Berlin

My first day here I couldnt tell the difference between where east and west used to be. Everyone I have talked to who has been here says that the difference is very obvious. I coudnt see it. Today I realized that I had spent most of my time in the former east. I went to the zoo station today and saw the modernity and globalization influences in the area, the Europa center the and all of the advertisements. The former east has a lot of new architecture fused with old, but the west just has the newer versions. The cross walk signs are different wit the former east having the ampleman signs. There are other differences too, but those differences are starting to fade as time as goes on and as development of the former east continues. (see below)




At the Zoo station I came up a photography with two very interesting exhibits. The museum had an exhibit about the new Jewish Holocaust Memorial. Once they had picked the site and started excavating, they found an old bunker and artifacts. There was a huge controversy about whether to continue or preserve what they had found. The exhibit is about that progression in photographs. They also have some of the items that were found in the bunker on display. Helmut Newton was the other major part of the museum. I have never seen any of his work, but he is quite famous and controversial. His work was varied but his most famous works were his nudes. They also had a large number of his peronsonal items, including his personalized car and some of his cameras. He died suddenly in a car accident.

I walked through the Tiergarten and then back into the former east for a better look at Berlin main train station. The Tiergarten is a giant park with trails, lakes and statues. The main trainstation is a fascinating architectural wonder. There are about five floors and trains come in on three of them. There is a mall inside and a really open concept so you can see the trains come in on the top floor and the bottom at the same time and everything in between. I have never seen anything like it.


Sawrah