berlin | bearlin

Ich hatte endlich die Zeit, Ostberlin bewusst zu erkunden. Seit der Wende war ich nur auf kurzen Stippvisiten hier. | Those days I am a BEARliner, it is the first time I had the time to explore the once almost inaccessible East of the city. The bear is the symbol of Berlin, the German capital.

Es war grau, es war eiskalt und es war einfach nur wundervoll, durch dieses schicksalhafte Tor zu wandern. Wenn meine Mutter nicht rechtzeitig dort durch marschiert wäre, ja dann, was wäre dann, dann wäre ich nicht durchmarschiert. | It is icecold and it is grey in Berlin right now. But it was simply magnificent to walk really slowly through this fateful gate which was once part of the ugly wall which separated families, friends, colleagues. If my mother hadn't passed it on time, then... yes what then... then I hadn't walked through it.

Alles ist so groß hier, so majestätisch. | Everything is huge and even majestic around the place where Germany is ruled from.

So altehrwürdig. | Many venerable buildings.

Vieles ist so wunderbar altmodisch. | Many beautiful old fashioned details.

Vor 35 Jahren war ich mit meinem Vater dort oben, mit Gänsehaut und Schaudern betrat ich diese Stadt, schaute am Potsdamer Platz über die Mauer. | Some 35 years ago my father showed me and my siblings how frightening it was around here. I could hardly believe that there is a wall not only through the city but even through some buildings and yards.

An vielen Orten ist Platz, Weite, Luft. Noch. | Where the 'death zone' was there is still lots of space, many places are still empty even if you can hardly detect the ugly scar which ran through the old and new capital.