There are some days in your life that specific moments render you speechless. Rarely though, would you find yourself speechless for consecutive days at a stretch. I am currently living those. It probably also explains my inactivity on the blog for such a long time. Let me tell you why.
Germany, as you may already know is a treasure trove of history. Over 170 museums and galleries in Berlin alone attract visitors from around the globe. And why shouldn't they? After all this place has been through. The first World War, the second World War, the Cold War, the Fall of the Berlin Wall...and this is just recent times. The archaeological wonders from Rome and Greece found buried beneath this land only give us a tiny peek into the many more secrets that we are yet to discover. Everyday since the past 5 days, I have been walking around the entire city in search of newer things to learn, to see, to feel, to experience. Starting from the Altes Museum (literally translating to The Old Museum) which displays precious artifacts from the three Ages - the Stone Age, the Bronze Age and the Iron Age to the exemplary display of the Greek antiquities which include the likes of Artemis, Athena and Hermes. The Neues Museum (The New Museum) which houses the Roman and Egyptian excavations - the notably acclaimed original bust of Queen Nefertiti being the celebratory highlight.
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| The original bust of Nefertiti at Neues |
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| Market Gate of Miletus at Pergamon |
The Pergamon Museum with original excavations from Turkey including the Ishtar Gate of the Babylonian fame and Islamic Art from the Shahnameh. Having never been so close to history before, I actually felt time rushing through me when I touched the very same floor tiles that were used in Roman houses in 1st century BC and posed in front of the stone walls of the Market Gate of Miletus, an ancient Greek city. Give your imagination a little jog and think of a world where the stones not only have eyes but also a photographic memory to document all that they saw over the decades. Changes in weather, changes in people, changes in their outlook, their mental capacity, their behavior...am I tending towards anthropology, now? Hmmm...my host is an anthropologist with a love for travelling, but more on that later. So many changes, and all we need is a compilation of these in the form of a time lapse video. If you ask me to list out some of my favorite technological advancements, time lapse videos will definitely feature in it. Imagine a video of our planet morphing and transforming into what we know of it as today. Starting from the big bang theory to the chaotic origin of life conundrum, and thence to the evolution of man as a highly intelligent species - all in an hour long video. If at all there is a God, it would be like watching over from his shoulders. Enthralling, isn't it?
If that wasn't enough, race ahead to recent times into the Topography des Terrors which is located on the site of the headquarters of the Gestapo - the official secret police of Nazi Germany or the Third Reich. The land where the most cruel men in history gave orders for the torture and execution of thousands. Their blood having spilled on the very soil that I stood on; the stamping of the heavy boots as they marched in fear/delusion of the power that ruled over them; the silent, muffled tears of millions then and billions now - all came pounding down upon me. I felt very lucky - and grateful. Although, I don't know to whom I should express my gratitude. My parents? Or a mastermind up there who ensures that the cycle of Karma and rebirth continues? But, I do consider myself exceedingly fortuitous. I can never begin to imagine what I would've gone through had I been born during those years in this land which again, got extremely unlucky due to one power hungry man. Would I even have been as courageous enough to do what these martyrs did for us? Can I even imagine surviving the hell that Nazi Germany was, yet dream of studying art history in Paris while writing what would be one of the most renowned pieces of literature? I find myself speechless again.
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| The Topography des Terrors |
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| The diary of Anne Frank |
Yes, I was referring to Anne Frank above. I had the opportunity to visit the Anne Frank Zentrum and did it appall me or what. One of the most intricately organized museums, it had one long hallway tracing the entire 13 years in Anne's life on one side and the state of Nazi Germany in those 13 years on the other side. It really provided a convincing comparison of the progression of the two timelines. The most fascinating part was a facsimilie display of her diary!!! Yes, that was it. As true as it got. With her writing. So neat, slanting and cursive. In German that too. I never knew she wrote in German and what I read was a mere translation. I will definitely learn enough German one day to read her diary in original. Otto Frank, her father's video was playing where he said that the diary of his daughter was a revelation for him. He encouraged all parents out there to read their children's writing. :-) I'm sure it would be very illuminating. If Anne Frank were alive right now, in four days she would turn 82. To all those aged 82 or more, I truly and genuinely respect you for all that you have lived through in this evil world of ours. Darwin conquers again. Survival of the fittest, it is.
But sadly, Germans had more written to their fate than just the Fuhrer's rule. The division of Germany, and consequently Berlin into four blocks - one for each of the Allied Powers - US, France, Great Britain and Russia was explained thoroughly at the Alliierten Museum and the DDR Museum. The onset of the Cold War and how drastically it affected the common people of Berlin was awful enough to hear/read, forget living through it. The autocratic rule that started to build up over the years upon the dark regions of East Berlin, created an oppression in the minds of the people for 28 long years. People weren't allowed to travel, have access to basic sanitary facilities, or even food. Cars, and other expensive goods took a waiting time of 10 years from the time of booking to actually buying. They were given guaranteed jobs, but at the opportunity cost of their freedom. Undoubtedly, man is a social animal who loves freedom. Try to chain him up or cage him, he would do anything and everything possible to escape. That is how the imposing Berlin Wall finally fell down 20 years back.
How do I know this? First hand accounts of people having lived through the time. No museums there. Plain conversation. Beat that.
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Actual pictures from my host's album from the day
the Wall fell and about 2 million people
tried to enter the forbidden land of West Berlin.
Click for a magnified view. |
The Wall that bound the people in East Berlin was not unlike the North Korean bubble of present times. They weren't given the freedom of free will. My host from West Berlin was full of tales of how the East Berliners were naive to the advancements of the world. Saying that they were forced to live in modest houses would be an understatement. My Berlin Wall tour guide, an ex soldier from East Berlin, who guarded the Wall agreed with her. He recounted a personal incident when he found West Berlin astonishingly colorful compared to the dark East home of his. He spoke about how his then girlfriend was ignorant enough to assume that West Berlin would even sell tropical seasonal fruits during an off season time. He spoke about how he held an AK-47 rifle and stood for 8-hour shifts everyday guarding the escape of East Berliners running away from the oppression. He spoke about how he considered himself lucky enough to never have attained the chance to carry out his general's orders of shooting a potential fleer. He spoke about how it took him at least a few years after the wall fell down, to clear his mind from the autocratic rule and be open to a newer life with an unemployed beginning. Oh my, and the pictures they showed me! My host and him, both visited the wall during the initial days of the fall and to see the actual pictures from 20 years back, of the place I stood on with a wall in between, seemed unbelievable. Of course, the fastest demolitions can take as little as 30 seconds to change the landscape of a place, but the emotional upheaval it causes is worth far greater than the mere 30 seconds of destruction.
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| Our Language School group with the soldier Jan in front of the Wall |
History has finally entwined me within its mysterious chambers. Should I look for a way out? Not so soon...
Not before I visit the Auschwitz concentration camp near Krakaw in Poland this weekend!
Cheers!
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