Oh my God...so much to talk about these days, it's hard to even know where to begin!!
Actually, it's not.
Folks, I was at the Mauerfall celebration tonight....as in the anniversary celebration of the fall of the Berlin wall. Yes, that little party.
Last night, I took a ridiculously long walk from our apartment to Potsdamer Platz and then onward to the Brandenburg Gate. I'm really, really glad I did this since I would not have stood a chance of seeing much of anything tonight. Last night, I got to see the exhibit of "dominoes" up close which traced over a kilometer of the course of the former wall. These dominoes were decorated by everyone and their mother it seemed...artists, activists, school kids, and so on. Great stuff. Clever, too. Tonight, they were toppled over to symbolize the dismantling of the wall twenty years ago.
Twenty years ago. Honestly, can you believe that?
Anyway, I knew I was taking a really big, stupid chance, leaving the house precisely when the fesitivities began. I knew there was a good possibility of Times Square on New Year's Eve type crowds. But it's Germany. Who knows what to really expect here, right?
The rain and cold did not dissuade many people, it seemed. On the contrary, there were tons of folks like me, donning layer upon layer while trying to navigate the crowd, clutching either umbrellas or bottles of liquor. As expected, I couldn't get anywhere near the Brandenburg Gate (the police had sealed off the crowds at a certain point) so I woefully decided to catch the nearest S-Bahn home. However, when I arrived at the S-Bahn stop at Potsdamer Platz, I was pleasantly surprised to discover quite a party going on. A video screen mounted, I, along with hundreds of others, chose to screw the gate and watch the programming just down the street.
The program was a little boring, I will not lie, especially for a girl who speaks no German. Lots of dignitaries making very serious sounding speeches. Bad music.
But the dominoes were cool. And the crowd was fun. Some very excitable while others, quite subdued. Some drunks. Some trying to recreate some type of rebellious escape scene by jumping heavily guarded gates, only to be hauled right back out by the no nonsense polizei.
In the midst of it all, I tried to sort out where I figured into this equation. Even though I ventured out by myself, I certainly didn't feel lonely. I was just enjoying myself, observing the crowds and trying to get inside their heads. Who were these people? How many were Germans? How many were foreigners like me? Who were just looking for a reason to party? Was it national pride that brought them out? Curiosity? A feeling of "Oh my God! I can't believe I'm in Berlin during this! I can't not go!"? I'm guessing it was a good mix of all of the above.
Sufficient with my read on the crowd, I decided to leave. I tried really, really hard to make it to the end but then I started to lose the feeling in my toes, a la Wisconsin tundra style. I would have killed for some piping hot mulled wine at that point but alas, I decided to call it a night.
As soon as stepped into my neighborhood, I was greeted by the sound of fireworks. When I turned around, I could see them illuminating the sky. My heart did a little flip flop. I know I can't relate to what today means for so many people but in my typical ultra emotional, ridiculously empathetic way, I got a teeny bit choked up. And then I smiled. Sometimes, it feels really good to be grateful.
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