The L.A. Dime

The past two days in Berlin were a whirlwind.  We’ll upload photos when we return, but for now, here are the highlights.

Checkpoint Charlie:  wow.  As a bit of a Cold War buff, standing beneath the “you are now leaving the U.S. controlled-zone,” and then touching a bit of the remaining wall, was a profound experience for me. 

Potsdammer Platz: as cosmopolitan an area as you will ever find; all bright and shiny and new — it was once in the Socialist East, and now has become a bastion of Western commerce, consumerism, art and culture.

The Filmmuseum:  Germany has a deep cinematic tradition, and the museum is a modern, well-designed collection of that  history.  Most intreresting to me were the Dietrich and Fritz Lang exhibits.  They could do more to celebrate their more modern successes, though, such as The Lives of Others, Run Lola Run, and a host of others.

OlympiaStadion:  talk about history.  This is where Jesse Owens kicked Hitler’s ass.  Modernized on the inside, and still in active use by Hertha BSC (fussball club).

Dandelions and Rain:  there are no dandelions in the city, save for in the parks, but all week long we were under a constant flurry of falling fuzz that looked just like snow out our windows.  Oh, and there were gorgeous Spring rain storms that reminded us of our Old Kentucky Home in May.

The SOS Camp:  the apartments below ours are home to a dozen or so children in the SOS Program.  These kids were either orphaned, or taken from troubled home environments.  They saw Sophie come and go all week, watching her play on their playground, and came to call her “Die Kleine Flumme,” or, “The Little Bouncy Ball.”  Last night, Jacqueline, an adorable eleven year-old, asked if Sophie could come out to play.  How could we resist? For nearly an hour and a half, and well past her bedtime, Die Flumme ran, and climbed, and played, and laughed with these lovely, charming children. I’ll never forget it, and will be keeping in touch with the kids when we return.

Cards:  we play cards everynight.  Marion won the first two nights, but the American grabbed an early lead and held on to win the third.

Down South:  This morning we left our awesome Berlin loft with many a fond memory and hopes for a return visit, hopped an AirBerlin flight to Stuttgart, and are now in Bavaria visiting family outside the city of Heilbronn.  These days will be jam-packed, so I’ll check in when I can.

Auf Wiedersehen!

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