Caitlin M. Liu contact selected articles bio Visiting Berlin Once again crowned as Germany's capital and located in the gravitational center of European Politics and economy, Berlin is the metropolis to watch – and experience. By Caitlin Liu Imperial Valley Press July 1995 1301 words London has Big Ben. Rome, the Coliseum. And what would Paris be without the Eiffel Tower? Berlin had The Wall. We all know about the dramatic unfolding of events in recent history. In fall of 1989, exuberant East and West Berliners stampeded toward each other, precipitating an earthquake that rocked the world. As the two Germanys merged into one, government after government in the Eastern Bloc toppled like helpless dominoes. At the epicenter of the shakup, the infamous graffiti-splashed concrete blocks collapsed into rubble. Champagne corks popped like fireworks in the sky. Strangers hugged one another. Arm-in-arm, ecstatic Berliners danced. Their first steps booted Marxism into the sidelines. Millions of feet then gleefully stomped on the grave of Erich Honecker's expired government. Before long, the reunited revelers vanquished the generation-old symbol of German separation and governmental oppression. And turned Berlin's main tourist magnet literally to dust. If you still long for a peep at The Wall, don't despair. Small sections still stand today to memorialize the city's divided past. Sinuous dotted lines on street maps trace where the old concrete barrier used to exist. For the most part, the physical scars are healing well. A journey by foot through Berlin took me along serene riverbanks, across patches of manicured grass and perilously down the middle of a busy road next to the Brandenburg Gate. The lesson here is to not muse long over old ghosts. Take a gander, some snapshots and move on. The rest of Berlin has so much more to offer. Once again crowned as Germany's capital and located in the gravitational center of European politics and economy, Berlin is the metropolis to watch – and experience. Due to its unique history, Berlin may seem fragmented and incoherent to some, while to others, wonderfully diverse and simply wild. Bombed to smithereens during World War II, the city rose quickly out of its ashes while under the occupation of the allied powers (the United States, Great Britain and France) on the western side and the former Soviet Union in the east. Immigrants from Turkey and former Eastern Bloc countries also pepper the multicultural goulash. * And now, more than five years after the fall of The Wall, Berlin has another reason to celebrate. The Reichstag, German's pre-war parliament building, has been under wraps as the latest project of the artist Christo and his partner-wife, Jean-Claude. The unveiling began July 7. To outsiders, the draped building springs like an apparition, leading a parade of ghosts from the past: the two world wars and their resulting devastation and surrender, the city's sudden, brutal split and later its joyful remarriage. The air seems colder as memories of Berlin as Nazi headquarter drift about. But for those who weathered the city's turbulent past, Christo and Jean-Claude have given the best gift they could imagine: therapy. The silvery shroud soothes, heals and uplifts. The pleated layers of the aluminum-coated polypropylene fabric embraces the 101-year-old edifice, accepting its past and gently but securely tucks itself in like a cozy blanket. As the symbol of Germany's political power, the Reichstag's image also has received an astonishing sleek makeover. Tailored to fit, the shimmering gown accents the building's form while gracefully smoothing its edges. In its presence, the spirit soars. So has the vicinity's tourism. To the street musicians and sidewalk vendors buzzing about, the wrapped Reichstag is a glittering moneybag from the sky. Dodging an obstacle course of onlookers, tripods and a man carrying a rainbow bouquet of balloons, I arrive breathless at the top of the building's back stairs and touch the magic cloth. It feels stiff but smooth, oddly reminiscent of the woven fabric seat of a folding lawn chair. * To truly appreciate Berlin, one must not only see, but experience it. Summer afternoons in the city are to be spent at a crowded cafe where you sit outdoors, wear dark shades for evasive people-watching and nurse your cappuccino. On a perfect day, a heavenly breeze dissipates the second-hand smoke; although many Germans are hard-core environmentalists when it comes to industrial emissions, the same folks can be nonchalant about polluting their own respiratory system and that of others. Nighttime is play time, and Berliners party hard. Exploring Berlin after dark can be one of the most exhilarating adventures in your life – the kind you later brag to friends and co-workers about but would never tell young children or mom. For the more sophisticated, mature and tame-at-heart, Berlin offers a vast array of operas, symphony concerts, stage theater, ballets