Checkpoint Charlie

Before we moved here, when I thought of Berlin, it was how the city has become the arts and culture capitol of Europe, full of life and a cheap place to live. Wednesday's trip into the city centre reminded me of the other side of the city - its fascinating and harrowing history.


Kusi and I took our first journey on the city's public train, the U Bahn, to the city centre. It was there we saw what is left of the Berlin Wall and Checkpoint Charlie, which is now a tourist stop with an person dressed up as an East German soldier who will put an East German stamp in your passport for fun.
Standing where so many events happen which made up so much of the psyche of the Cold War experience was truly profound.

Even more so was walking down one block to the ruins of the Gestapo "Interrogation" (torture) headquarters. The exhibition there and the stories where too much to take in. I wasn't expecting the eerie and disturbing depth of feelings that the place held.

I plan to return to these spots and others such as the Reichstag, better prepared to experience them and ready to feel their stark memories. But also, as a plaque read at one of sites we visited, "these places are a challenge to us to constantly resist the solution of political problems by means of war".