Berlin | Day 20

Day TWENTY

Some very typical touristy places today, but all amazing nevertheless...

We went to quite a few different places, but I only took photos in a couple, including the Holocaust Memorial, Brandenburg Gate and - later that night after much beer and pool - Alexanderplatz.

The official name for this famous site is the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. It consists of 2,711 square concrete pillars placed in a grid pattern over a sloping piece of paved ground, located within walking distance of the Brandenburg Gate. The architect Peter Eisenman wanted to create a feeling of a uniformity and controlling systematic oppression that was also confusing and deprived of all human feeling. He is quoted to say that the memorial unexpectedly expressed how the Jewish people involved felt trapped in their situation, neither dead or alive:  "I watched people walk into it for the first time and it is amazing how these heads disappear -- like going under water. Primo Levi talks about a similar idea in his book about Auschwitz. He writes that the prisoners were no longer alive but they weren't dead either. Rather, they seemed to descend into a personal hell. I was suddenly reminded of that passage while watching these heads disappear into the monument. You don't often see people disappear into something that appears to be flat." (Eisenman 2005)In typical Gamel and Tyler fashion, we didn't find the underground part with the names of all known victims and information centre. Yet another reason to return to Berlin. As if I needed more excuses!

There was some sort of protest on while we were there, we think it was for some trade deal? lots of people holding banners and chanting, which was an interesting added dynamic on top of the hoards of confused tourists. 

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Night Time in Berlin; the other city that never sleeps

^ forever regretting the ones that got away 

Getting arty with an iphone camera, at night, while drinking... not idea conditions! Thanks Tyler, Curt and Maddy for being such good sports. None of us have promising modelling careers hahaha

We did make it out to a bar or two, a Mexican restaurant were Tyler's friend Sarah (a Berlin local) introduced us to some sort of scary fruity cocktail thing, and a pingpong bar where the music was a lot better than the typical Berlin repetitive techno, and you could drink and play table tennis at the same time. Curtis Maddy and Myself got back to our respective hostels about 5am, Tyler the Trooper Manley returned about 8.30am. Chur! All got home safe, London needs to take note and start a 24 hour weekend tube service at the earliest convenience!

next: Berlin | Day 21