When traveling from west to east, it is like traveling back through time. The east is still in the midst of change, whereas the west and most of the city enter are almost completely modernized/westernized.
Yesterday marked to farthest east in Berlin that I have traveled. I went to the district of Kreuzberg, at its most eastern side. One can see the changes that were made to this place after the wall, but it still bears the scars of eastern domination. There is an eerie vibe here, one of new life and quiet acceptance of the demons of the past. The people still carry on their daily trials just as in the west, but with significantly different surroundings. It is as if they are almost blissfully unaware of what was; only looking ahead to what will be.
But that is part of Berlin’s character. Everywhere you look, Berlin shows pieces of her past. Whether it be the lifeless, square buildings of the eastern sector, the bullet holes in the Reichtag, or the line of bricks that represents the stitching of an old wound, she is a city that moves forward without forgetting her past; good or bad.
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