Bricks in the Wall

The Wall.  The most iconic, though arguably the ugliest, piece of architecture in all of Berlin.  Mostly demolished now, the pieces that still stand are reminders of a time, not long past, where a group of people were so divided in their thinking, that a physical barrier was erected to keep them on their respective sides.  Some by force, some by choice.  None for the better.  Thankfully, the wall was torn down and some of the wounds have begun to heal. But thankfully, there are still places for us to see the evidence of  the terror and flagrant disregard for human rights firsthand.  Because if we close our eyes to the horrors of the past, we are doomed to repeat them (kinda the quote from Santayana).

We spent an hour or two checking out a piece of the wall, and the Topography of Terror Museum.  The museum is built directly on the site of the former Gestapo Headquarters.  It tells the tale of the crimes that were plotted on this very spot and carried out all across Europe.  It allows its visitors to walk through history, year by year, all the while becoming more and more unable to comprehend that this is not just tall tales, but was lived by so many.  Too many.

We told the girls what we thought they could understand.  Taking our cues from the questions they asked.  We didn't sugar coat is and we tried to use real life examples.  It did help that we live here in Europe, and that they have friends in their classes that we could use as examples.  MadHatter understood a bit, Stinkerbell is still a bit young.  I am still a bit young I think...

We somberly finished our tour, and stepped down the street to Checkpoint Charlie.  Which is more of a location than anything physical because nothing of the checkpoint is actual left.  It was once barricaded with barbed wire, blockades and a watchtower.  Now it has a replica of the booth that allowed diplomats, embassy officials and Allied Forces cross.  It is the spot where Russian and American tanks faced each other, ready to fire, on October 25, 1961, and almost started WWIII.

This scar from the wall now runs through quiet neighborhoods and down the middle of streets.  It is a reminder of how quickly and easily friends or families could have been divided.

But, it wasn't all depressing.  The trip we took to the East Side Gallery, was proof that out of all of that oppression, came hope and healing and light.  Painted by 118 artists, it was the first time that graffiti, or expression of any kind, was allowed on the former East German wall.  The paintings express the euphoria and the collective hope they each had for a better future. At a bit over 3/4 of a mile long, this is the longest stretch of original wall still standing and is also the longest art gallery in the world. And it was stunning... (And MadHatter asked me to take her picture in front of her favorites - beware, she has a lot)