When I think of Berlin, two things come to mind--The Berlin Wall and Urban Art.
While of course, those two things are connected I have no intention about describing that correlation today.
Instead...I share with you some of the street art/urban art/graffiti that I've captured during my time in Berlin.
I know the song talks about San Francisco, and that's completely irrelevant. But I like it, and this is my blog. So that makes it relevant.
Artsy Fartsy
The Truth Will Set You Free
This trip to Germany has been a goldmine of new discoveries, as journeys of this sort often are, but none have been so revolutionary for me as the uncovering of a deception. My entire life has been shrouded in a sea of lies, and only now can I see them for what they really are.
My father would push us all to the right side of the road, which was also the "right" side for us to walk on. Then he would say, "It's because I'm German".
I grew up believing that in order to properly be German, there were certain rules you had to abide by:
- Walk on the right side of the sidewalk
- Stand on the right side of the escalator and walk on the left
- Never stop in the middle of the sidewalk and block the path
- Walk quickly and with purpose
- Be meticulously clean: There are proper ways to wash dishes, cars, silverware, a correct way to vacuum and dust
- Cook, cook well, and clean while you cook
- Eat until your plate is clean
- Eat with a fork and knife-with the proper finger placement and in the appropriate hands
- Be efficient.
- The list goes on and on...
That place, I am sorry to report, does not exist.
These ridiculous customs are not (from what I can see) German, they belong solely to my father and whoever taught him.
Maybe the Germany of my dreams once existed, maybe it exists elsewhere in the country. Not Berlin. Blame the tourists, maybe, but the reality is:
- People walk slowly, and then stop, for no apparent reason, in the middle of the street.
- They will stop in front of stairs, escalators, in the door of the train, anywhere they decide they want to stop
- They will also walk directly into you no matter what side of the street you are on.
- I haven't seen many homeless, but there is often a distinct scent of urine.
- At the restaurants, people eat however they want, and often leave their plates a mess. (Though I did see one couple eat a hamburger with a fork and knife-as I often do-so kudos to them)
- Children here are out of control
- Food vendors, including grocery stores, often do not care about flies or BIRDS in their stores/restaurants
I was promised order. I was lied to.
There is a time in every person's life, when the fallacies of their childhood crumble before their eyes. I thought I had already had that moment long ago. Perhaps this was the last stronghold of the untruths. Unfortunately, I think not.
Left-Overs from Beer Fest
My Bad!
We did attend the International Beer Festival again, just before closing, on its last day.
In addition to the drink aplenty--there were also food stands. 
Bratwurst, Currywurst, breads, meats, and delightful sandwiches like the one to the left.
Perfect for making Dad jealous and Mom squirm.
Then, of course, they also sold some other interesting treats.
A Room of One's Own
Virginia Woolf, another of my lady writer mentors, once wrote that "A woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction."
I believe the same of nonfiction, maybe even...a blog?
But on a budget, and traveling in a group, a room of one's own is a little much to ask.
And so, one learns to make do.
And so, on a walk prompted by one of my "artistic" moments, I stumbled upon a park just as a light shower began to drizzle down upon my head. Intrigued by the design of the playground, and anxious to escape the rain, I climbed the wooden ladder and ducked down into the belly of the fish.
Somewhere in between the innocence of the playground and the crude street art, I felt at ease. I sat down on the bench and began to write.
Amongst the stillness and quiet, suddenly all the intricacies and ironies settle and words jump to the page. Sometimes they make sense, sometimes not. Sometimes they begged to be shared, and others stare out into the world and cry to be hidden again.
Quiet is unnatural and its uncomfortable. Precisely for those reasons, it prompts imagination.
Although the only sounds I hear are the scratching of my pen against the paper, the faint trickle of rain, and my own thoughts...I wonder about the sounds I'm not hearing.
The children who play here, laugh here. The adults who once did, where are they now? Do they think of the fish fondly? Have they moved away? Do they wonder if it still exists? What about the tagger who painted upon it? Who was he or she? Did he or she play on it as a child too?
When I look at it, I think of Jonah in the belly of the whale. How many others have thought the same thing?
Silence is never very silent. Too many questions and too many thoughts.
After a while, I shake it off, laugh to myself, jump of the side into the moist sand, and continue my walk.
Strange, though, how I know that the fish -to me- will always be mine. No matter who was there first, or who spent more time there, or whose name is sprayed across its side.
I have a room of my own.
