desolate ruins some 70 years ago. Potsdamer Platz was laid to waste during WWII, even though it was a bustling railway-driven town just decades before. I won’t bore you with a history lesson, but as far as European cities and areas go, Potsdamer Platz is pretty “new”.
And yet, it still left me a bit uneasy.
I walked through the Memorial for Dead Jewish People this afternoon, and it was more than a little sobering. It’s odd how something that happened so many decades before can still hit home somehow. On every street corner, there’s a reminder of Germany’s not-so-nice past; a Reich building, a museum dedicated to the Holocaust, the Topographie of Terrors all about the Nazi regime and holding cells...
But somehow, I love it here.
For all its misery and sad upbringing, there’s something about Berlin that’s caught my eye and my fancy (could it be the car culture). On our way from the airport, it was clear to me that Berlin is and has been a working-man’s city. Blue-collar establishments were passed most often. And I also noticed that this city is so unbelievably green and spaced out.
As we flew in, I immediately noticed how spread-out the entire city is and how much green space is between each major thoroughfare. Even walking the streets, you can disappear from a bustling mainstreet onto a side street with quaint condos and not hear any road noise at all—and feel like you’re a million miles away when in actual fact all the shops and restaurants are just seconds away. How fantastic is that?
Add to that the fact that every car humming past me was either an Audi, Porsche, VW, BMW, Mercedes, Skoda or Citroen and I’m in absolute heaven. Because this is a rather new area of Berlin, and one that’s being constantly built up and improved, the rides are as new as the buildings going skyward.
I’ve quickly come to realize that BMWs are Germany’s Hondas and it wasn’t until 2 hours into my walk through the city that I spotted my first Honda; what a strange sensation for a North American.
I think I can come to terms with Germany’s dark history, especially after experiencing the city like I did today. The German people are lovely and the streets of Potsdamer Platz are beautiful. As I made my way back to my hotel, but not before stopping to snap a few shots of the VW Beetle on display for us, I had a smile on my face. Tomorrow, I hit the open road behind the wheel of the 2012 Beetle, and I can’t wait.
Germany, and Berlin, definitely surprised me—and I was glad it has.
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| Photo: Miranda Lightstone/Auto123.com |
I have to admit, I was a bit hesitant about how Berlin would appeal to me. In general, I love European cities; they’re full of rich history, culture and stories. Every street corner has a tale to tell, every building has a secret to share. And, normally, I’d be eager to explore every nook and cranny and dig up as much history and tall tales as I could—but there’s something about Germany that always makes me cringe just a little.
It’s hard to ignore the atrocities that went on in this country during WWII, and try as I might, I couldn’t stop thinking about them as I walked the streets of Potsdamer Platz in the heart of Berlin. The streets I walked on today were nothing but desolate ruins some 70 years ago. Potsdamer Platz was laid to waste during WWII, even though it was a bustling railway-driven town just decades before. I won’t bore you with a history lesson, but as far as European cities and areas go, Potsdamer Platz is pretty “new”.
And yet, it still left me a bit uneasy.
I walked through the Memorial for Dead Jewish People this afternoon, and it was more than a little sobering. It’s odd how something that happened so many decades before can still hit home somehow. On every street corner, there’s a reminder of Germany’s not-so-nice past; a Reich building, a museum dedicated to the Holocaust, the Topographie of Terrors all about the Nazi regime and holding cells...
But somehow, I love it here.
For all its misery and sad upbringing, there’s something about Berlin that’s caught my eye and my fancy (could it be the car culture). On our way from the airport, it was clear to me that Berlin is and has been a working-man’s city. Blue-collar establishments were passed most often. And I also noticed that this city is so unbelievably green and spaced out.
As we flew in, I immediately noticed how spread-out the entire city is and how much green space is between each major thoroughfare. Even walking the streets, you can disappear from a bustling mainstreet onto a side street with quaint condos and not hear any road noise at all—and feel like you’re a million miles away when in actual fact all the shops and restaurants are just seconds away. How fantastic is that?
Add to that the fact that every car humming past me was either an Audi, Porsche, VW, BMW, Mercedes, Skoda or Citroen and I’m in absolute heaven. Because this is a rather new area of Berlin, and one that’s being constantly built up and improved, the rides are as new as the buildings going skyward.
I’ve quickly come to realize that BMWs are Germany’s Hondas and it wasn’t until 2 hours into my walk through the city that I spotted my first Honda; what a strange sensation for a North American.
I think I can come to terms with Germany’s dark history, especially after experiencing the city like I did today. The German people are lovely and the streets of Potsdamer Platz are beautiful. As I made my way back to my hotel, but not before stopping to snap a few shots of the VW Beetle on display for us, I had a smile on my face. Tomorrow, I hit the open road behind the wheel of the 2012 Beetle, and I can’t wait.
Germany, and Berlin, definitely surprised me—and I was glad it has.
 |
| Photo: Miranda Lightstone/Auto123.com |