Mein Leben in Berlin, Deutschland
I lived in Berlin close to the end of the Cold War which last roughly from 1941 to 1991. I hailed from a small city in West Virginia, so Berlin was magnitudes different from my hometown of Huntington. Prior to Berlin we lived in Goppingen, which is in the state of Badden-Wurttemberg, one of Germany’s sixteen states. Goppingen was more similar to my hometown than Berlin was… at least for me. Berlin was a big city which seemed light years ahead of WV in technology and urban layout than my home city. A lot of this was due in part to Berlin being rebuilt after the war. Berlin was progressive back then and from what I can tell continues to be to this day. You can see where I spent a lot of time during my childhood in the map below, needless to say I was very excited to explore Sundguaer Strasse and travel the roads as I did as a child using the street view of Google maps. Yes, we did roam around pretty freely in the streets of Berlin and felt safe doing so. I have dreams to this day of catching the U-bahn over to the KadeWe, eating curry wurst before we got on the train. It was a fascinating time to grow up in Berlin during the 80′s. I got to experience a culture and an urban life that would never have been possible if it were not for my parents being in the military.
Because of the richness of the German culture and me being directly in the center of it, there was never a lack of something to do. Never did I say “I’m bored”. How could you possibly suffer from boredom in one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the world, even at that time. Of course it was unbeknownst to me where I was living, I was just enjoying the way of life that the military and German culture afforded me. Berlin during Christmas was especially magical, and everyone thinks I’m crazy (who hasn’t experienced it that is) for wanting to visit Germany during one of the coldest months of the year… but it really is a magical place. I have known people that have visited that didn’t think of it as fondly as I do, but I’m certainly coming from it differently than someone who only gets a taste… I actually lived there for several years.. so naturally I would have a fondness that people just visiting would not. I was actually sad when my family exited from military service to come stateside and settle in my hometown of Huntington, WV. I think it was spending so much time in Berlin that draws me to the urban life, something I have always felt was missing. I love to see progress and innovation, something that certainly is not lacking in bigger cities. They have the attitude it’s better to make a mistake an move on than to never have tried in the first place… something I have always aspired to. The German government and their sapience for the temporary military residents was very impressive even back then. I developed a respect for different religions, backgrounds and ethnicities at a very young age. It was not uncommon to share a classroom with Muslims, Turks, Jews and many more. In the city I was born in I would have not encountered this as frequently. I always have felt that a lot of the apathy or disrespect that minorities face is due in part to exposure. If you are not “exposed” or socializing with people different than yourself it is much easier to hate or dislike them… anyway, before I go off on a sociological tangent, I want to note that if everything else goes wrong in my life, I will always feel eternally grateful for the gift of living in such an awesome city rich with culture, history and diversity.
In closing I would like to note some of my favorite places, foods and experiences in Berlin:
Sundgauer Strasse (the street I lived on) Funny thing was, I always wanted to live in Duppel because the buildings seemed more modern and it was closer to the Wall.
T.A.R - I always wondered what happened to the school.
Alexia Harrington – always wondered what happened to her, she gave me her address and said that I would probably never write her and regretfully I never did. that was the last thing she said to me… always wondered what happened to her. She spoke perfect German and English, I was always impressed how she could switch flawlessly between the two languages.
Brandenburg Gate
Curry Wurst (yum yum, I’ve yet to reproduce this to my satisfaction)
German Brochen (crusty outside, soft fluffy inside, mmmmm)
pommes frites (with mayo)
Imbissstand on the Ubahn station closest to the PX.
Doner kebabs (with shaven lamb fresh off the spit of course!) to this day can’t find anything that tastes as good… the closest would be a gyro that i’ve had in different places)
Berlin Wall
Berlin Cathedral on the Kurfurstendamm or Ku’dam for short…
Spandau Prison (I remember this from school, Rudolph Hess, a famous Nazi was imprisoned there but did not get to see him… )
Peacock Island
Wannsee – Thought it was so cool to stroll in the whale looking boat down the Wannsee, sooo cool. Wonder if they still have the whale boat?
The Snack Shop at Truman Plaza – they had the best eclaires…. also loved eating pommes frittes with the little forks….. By the way, I heard they have torn Truman Plaza down…. how sad. I remember catching the bus there after school (I stayed after school a lot to take an optional computer class) and went to a friends house who lived in Duppel. I remember thinking how nicer the Duppel apartment buildings were than the ones I lived in…. I believe they were newer, thus more modern than mine….
Plus many more, I could go on for awhile…. but when I go back, I will surely be visiting these once again and partaking in the awesome foods I enjoyed as a child! Not to mention walk around my old neighborhood!
Below is the street I lived on….. would love to hear from other people who lived or currently live on Sundguaer Strasse…. I have such fond memories. The building in which I lived is marked below…… I lived on the 5th floor…. walk up…. I remember my mother being pregnant with my sister and having to routinely walk up 5 flights of stairs.
Giving Credit Where Credit is Due:
German American Flag brought to you by Institute for German American Relations (IGAR)
Gif brought to you by Happy Holiday Christmas Graphic at ProfileBand.com:
