The Berlin Wall is Falling Down (in 1989)... - Steve's song.

Written 26^th June 2012

After we crossed the boarder into Germany we drove to a town called Dresden where we stopped to get breakfast/morning tea/lunch/afternoon tea. We had chinese. Dresden had some lovely architecture but we didn't stop for a proper look as we were dying to get to some countryside. 

We drove on to Meissin where we ate an ice cream and found a campsite for the night. It was a nice relaxing little place. The lady there was lovely too and stoked to have a couple of Kiwis camping at her place. 

The next day we had a slow start and eventually headed off in the direction of Berlin. 

We arrived in the late afternoon and by some miracle navigated our way to the campsite we had chosen using a gray unsaved map only containing a marker point and our location, and an actual map. How we actually found it I do not know. The man at that campsite was not a barrel of monkeys I can assure you. He was a rather dour, stern person who spoke in a clipped German accent. The kind of guy that you would cast as a villain if you were making a movie. The campsite on the other hand was quite nice – we were right next to a river which was a rather good view. After setting up camp we decided to venture into the city and visit some of the spots that our guide book recommended. We headed to Checkpoint Charlie (where people used to be able to cross from East to West Berlin or vice versa). 

We got tea there and went to the Checkpoint Charlie museum which was okay but was a bit of a rip off for 12.50 Euros. There was tonnes of information and stuff but it was difficult to know what was the important stuff to read. My eyes got sore from reading walls for two hours and both Steve and I came out a little more confused and overwhelmed than before. The most interesting thing I read in there was an account of how some people escaped from East Berlin. There were two sisters who look very alike and they were married to two men who looked very alike. One couple had been stranded on the East Berlin side. So the two from the West side drove over to the East side and then gave their papers and car to the ones from the East side and the East side couple got through the boarder using their papers. Then a few hours later the West side couple reported their car and papers stolen. They were allowed to go back to the West side and everyone lived happily ever after. When the car was discovered abandoned later on the East side authorities even apologised to the West side couple! After that we went to look at the biggest stretch left of the Berlin Wall – The East Side Gallery. It has all been painted and looks really cool. 

Then we headed back to bed.

The next morning we went to visit the Memorial for the Murdered Jews of Europe. (After battling traffic for two and a half hours!) 

It was very somber and had a very good information center that you could go to for free. It was laid out very well and the information was interesting and upsetting to read. It was so so sad. It was hard not to cry in there. The letters they had that you could read were the most touching. This one was written by a young girl (I think of about 12) to her father and reads; 

31st July 1942

Dear Father! I am saying goodbye to you before I die. We would love to live, but they won't let us and we will die. I am so scared of this death, because the small children are thrown alive into the pit. Goodbye forever. I kiss you tenderly. 

Yours, J.

After that we walked around a bit, Steve ate a hot dog in the tiniest bun imaginable, 

we saw the Brandenburg Gate, and we stood on the Berlin Wall (or where it used to go anyway – there is a line of bricks following the path where it used to go). 

Next we headed back out of Berlin and up North a bit to the Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp. It was horrible there. 

The air seemed heavy with sorrow and the remnants of fear, pain, and death felt as if it was imbedded into the ground of the place. It was interesting to see, and the exhibitions and things were also good. But it was really such a dreadful place. All the people that were murdered there! It is so hard to put into words. I felt like crying the entire time I was there but knew if I started I wouldn't be able to stop (and I'm not a quite cryer) – great racking sobs would have been echoing around the place. It was better to hold it in and just the odd tear escaped. We stayed there until the place closed and both of us were just shocked by what we had seen and read. I have been to two other concentration camps before but they never cease to have a profound affect on me. We felt like we would have nightmares for weeks. I mean how could any one do those things. The worst place was the medical part – in infirmary – where they did nasty experiments on some of the Jews. When I was in there I felt faint. I feel a bit faint now just writing about it! One “doctor” cut open peoples legs and inserted flesh from dead people which then of course went septic and then they died. Yuck! Revolting! I wish I never read about that! And they even made a brothel with some of the women Jews from another camp and then when one got pregnant she was shot. Anyway – too many horrible things to mention and I won't go on as you will just be too grossed out and probably chunder on your computer or phone.

We drove back to Berlin, glad to be heading away from the Concentration Camp. We cooked dinner and then had a read. 

Then we met some nice people who were camped just down from us. April from Ireland and Chris from America. We had a good time chatting away with them for a few hours while Chris build a bonfire from tea lights. When we were going to bed April tried to blow the fire our but the wax has so hot from the combined flames of 30 tea lights that it wouldn't go out. So she kicked it. (She had been drinking.) Onto me! I was wearing jandals and it burnt like crazy. I limped back to the tent and crawled inside. I tried to go to sleep but I couldn't. The molten wax had burnt my foot badly. It was too much. The tears that had been threatening all day due to reading about war crimes finally tumbled out after and candle accident. I decided to go and run it under the cold tap for 15 minutes. By this time it was 1.45am. Steve came with me but abandoned me after several minutes to go back to cosy bed. I stood in the dark outside the toilet block with the hose pouring onto my food for 15 minutes with pictures of Nazis creeping through the bushed in my head. I was glad to get back to the tent. And my foot did feel much better. I was so tired I slipped into sleep easily and didn't have any nightmares at all.