On the Streets of Berlin: Part Two

Berlin in August more closely resembles a day in late fall, or early spring, when three layers of clothes are necessary and even a shawl or a warm knitted cap isn’t such a bad idea. Although most days were on the cooler (and sometimes rainy) side, there were a couple of sunny and breezy exceptions, most notably the Sunday I had my bike tour.

It is common knowledge in Berlin, whose literal meaning is “swamp”, that its largely flat terrain is ideal for bicyclists. And it’s true. In fact, the rights of the bicyclist seem to trump those of the pedestrian and comes a close second to those of the driver. Bicyclists in Berlin aren’t second class citizens. They have bike lanes, they are large in number, and if a pedestrian like myself stands in their way (which one evening, I was), they will gladly run me over.

So biking in Berlin provided an ideal tool to sightsee like a local - Across cobbled streets and soft pavemented thoroughfares, from the Brandenburg Gate, to the location of Hitler’s bunker and the large Nazi era airforce building, to the stark and meditative Jewish memorial – It was a great way to experience the city. This is perhaps even more true than bicycling in Paris, where the liklihood of getting hurt, I think, is probably just a tiny bit higher.

Many areas in Berlin are conveniently accessible by bike. That is, unless it is clear outside the city limits. In this case, a train comes in handy. I took the train on two occasions. The first was to visit Potsdam and the romantic home of Frederick the Great. I laughed when our New Zealand-helmed guide called him “Frederick the Fabulous”. If you know anything about him, or if I told you his Sans Souci Palace in Potsdam did not include a room for his wife, then you could probably guess where that nickname stems.

In French, sans souci means “without worry”. It was immense, beautiful, and the grounds truly reminded me of a French castle, perhaps Versailles, but even more spectacular. Frederick was a great lover of philosophy, the arts, books and gardening (well, all in addition to war), and invited brilliant minds of the era to Sans Souci Palace. Voltaire, for instance, lived there for a few years.

Here are a couple of pictures from Sans Souci:




I would have loved to have spent more time in Potsdam, where many of the museums and sights seemed accessible by the bus. Many, but not all. The film studios were close by, and although I was on the lookout, I did not spot Tom Cruise or Katie Holmes. I also learned the title of his Nazi-era pic is no longer “Valkyrie”, although by the time the movie is released they may just play on the “The Good Shephard” and “The Good German” phenomenon and call it “The Good Nazi”. Or, maybe the “The Nice Nazi”?

Since I am already on the subject, it is apropos to discuss my other train-led excursion. This time, along with my Berlin host Antonia, I took the train in the other direction to Sachsen-hausen concentration camp.

Sachsen-hausen was one of the early camps built for the imprisonment and persecution of victims under the Nazi regime. It was also considered the “model” camp which housed the head office of the SS. For this reason, much of the training of the SS was done there.

The history of Sachsen-hausen does not end with its liberation by the Russian army in 1945. In fact, the Soviets used it to keep their own political prisoners after the war. The dual role of the camp was particularly fascinating to our Canadian tour guide who provided thoughtful insights into the role and image of the camp under both Nazi and Soviet command . The latter had made some changes to the camp, which is unfortunate since the integrity of camps is vital for Holocaust remembrance, education and historical preservation.

Our tour of the camp felt hurried, even though our guide loved to park us in one corner and lecture. I was most interested by the fact that Sachsen-hausen had a gas chamber and a few small crematoria, since I wasn’t aware that this particular camp included these killing facilities.

Consequently the weather was grey and drizzly that day. The experience, to say the least, was both a somber and sobering one.

Stay tuned for the conclusion of my trip to Berlin!