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International Destinations
Beautiful Berlin
At any time of day and night now, Berliners walk, cycle,
drive, skate and jog between the east and west neighbourhoods
of the city, travelling back and forth where the Berlin Wall
used to be.
Residents and tourists alike also seem oblivious when crossing
the old demarcation area they called "no man's land,"
where only 12 years ago they would have been shot.
However, Berliners remember no man's land exceedingly well.
They remember the 30-metre-wide death-strip; the empty zone
of grassland between the outer and inner walls that literally
locked in half of the city. It was the Soviet-built buffer
zone for the Berlin Wall and it was reserved solely for guard
towers, watchdogs and guns. Berliners can't forget the prolonged
torment and yet, Germany's capital city is rebuilding at such
a rapid pace now newcomers can't be expected to fully appreciate
the freedom to just come and go.
 I
recall the last time I was here, standing at the Wall on the
western side, trying to peer up and over the four-metre-high,
155-metre-long concrete barricade to get a better look at
the dark and somber Russian stronghold that was East Berlin.
On my side, the free side, West Berliners had come to lay
scores of white crosses and flowers throughout the years,
each one in memory of an unsuccessful escape. During its 28-year
existence, at least 160 people lost their lives in desperate
attempts to cross no man's land, until one day in 1989, the
Wall -- which had been separating the frontiers of capitalism
and communism -- was suddenly torn down, leading to the full
reunification of Germany as the Soviet Union collapsed.
All at once Berlin found itself straddling the border of
two distinct, but no longer separate worlds. Overnight the
city changed from an isolated outpost in Soviet territory
to the official gateway between East and West. The city's
entire foundation is a living museum and indeed, it is attracting
attention.
There is no doubt that it is the former East Berlin that
western visitors come to see -- and while the city is intent
on rebuilding and blending all of Berlin together to create
one dynamic European hub, still, most people will visit Berlin
for its extraordinary past. The chance, for example, to see
remnants of the communist reign, up close and personal, is
an invaluable eye-opener.. In the century preceding it too,
Berlin was the intellectual heart of Imperial Prussia and
therefore, centre stage for science, medicine, education,
technology, and the arts -- and for entertainment. Indeed,
after dark the city was equally identified for its raunchy
nightclubs and adult-only cabarets.
If you are like most Berliners however, you may prefer to
view this city on the leading edge for fine art, the performing
arts, academics, architecture, fashion, hospitality and cuisine.
The threat of nuclear holocaust taught Berliners to live like
there was no tomorrow –- and it has taken no time for
its youth to step in and make up for lost time.
To make the most of a brief time here, consider taking an
orientation city bus tour. There are plenty of them at all
hours of the day, including a "hop-on, hop-off"
ticket that encourages the freedom to explore more than a
dozen major sites. Germany's capital city is now home to ballet,
a world-renowned symphony orchestra, three opera houses, 150
theatres, 170 museums and 300 galleries. Central city highlights
include the celebrated Pergamon Museum, the Egyptian Museum
with its treasured bust of Nefertiti, the rebuilt Reichstag,
the grand boulevard Unter den Linden, the museum at Checkpoint
Charlie, the roadside remnants of the Berlin Wall, the Brandenburg
Gate and now, in the city's post-modern incarnation, hardly
a trace of no man's land.
More information on Berlin and all of Germany is available
at www.germany-tourism.de.
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