I will always be Jonah in the belly of my whale.
Revenge Tastes Better in a Frosted Glass
The other day, while chatting with my parents on gchat, my father thought it would be delightful to torment me by showing me the delicious deli meat that he was eating. Well, I thought long and hard about my revenge. This is Germany, after all. There are plenty of amazing foods and drinks that could/would suffice to make him envious.
But for me, envy wasn't good enough.
He has to suffer.
And so, I present, (in summary) the International Beer Festival 2010--Berlin.
It was estimated that approximately 800,000 visitors and tourists from all over the world would flock to Berlin during the three day duration of the festival.
The International Beer Festival in Berlin is the biggest event of its kind worldwide. This year, the highlight was Vietnamese breweries, a distinction given to them in honor of the 35th anniversary of the diplomatic relations between the Vietnamese and German governments. This relationship is reflected in the motto of this year's festival "Beer Creates Bonds of Friendship". I am not even making this shit up.
In total, approximately 300 breweries from 86 countries attended, meaning a total of over 2,000 beer specialities along the 2.2 km beer-mile on...Karl-Marx-Allee.
So drink a beer in honor of the 14th Annual International Beer Festival.
The video above shows a tent at the festival. I am not sure what is going on, but from where I was standing I would have guessed either dog-fighting or a really intense chug-off. People were standing on table and chanting. It felt like the entire tent was shaking.
And now...the montage of beer :
((A Note: There were HUNDREDS of beer stands. These are only the pictures that made it to the blog.))
Were you keeping count?
If not, my slide show contained 53 different brands of beer.
Other highlights?
Doug and I checking out the Duff Beer stand. If you don't know, Duff Beer was a fictional beer from the Simpsons that was later actually developed into a real beer. You have to love marketing people.
And now, I know you are asking yourself, what beer did you drink? Well, I only had ONE beer at the festival. The brand lucky enough to earn my patronage was none other than...
Konig Ludwig Dunkel.What made them stand out from the others?
1. Marketing-Their glass was cool and their slogan means "Beer of Royal Highness" (obviously appropriate for a goddess/queen like me).
The current owner actually is royalty. Prince Luitpold of the House of Wittelsback is the great-grandson of the last King of Bavaria, Ludwig III. The brewery has been in the family since 1260--talk about a family business!
2. Location/Proximity-They were close to me when I decided I wanted a beer.
3. Nostalgia -Their stand reminded me of the Icelandic team from Mighty Ducks.
I always felt bad for Team Iceland. Remember: they are kids, not villains. Just because they wore black and were intimidatingly meticulous (in dress and skill) doesn't mean they were evil. They worked hard, were dedicated, obviously talented. Why should those "fun-loving" American jerkoffs win?
"Just go out there and have fun!" Bullshit. Sports are not about fun. You know what's fun? Winning. Losing is not fun. The Americans could have fun and lose-- if it was really all the same to them. But no, that's not a happy ending appropriate for a children's movie. Why is that? Losing doesn't make people happy.
Obviously, this just never sat well with me.
So while those Ducks went on to inspire a NHL team, the Icelandic team quit hockey and started working for Bavarian brewery.
In closing, I show you this picture -->
A 60+ man, passed out on a table, in the middle of Beerfest, alone.
For those of you concerned about his safety, he did at one point pick his head up (eyes still closed peacefully), held it up for about 5 seconds, before slowly dropping his head delicately back onto his arms.
Not everyone can handle Beerfest.
Drink responsibly. Cheers!
Hey! Ho! Let's Go--To The Ramones Museum!
If you consider yourself even a moderate music fan, you've heard of The Ramones. And if you've heard of The Ramones, chances are, you know they are from New York. However, the first and only Ramones Museum is not located in New York, not LA, not London, or Tokyo...
It's located in Berlin.
I bet you knew I was going to say that.
But you probably don't know why. Flo Hayler's love affair with the Ramones began in 1990 when he attended his first Ramones concert. His collection of memorabilia started with that first ticket stub, poster and shirt and his insanity continued for the next 20 years.
Naturally, after years of collection--and billions of Euros spent on collectors trade fairs and Ebay-- the walls of Flo Hayler's apartment were covered. And, as it invariably goes, his girlfriend decided the stuff had to go.
The negative turned to a positive when Hayler decided to turn it into a museum. In September 2005, the first Ramones Museum opened.
