As you are all aware I’ve been working in London for the past two and a bit years. I never intended to stay that long but money, clubs, drugs and good friends got under my skin and it took some effort to break orbit. One thing that did make it easier was the last job I had at JKD. The office had a stench of death fed by the director of despair and the project manager of misery. I think it’s fair to say that every right minded person working there wants to leave and I took my opportunity gladly.
When I throw the word German at you, what springs to mind? I think of ruddy cheeks, beer, the Fuhrer and efficiency. To that list will now be added smoking, large groups of people walking, sausages and massive buildings. Germany seems to be unreasonably fond of all these things bar the Fuhrer but there’s more to Berlin than that. There are the remains of a whacking long wall that split the city in two coming from the same guide to post-war reform as the creation of Israel. It seems utterly crazy as you wander around the gratified and scarred remains of a small section of the wall that it was ever actually there. A small reminder has been left so that you can figure out whether you would have made it over. For those attempting it they’ve stationed a couple of German shepherds on the other side for authenticity.
What struck me the most about Berlin was the scale of the place. It feels like a determined effort to come back bigger and better after being brought to their knees. Wandering around the place I started wondering whether there’s a German word for subtle. Gleaming glass skyscrapers compete with warehouse-sized stations and bold, colourful murals leap out at the eye.
There is something magnificent about it despite the coldness such size generates. On my last afternoon in the city the sun came out and buildings that had been quietly staring at me suddenly came to life as light bounced between them. It feels like the kind of place with a lot beneath the surface. Repressed creativity bubbling up in unseen places. I’ll have to go back with a pierced punk-goth guide sometime but for now I’m waiting for the heat to kick in as I search for some old school Europe.
Dave out.
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