Berlin
We arrived late evening in Berlin after a long day of traveling by train from Munich. Our eyes were weary after seeing so much at Dachau and sitting in a confined coach for several hours as we headed north and wanted nothing more than a bit of comfort. Comfort arrived in the form of the Keltners.
As we stepped off the train and onto the platform, not knowing where our next step would lead us we searched aimlessly for our old librarian and her husband. We headed toward the escalator that would lead us towards information-- and, we hoped, we prayed-- some English-speaking angel might interfere. Instead, around the corner came the smiling, lively person of Anne Keltner! She sped toward us and gave us each a hug, followed closely by her wonderful husband Monte. Oh what a joy it was to see a couple friendly faces, people who knew where to take us and what words to say... the love was much needed. I'll never underestimate the power of meeting someone at the station. It's like that feeling you get when you get home late, only to realize someone's been waiting up for you.
We made introductions as we made our way back to their flat. They showed us how to buy a day pass for all the busses and tubes around Berlin for the following morning, asked us all about our trip, and fed us like queens when we arrived. They have a lovely apartment on the third floor of a century old brick home, complete with wood floors, a terrace, and all the college kids you could ask for! They have been working for Campus Crusades for Christ and had a number of "STINT" (Short term missions) kids constantly filling the place. The night we got there, about 15 American and a few German college students were having a film festival in their living room watching it on the "beamer" (that's what they call the projector....not a BMW:) After our delicious meal out on the terrace, and gleaning words of wisdom from the Keltner's love story (complete from meeting to marriage, and both perspectives!) we hung out with the Campus Crusaders for a while then hit the sack.
The next morning we woke up relatively early to catch a free tour around the heart of Berlin. This one actually existed, thankfully :) and was led by a wonderful little leprechaun of an Irishman named Tom. It started in the Paris Plaza where Michael Jackson had his famous baby-dangling incident out of the window of the $12,000/night hotel, moved through the arched gateway, topped with the stone goddess of victory (who used to be the goddess of peace before she was won back from Napoleon and the French) standing high on her horse-drawn chariot, gazing down to the left with her watchful eye over at the French embassy. We saw the Berlin wall-- of what's left of it-- and heard the story of how it was constructed after WW2 in a matter of 56 hours, virtually overnight, and how if you were visiting a friend across the street in East Berlin the day before, you literally were not able to return home for some 27 years during the Cold War. We saw Check point Charlie (not a real person, but Charlie as in "C"... A as in Alpha, B as in Beta, etc...) where most people crossed over from East Berlin to West Berlin once the declaration (an accident some may say) that the borders were open in 1989. We saw the plaza where the famous book-burning took place in Babalplatz and the underground memorial: a glass square that peeks into a room underneath the square, a gigantic room which no one can get into and no one can get out of, full of hundreds of bookshelves, empty white bookshelves, enough to house the 22,ooo+ books that were lost in the fascist fire. Across the street stands Humbolt University (that provided most of the thousands of books that were burned that night) and the eternal street book sale that takes place outside it to this day as a sign of good faith and recognition of their fault, forever promoting the belief that knowledge should always be available to the people.
The most interesting things to me was seeing the location of the 4-meter iron bunker where Hitler spent his last days before committing suicide and how it has now been turned into a parking lot with a mere sign explaining its significance ... the statement is that they have destroyed its remnants so as not to glorify the man or let his place of death become a shrine for Neo-nazis. Across the street from there stands the only remaining Nazi building which used to be their airforce headquarters. An intimidating piece of architecture, it is cold, hard, dark grey building with huge iron doors, and oversized door handles that are too high so as to make the enterer feel dwarfed like a child. The windows are slim rectangles with many bars that overhang in the right-angle downward slope that resembles a swastika. On the front of the building is a large mural that was painted once the Soviet Union gained control of west Berlin. In 50's fashion, you have a family smiling gaily as they walk around their new Communist state. A child sits atop his father's shoulders laughing, next to them is a group of scientists, hard at work, then railroad workers, farmers, students, and a flag-flying stadium scene from the olympics. Everyone seems sublimely happy and colorful in this new world.
Below that is a monument of exactly the same dimensions, set firmly in the ground-- a black and white photograph of thousands of protestors linked arm-in-arm, demanding that the Berlin wall be torn down and the freedom of democracy restored. This is to mark a very hard truth the people of Berlin have come to face-- the ideals of Communism and the reality of it. The theory versus practice. A picture, a painting, and a photo.
During the tour we met a nice American once again named Ross who plays bass in a band and has many other good qualities I'm sure, but can't remember right now. He accompanied us to the outdoor market and then to the house of Parliament-- which is a fantastic glass dome that overlooks the seats of government and is free to the public as you wind up and down the spiraling staircase to the top where you can see virtually all of Berlin. The basic idea behind this "Architectural C-Span" as I like to call it, is that the people are above the government. The Keltners say ever since Hitler, the people of Germany are extremely wary of any one leader having too much power, so that when they hear the phrase "Never again" it means never again will they let one man overcome the votes and will of the people. The Keltners also expressed that is why it is difficult for the gospel to be spread there because no one wants to take leadership or be under it either... and anything or anyone who claims to be "THE Way, THE Truth, and THE Light" cannot be trusted. Leadership is tyrrany, and must be resisted at all costs.
At this point in the day, I was feeling rather ill, so we headed back. The Keltners took us out to a fantastic dinner at an Indian restaurant where we shared family style rice, chicken, curry, lamb, and veggies as well as a tasty mango drink-- their treat! The best part of that was definitely Monte's impression of a duck. Ask any one of us to do it for you-- it's pretty good.
The next morning we said goodbye as they escorted us all the way to the airport well outside the city central and barely made it on our last Ryan Air flight!
We arrived in London yesterday morning at 11 AM, but due to taxi complications and a rather ornery secretary, did not arrive at the Gandon's house until about 4 PM. The girls got to go hear Andy preach, I stayed laid up in bed and slept through dinner. And this morning we went to a cricket match and are about to head into London for the last time before jetting home. We'll go to Evensong at Westminster Abbey then meet up with my friend from Oxford, Roz, for dinner at a pub across from Big Ben. Back to the states tomorrow! Can't wait to hug you all again :)
Hope you're well, I miss you! LOVE YOU!
-L
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