East Side Story

Like a young adult having come to terms with an exceptionally tumultuous past, seemingly embracing the motto "that which does not kill me, will make me stronger," and looking towards the future with a profound sense of pride, the city of Berlin has a bit of a tortured spirit, but is soaring into a modern, present day with drive, passion, and creativity. Determined not to be bound by what can only be described as a heart-wrenching past of division, confusion, and physical destruction, Berlin is sensitive to its history and aware of its roots, but facing completely forward these days, modern and sleek. As a result, it is lacking the antiquated, elderly charm of an old European hub, with only a few architectural remnants of pre-war history, now with a futuristic skyline of multiple glass stories and abstract lines. Even its Holocaust memorial, while profound indeed, bears little resemblance to the past, in favor of modern materials and design. Berlin appears to still be formulating its identity really, trying to merge where it has come from to where it wants to be, rebelling a bit against prior oppression, and somehow saying to itself and to the world, that the best revenge is to just live well.

Berlin is really and truly unlike any other European city that we've visited. While we had a lovely trip last weekend with some friends of ours, and had the distinct pleasure of touring the city with a wonderfully open, knowledgeable local Berliner, we struggled a bit to really embrace and fall in love with the city as a whole, which is a bit unusual for us. We were surprised by the lack of old world European charisma, and yet inspired and excited by the youthful spirit of many of its residents, while also humbled and slightly saddened by the historical implications of its post-modern events. Throughout the weekend, we found ourselves a bit confused at times as to how the city really fits together, emotionally and physically. Perhaps like many of us find ourselves in our early 20's, Berlin is exciting and youthful, though still trying to carve out an identity. While the city seems to be lacking the degree of self-confidence and stability that often comes with age, despite having plenty of life experience, it's forging ahead as energetic and optimistic as ever. The food ranges from more modern German fare to heavy Bavarian cuisine, the city stays alive throughout the night like Madrid, and the architecture is just in a world of its own, pieced together like your first apartment out of college.

However, one thing we did find, that we absolutely will never forget, was the East Side Gallery, the paintings on remaining sections of the Berlin Wall - paintings that portray the entire range of human emotion - love and hate, anger and relief, hope and pride, sorrow and pain, laced throughout with a bit of satire and spite, and absolutely overflowing with heart. It really was a sight to behold, and remains unlike anything else we've experienced in our European travels. To us, it was perhaps so powerful because it represented exactly how we felt in the city - saddened, excited, humbled, and curious all at the same time. Not surprisingly, the majority of our photos were taken at the East Side Gallery, and it will forever remain the most vivid image we have of Berlin.

-B&B

"Many small people, who in many small places, do many small things that can alter the face of the world." - East Side Gallery artist, Berlin