Skating in Berlin

We had another big day today. I would estimate that we walked for about 6 hours in total, covering a huge area of Berlin. One of the most personally moving stops we made was at what is known as the Topographie des Terrors. This is the former location of the headquarters of the Gestapo and the SS, as well as being the base from which the ethnic cleansing was organized. Interestingly, the Berlin wall ran right along one edge of this area - and that section of wall still stands there today.

It seems as though there has been some debate and political difficulties in trying to recognize and remember the spot - and commemorate the atrocities orchestrated from there. They are building some sort of permanent exhibition space but for now there is a temporary exhibit. Set against the dug-out foundations of the old SS and Gestapo buildings, there is a series of posters and informational plaques displaying the history of the Hitler's rise to power and the Nazi regime. Germans are clearly doing a solid job of confronting and remembering that dark period in their country's history. It is only through facing such realities that we can avoid repeating them.

We finally went skating today. We arrived too late last night and missed our chance. The weather was actually quite beautiful today (after a sprinkling of rain mid-day) - blue sky and temperatures around 8oC. There is a skating rink set up on the main street, in the midst of the Christmas fairs. It is big, well lit, and has speakers playing Christmas music. Though admittedlz it is covered in a thin layer of water because the air is too warm for ice. We rented skates and set out on the ice. It was a blast. I even have pictures to prove it (forthcoming).

In some ways, I have a semi-constant sense of skating while here in Germany. It is the first time I can remember being in a place where I do not understand any of the language and where most of the locals do not speak English. Unlike some anglophones, I don't just plough through and expect the world to bow to my needs. I actually feel guilty because I don't have even a basic understanding of German. Now it's true that there are many similarities to English but not enough to make it workable beyong being able to recognize the odd word here and there. So I put on my best "I'm so sorry" face and work with sign language.

Tomorrow we will set out back onto the autobahn to head west to Amsterdam. Amazing how fast this is flying by.