"Dem Deutschen Volke" a Berlin Travel Page by alza

Berlin was a surprise that sunk in as a surprise when I left it. I was too enthralled taking it all in to fully realise my amazement. I don't know how to say this... I found it all genuine, direct and charming. Sometimes grand, sometimes like a nice village, here and there a bit disjointed... I loved it all. (I just saw sabsi's Berlin page and I relate to her feelings about this city, so maybe I'm using the same words here and there :-)

One night, I walked by a café beside my hotel, there was a crowd spilling out onto the sidewalk. The hotel had told me this is where we should go for our breakfast. I went up to the bar and asked for a beer. Got it right away but they wouldn't let me pay for it, said the bar was still open. What? I thought I might not understand enough German and let it go.
Talked to everyone around me until an announcement was made, time to go downstairs for the show!

It was a poetry reading, a woman read her poetry while her friend acted it out. All about women's issues, quite blunt and really excellent!

yes!!! it's all about the Szene in Berlin! that would mean 'the wave', newest trends, really entertaining stuff. It's current, found all over the many districts (Mitte is where I spent most of my time, never a dull moment!) and the best is this feeling of participating. Jump in, you'll have a good time!

When the poetry reading was over at the café, we all went upstairs to a fabulous buffet. By then, I'd understood that the evening was in honour of an Australian theater actress and her soon-to-be husband, a German actor. She had cooked all the food and wanted everyone to eat, drink and be merry. The show went on later downstairs, with a group of musicians from South America. I left before that, thanking the 'groom' for a nice time. I told him how surprised I was to have been welcomed so warmly, on my first night in Berlin... He burst out laughing and said he taught he'd seen me on the stage before. They all thought I was an actress, friend of a friend I guess... No wonder I couldn't pay for anything!

The Szene I saw during my short stay was indeed open and lively. It's more than what we might call 'trendy' in the usual sense though. In fact, the ambience is reminiscent of the bohemian scene of bygone days, with a modern twist. Totally cool.

I wish I had a better picture of the Reichstag but I got there at dusk.

The writing on the building stopped me in my tracks. "Dem Deutschen Volke"
('To the German People')
It was so all-inclusive, like a mother opening her arms to her children. Many Germans milled around, reverentially I thought, but looking truly happy for this place. Some earth from every part of Germany was brought and placed there by the people. Very symbolic and a very peace-inspiring gesture to me. I was happy for them.