As a kid I first visited Berlin, and being for ever fascinated by basically everything, for example massive modern buildings, Sony Centre was one to remember. Nostalgically, I wanted to return here on my first night in Berlin. The rain finally stopped its efforts to freeze and drown us and cold but never defeated we returned to my favourite ‘Platz’ in Berlin, Potsdamer Platz. I like to call it the glass heart of Berlin, as it’s home to all its offices rising up in skyscrapers made out of glass and whatever else is needed to support massive buildings like these. Google Potsdamer Platz and he will show up immediately; the Hans Kollhoff tower, intended to present the brick-vibe of New York, yet in Berlin. I cannot find the name of its neighbours, I’m verry sorry because I do not want to neglect them with their strange curves and corners, reflecting the dancing lights of the massive streets. I think I like this place so much because it gives me the New York vibe, Hans did a great job there. And what makes me so happy about the New-York vibe, is the feeling of totally disappearing into something bigger, much bigger, than you. Nobody could care less for who you are, and as this may sounds partly depressing, I think its liberating. Be who you wanna be, the city supports you. I know it seems like a lot, but all this was actually unravelling inside of me, by simply watching these 3 glass giants, whereas I was also simple wondering how these pointy corners affected the inside of the building. Meanwhile, the corner of my eye was already loured to what first drew me to Potsdamer Platz at all; the purple glow of Sony centre.
Sony centre, I just love this place for making me feel like an astronaut entering a spaceship. Offices, restaurants, shops, its basically home to many, but also it would also be the perfect place to sleep under the ceiling when it’s too cold for sleeping under the stars. I think more than anything, Sony centre represents the drive for the western part of the city to develop, to grow, to prove their constant drive for improvement, on and on. It is an open place which you can enter easily, housing a fountain that looks rather impressive from a distance but in reality only farts little splashes of water into the air that only make its ceiling, high above us, the more impressive. The ceiling basically looks like an exploding firework, that’s stopped at its peak. The point where it explodes and its colours start to spread, creating this burst of lights, that’s the chronic state of the ceiling, made out of glass. The glass changes colours every few seconds but constantly sticks to the blue vibe, creating an extremely relaxed vibe in this spaceship, whilst listening to the farting water and being surrounded by quite ordinary, cosy restaurants. As the centre is totally open it’s connected to entire Potsdamer Platz yet feels safe and warm, again, I want to sleep under the ceiling. It collided beautifully with the forever burning lights of the DB office, that seemed to have all of its trillion windows illuminated just for the beautiful contrast with the purple ceiling. Yes, it is impressive, and in my opinion it is the best modern piece of art as well as the strongest story, of the culture of the west.
Having left the lights in the dark, we decided to head for another tourist attraction. At late night in corona times, you have the city entirely to yourself and this alone is a strange experience. Walking these endlessly far stretching sidewalks besides gigantic, yet abandoned roads. Meanwhile spotting the strange Holocaust monument, a gathering of grey square rocks in different shapes and sizes, basically looking like a modern, intimidating graveyard one can walk through. And it is meant to be this big and intimidating, it is meant to impress. The 2710 blocks are supposed to force one to feel the isolation and disorientation the Jewish were forced to feel as well, during the war. They are not supposed to be overseen, and it is truly impressive how much impact the simple gathering of these blocks can have. I truly felt an uncomfortable atmosphere as we passed the labyrinth and I cheered up a little when some loyal friends of the West appeared: Reichstag’s glass dome of wisdom where past and future Berlin collide, the golden Siegessaule angel that’s so gold it catches the eye all the way trough the massive street towards the Tor. The Tor itself, that’s one piece of art as well. The most important monument of entire Berlin, made to remember the importance of unity. This beautiful, almost golden gateway into an endless well-faring street, is like a porchway with a proud parade of horses on top, into my favourite part of Berlin; Unter den Linden.
This whole street is kind of like a different universe, I would say a part which is only fully accessible for a small group of privileged ones. Important office buildings whose employees probably drive the bigger cars of Berlin, the most famous hotel of the city hosting world’s most famous, whilst also proudly housing many famous highlights and their untold stories. At the end of this massive concrete streets with all its trendy bars and stores so clean you could lick the floor, you find Alexander Platz which is probably my favourite square (I said the same about the other squares). There is a reason this place, in normal times, gathers most tourists; its Berlins heart. Now berlin has many hearts, and if one asks me to go to the centre I would have to ask what centre they mean; Berlin is too big to rely on 1 centre and divides its responsibilities throughout the city. But I do not necessarily like Alexander Platz for being one of the many places with massive streets filled with big cars, big concrete buildings hiding world’s most well-faring offices and maybe carry some secrets along, or the endless variation of trendy or old fashioned stores & bars. I like it for being peaceful. I like it for the big square of grass in front of the majestic Berliner Dom, one of its most impressive, oldest buildings with am impressive size and remarkable green dome allowing you to see the whole city from above. I like it for the Spree, that unlike the wall did, peacefully splits the city by means of cannel filled with little boats, crossed by tons of tiny bridges. I like that, by the side of the Spree, new markets appear every day, such as the art market, food markets, or ice cream stands in the summer. I like how this place is always relaxed, despite being one of the busiest places of the city, whilst the German flags proudly waving on top of its peeking heights.
Comments