where's wolmut?: reinvented germany

at the wall

'unliking' berlin architecture

very few old buildings still stand

brandenburg gate

the holocaust memorial

emil says:

berlin is a tale of two cities. it is a heinously industrially ugly place. i mean fugly with a capital f. and perhaps that's why germany is rather affluent compared to it's neighbors because it hasn't spent a lick on anything in terms of urban development or racy new skyscrapers. the beauty of the city is the fact that it just breathes ww2 history at every street corner. a holocaust museum, a hall of terror where the old gestapo building once stood, checkpoint-charlie (famous east/west berlin divide), the reichstag and numerous others. and in this lies the most fascinating part of modern germany for me, the guilt factor. one is reminded of holocaust atrocities throughout berlin, almost to a fault. as a son of a father who lost his mother and 2 brothers in treblinka i am happy for the consistent reminders (even at the bmw factory tour they are quick to point out and apologize for their use of concentration camp laborers) and the mandatory concentration camp visits in the curriculum of schools throughout germany, but there needs to be a balance/movement forward so that the psyche of a current generation isn't forever marred. it is only a personal observation that the hoardes of tattoo inked and fiercely pierced punk youth of berlin are a product of such a banged up psyche. just a theory. bamberg is a super little town of historic monastic breweries and liederhosen aplenty. bavaria has so much rustic flair it made my head spin. and the big bavarian city of munich is just right. folks are uber cool and the look of munich is not nearly as industrially busted as berlin. beer doesn't get any better. bratwurst doesn't get any better. and it fun to be in a place where the beer flows like wine. we are coming back for oktoberfest. germany has been a top 5 destination for me. plenty of ww2 history, largely germanic flair without too much western commercialization, fun late night hipster scene, a psyche searching and battling for identity, great beer and more beer.

hitler's bunker (now a parking lot)

checkpoint charlie

remnants of the former ss headquarters (now a museum)

our low fat diet: currywurst & a side of fries with mayo

west side of the wall

east side of the wall

bamberg beer garden

quaint bamberg

beer #1

proceed directly to beer #3

at schneider weiss brauhaus

laurel says:

germany may prove to be the ultimate dark horse of the trip. i had never had a huge bid to visit deutchland and now i consider it amongst the the top 10 stops of the trip. it presents a unique paradigm for the traveller, where a recent dark history intertwines with a modern powerhouse. it seems 67 years after ww2 ended and 23 years after the berlin wall fell, germany is still trying to reinvent itself- all the while burdened by quilt from the war and the responsibility of carrying the entire euro zone economy on its square shoulders. this tension is palpable in the air and gives rise to a fascinating mix of people. (the punk counter culture is alive and well here and i think owning a tattoo studio might just be the best business idea going.) berlin is truly a tale of two cities. the nazi history is omni-present and at times it is overwhelming to take in. standing on top of hitler's bunker will send chills down your spine and seeing the remnants of the ss headquarters still illicits terror. there are large chunks of the berlin wall still standing where you can walk amongst the graffiti and reflect on what it would be like to live in a divided world. the city is doing an extremely admiral job of educating people about the war, even offering museums and tours free of charge. it is taking responsibility for the past while trying to move forward. and berlin is experiencing a complete revival. in east berlin hipster bars, trendy boutiques, funky art galleries, and cool cafes seem to be popping up on every corner and the nightlife is considered amongst the best in all of europe. it may be one of the ugliest cities in the world, but its balance of cool and new with its storied history makes it an outstanding place to visit. from berlin we made our way to the tiny bavarian town of bamberg for a taste of the 'real' germany. delicious meals (vegetarian diet be damned), scrumptious wheat beers and a chance to mingle with actual germans made for an incredible stay. we wrapped up our german tour in munich where our trip to the dacchau concentration camp was the most intense part of our trip. it is hard to put in words how emotional a visit here is. in sharp contrast, we also took a tour of the bmw factory which churns out 900 3 series cars each and every day. it was fascinating to see first hand the power of the german automotive industry, which is 97% automated and looks like a scene straight out of terminator. and no trip to munich would be complete without the obligatory visit to the infamous hoffbrau house for a few frothy steins of beer and a singalong with the leiderhousen clad german band. i leave germany completely blown away by how much i enjoyed my time here and a trip back for octoberfest has already been added to the bucketlist.