It might be a bit stereotypical to focus on the Berlin Wall on my first post about the city, but I think you’re ignoring the elephant in the room if you don’t mention it.
This wall shaped everything in the city and in the divided country, for decades. The side you lived on dictated the car you drove, the clothes you wore and the rights you had. Being a member of Amnesty International, I can get a bit preachy about this kind of thing, but it was incredibly weird to explore the city without that boundary stopping you, yet knowing it was there all the time.
Here’s a photo essay from the less than attractive parts of the wall – the ones that haven’t been turned into cool murals or the East Side Art Gallery. The ones that just sit there and make you think.
The makeshift memorial pays tribute to the people who lost their lives trying to cross the wall.
That two-brick line marks where the wall once stood.
The graffiti ranges from tags and names to really personal messages such as this.
I couldn’t help noticing the simple ‘Why’ when I took this photo.
A snapshot of life through a gap.
This piece of graffiti sums it all up, really.
I spotted the air balloon promoting the newspaper, Die Welt, which created a nice bit of contrast between the wall and ‘the world’.
A huge stretch is kept behind these rusting railings at the Topography of Terror exhibition.
If you get the chance to visit Berlin then, by all means see all the cool stuff like the Currywurst Museum and the shops and Museum Island, but don’t ignore the wall. It’s one of the most important parts of your trip, however uncomfortable it might make you. As for the nicely decorated sections? They’ll get their own post later.
The Travelling Calavera 