and variety shows. A good place to start is the Bar jeder Vernunft. The interior is all dark wood, paneled with mirrors, recreating the style of Berlin in the 1930s. It is totally packed. Our party of four finds a cozy booth near the stage. We slide in and order beers. A well-groomed, slightly plump, middle-aged woman in a sparkling black evening gown sidles to the microphone. As the applause fades, she tucks a loose lock of red hair teasingly behind her ear and announces the evening's acts in a deep, sonorous voice. My date chokes – not out of political incorrectness, just great surprise that such a lovely, aunty-looking she is really a he. Our emcee cracks jokes, croons a love song in French and flirts with the four businessmen in the booth next to us, delighting and captivating the audience. The other acts are pure vaudeville, with musicians, singers, an acrobat and stand-up comics. For a taste of Berlin's counterculture, head out to the district of Kreuzberg, the wildly pulsating center of the alternative club scene in western Berlin, Oranienburgerstrasse in the middle or Prenzlauerberg, in the east. I prefer Kreuzberg for pragmatic reasons – it's supported by a better web of public transportation for finding my way back to bed in the early morning hours. Kreuzberg is also the most radical, in in terms of multicolored hair, pierced anatomical parts and the number of bodies I see in a week slumped over on a sidewalk (two). This is where artists have studios, people live in communes, java is cheap and clubs rock until dawn. Hearing the thump, thump, thump of techno (re-mixed dance music with sledgehammer beats), we follow our ears and duck under a board in a broken fence. We find ourselves in a littered clearing. In the darkness, my eyes trace out a sparse squatters' camp of decrepit trailers, broken furniture and ghoul-like figures milling around. I clutch my friend's hand, wishing for my mace. Our eyes more accustomed to the dark now, we see hundreds of youths sitting, smoking, drinking or just hanging out, enjoying the freedom of uninhibited conversation under the veil of night, asserting their new rights under Germany's recently relaxed drug laws. A few turn to look at the newcomers and then resume the flow of their lives. My adrenaline ebbs; there's no need to fight or take flight. Clubs in Berlin come in all sizes, musical persuasions and sexual orientations. Particularly strong are the techno and trance scenes. This is a town where techno disc jockeys such as the green-eyebrowed Marusha have bigger followings than rock stars. As a rule, the night life revs up late. Some clubs open their doors at 10 p.m. or later and fill at about 2 a.m., which, to my great fortune, synchronizes perfectly with my jet lag. After a night of club-hopping, we retreat to a falafel shop. My high-octane energy level, just as things are winding down, greatly impresses my Berliner friend and veteran clubber, whose amazement deepens into awed respect at my tremendous appetite at 5 a.m. Of course I'm starved – it's way past dinner time in California! * GETTING THERE: Planes fill early in the summer months, so book your flight soon. Youth fares are available for students and those under age 27. WHERE TO STAY: To nest in luxury, check-in with the Maritim Grand Hotel, where guests can wade in a marble swimming pool (Friedrichstrasse 158, 10117 Berlin, Tel: (49) 30 2327 3253). Rooms from about $320 and up, more if the dollar takes another nose-dive against the German mark. Quaint and more reasonably priced is Hotel Wendelhof (Spreewaldplatz 8, 10999 Berlin. Tel: (49) 30 612 7046). Spotlessly clean upstairs, groovy cafes (especially the Morena) downstairs. Small single with hall bath goes for about $40, a double with shower runs about $80. Dirt cheap Jugengaestenhaus Berlin offers dormitory-like living arrangements for about $20 per person, youth hostel card required (Kluckstrasse 3, 10785 Berlin. Tel (49) 30 261 1097). WHERE TO EAT: Reinhard's (Kurfuerstendamm 190 (49) 30 881 1621) is simply elegant. Entrees about $20 and up. Cafe Hardenberg attracts an intellectual, hip and artsy crowd (Hardenbergstrasse 10). Great salads starting at about $7, no reservations needed. Rissani (at Spreewaldplatz, two doors down from Hotel Wendenhof) serves Egyptian falafels and hummus from heaven for $3 and up. Ask for free spicy tea with your order. WHERE TO GO: Jazz: Quasimodo, Kantastrasse 12a. Tel 312 8086. Free admission on Mondays. Variety: Bar jeder Vernunft, Schaperstrasse 24. Tel 883 1582. Free admission Saturdays at midnight. Opera: Deutsche Staatsoper, Unter den Linden 7. Tel 204 4315. Even if you dislike soaring sopranos, the 18th century neo-classical building itself is worth a visit. WHERE TO PLAY: Buy a copy of the bi-weekly Tip if you can read German, or the month Metropolis in English for a complete guide to the city's concerts, dance clubs, live venues and summer street festivals. contact selected articles bio