Yesterday was Tag der Deutschen Einheit, or Day of German Unity, celebrating the reunification of east and west. Every year, this means a big party right by Brandenburg Gate, complete with lots of beer drinking and wurst eating. (Wait...didn't I leave Wisconsin?)
Since this year marks the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, it's a particularly big deal. For the past several weeks, my Berliner friends were telling me that I would need to see "the giants" once I arrived. What they were referring to were these two marionettes. For the past few days, streets in Berlin's center have been blocked off for the parade of these two giant puppets. One is a "little" girl and the other is her uncle. (No one has yet been able to explain why the uncle is a diver and the little girl is in a raincoat though. Hmm...) Anyway, I am told that they represent the east and the west and yesterday, the two met at Brandenburg Gate. A couple of friends and I went to check it out.
Unfortunately, it was sooooo packed that we only stayed to see the girl come by. To have then gone with the mob to the other side of the gate to watch their reunification probably would have resulted in full blown panic attack for me.
Regardless, I'm glad I checked her out. She was beautiful. So detailed. A huge crew had to pull her down the street, move her head from side to side, open and close her giant, dreamy eyelids. You can read more about it and see some video of it here.
Now today has been a day of rest. All of the weather changes seems to kicked up a little cold in me so I am sitting under a warm blanket, drinking plenty of tea. Berlin, I will have to check you out more a bit later but thanks for the lovely party.
1 comment:
A quick glance makes her appear like Paddington Bear, but closer...pretty amazing. I remember being a kid, watching the wall be torn down by people standing on it, and wondering if the world was coming to an end...but it was just getting started for them.
Post a Comment