This is Dee Dee Ramone's leather jacket, stage worn in the 1980's (and signed by the band). The Ramones used to wear Schott leather jackets, but eventually they "allowed" other brands. This size 44 jacket was made in Mexico and features the usual metal pins.
Dee Dee Ramone, who "invented" the Ramones look (leather jackets, ripped jeans and sneakers) was bored with the dress code by the late 80s and preferred athlete's gear, gold chains and Rolex watches. Musically, he began to explore rap and even released a solo album called "Standing In The Spotlight" as "Dee Dee King". He later switched back to his traditional look. (Here he poses with Douglas)
This is the original 1989 "Brain Drain" tour shirt, the last Ramones shirt to ever feature Dee Dee in the logo. (He played his last show with The Ramones in July 1989-Santa Clara, CA)
Here is an original print from the album cover of Subterranean Jungle. It was taken right before Marky Ramone was kicked out (due to his drinking problem) they put him in a window separated from the others.
I can only imagine how that photo shoot went.
"Johnny, Dee Dee, Joey, you guys look great. Now Marky, why don't you just scoot over. A little more, a little more. How about you jump in the window all the way over there?"
"Over here?"
"Yeah. How great is that?"
"Are you sure? Aren't I a little out of the way?"
"No...it makes you, stand apart. Even draws focus to you. It looks great, trust me."
"Yeah, I guess that's cool, right guys?"
Joey mumbles. Johnny gives death stare. Dee Dee is too high to even know where he is....
Snap. Snap. That's a wrap.
Musings from a Museum
Every Thursday night between six and ten at night, the state museums of Germany open their doors to the public free of charge. This week, we took advantage of the opportunity by visiting the Pergamon Museum and the Altes Museum.
The Pergamon Museum is the most visited art museum in Germany, containing three distinct sections: the antiquity collection, the Middle East museum, and the Islamic museum. I didn't care much for the Islamic museum, but the antiquity and Middle East collections were amazing. Two of the fascinating pieces within the antiquity section were the Pergamon Altar and the Roman gate of Miletus.
The Pergamon Altar, from the 2nd Century BC, is actually a long frieze depicting the struggle of the Roman gods and giants.
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The Roman Gate of Miletus
The Middle East Museum exhibition contains artifacts from Assyria, Sumeria and Babylon, including the Ishtar Gate.
The Ishtar Gate
Ishtar, the Babylonian and Sumerian goddess of fertility, love, sex, and WAR (that says a lot about the Babylonian/Sumerian idea of love) and her Assyrian counterpart, Inanna, were the favorite goddesses of one of my professors. My professor (of Women's Studies-- The Rise of the Patriarchy and the Goddess) spent hours discussing Inanna, even going so far as to perform a song she wrote about Inanna.
One thing I took away from that class was a respect for Enheduana, a princess and priestess to the goddess Inanna. She was the first recorded author, and moved from third person to first. Enheduana wrote poems and hymns and included her own feelings and wishes. Her writing provides insight into a woman's life in an unfamiliar world (Sumeria-24th century BC). So sometimes when I'm sitting at my laptop, without a sense of what to write, I think about Enheduana paving the way not just for women, but for mankind. Write what you know. Write what you feel.
I looked throughout the Middle East museum for an artifact that might have been linked to her. But my scouring turned up nothing, but I still let myself imagine that the artifacts from the temple of Inanna may have been the very same ones that hung in the temple where Enheduana acted as priestess. Maybe our eyes had locked onto the very same relief, votive, or statue only 2400 years apart. I'd like to think so.
On to less mystifying topics...
The Altes museum contained Roman and Greek statues. It was all very well and good, and probably my favorite exhibit of the four.
The most exciting part?
Look familiar?
What about now?
How about NOW?
The description on the statue reads:
"Head of a Goddess"
Acquired in Naples in 1842
Bronze, gilded, 2nd Century AD
The head of a woman with ideal facial features and a helmet originally was set onto a statue of a goddess or personification. It cannot be determined any more whom it depicted, possibly Minerva or Roma, the city goddess of Rome.
Maybe I can't declare myself Queen of the World. That's okay. Apparently, I'm already a goddess with ideal facial features. Take that Cosmo! And Minerva or Roma? I'm brilliant to boot! So brilliant (and beautiful) that they named a city after me. Not just any city, but arguably the most powerful city of the time.
If you are interested in winning the favor of the goddess, please make checks payable to:
Liane Weissenberger
and don't forget to write "Goddess" in the memo line.
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