Today will be my last day in berlin. This afternoon I will hop on a train to Copenhagen, Denmark to visit a friend i made when i was in Croatia. Copenhagen really wasn't a part of my original travel plan, and even after being extended the invitation to stay there, the timing wasn't supposed to work out either. I was supposed to be in vienna by now... or somewhere else. But not still in Berlin, the closest point on my so-called-itinerary to copenhagen. Not that it's even so close at all. About a 7 hour train ride. Slightly above average. For me at least. So Denmark it is!
Berlin has been amazing. I really love it here. It is the only city that I've travelled to so far that i could actually see myself living in. Its just so full of flavor and art and music and history. Aside from the graffiti, and the very Punk western neighborhood of Kreutzberg, it is very clean. People are friendly too, and they look you in the eye when they speak to you. When I was looking at my map and trying to figure out which direction to go, people came over to ME to aks me if I needed any assistance. That happened 3 times. That has never happened to me anywhere else even once, and i stand around plenty with a big map unfolded in front of me with a furrowed brow and puzzled face. My friend and gracious host, Nina told me a story of a friend of hers that is supposed to illustrate the old school German Berliner way of acting and thinking. Her friend had fallen down in the street and not even knowing it yet had actually broken her arm. But in the meantime she was just lying there. A man who had not seen her fall walked over to her and asked her if anything was wrong. She, probably disorented, replied no. So he said to her, "Then would you please stand up and get out of the way because this is a public thoroghfare and there are people who are trying to walk here." But then she told him that she is actually not alright and that she has just fallen. The man said, "Well why didn't you say that in the first place?" And he picked her up, took her to his car, and drove her to the hospital. The story is meant to illustrate that even though there is a certain cold way about this man, he has concern for people's well being and the wellbeing of the city. Sort of a Socialist way of thinking. In America I would like to think that if we someone who looks like they are in trouble, hopefully SOMEONE will at least ask if they need assistance. But if that person is just lying there drunk or something and doesnt require assistance, we will just walk past them. No one I know would tell them that they should really just get up and get out of everone's way. And i don think that it's just out of fear for their own safety. I think that it's either because they really don't give a shit or even feel like "who am I to tell HIM to get out of the street? it's not my job. i'm not in charge of them or the city. i'm not the police." -- Now iäm not stating any personal opinions on how i think things should be. I dont really know how it should be. But i do find it really interesting to think about
. So in all likelyhood i will never actually live here. I dont want to learn a new language or move to this side of the world. I'm pretty comfortable in America. but it would be great if i could just transport everything that i have learned about and seen here in berlin to a small town in Iowa or something.
1 comment:
So about art...in my opinion, art, especially modern art, isn't necessarily about communicating what the artist's ideas are. It's more about eliciting a reaction from the viewer and inspiring thought, whatever that may lead to. So even though you question what the artists points are and you think to yourself, "Polka dots! I could do that." The truth is, you could do it but you didn't and, generally, artists who make it into museum now a days don't really have any strong ideas, instead, they went to Yale or Columbia art school and know the right people.
Rothko: "It is a widely accepted notion among painters that it does not matter what one paints, as long as it is well painted. This is the essence of academicism. There is no such thing as a good painting about nothing. We assert that the subject is crucial and only that subject matter is valid which is tragic and timeless."
Renaissance art is a whole other story. It's more about painting techniques and showing off how much money the patrons had. Plus it's icons for a religion you don't subscribe to so of course you cant really relate.
So there you have it, my thoughts at least. I miss you and it sounds like you're having fun. I'm trying to come to Chicago in September or October for a weekend to see my Oma and Opa and of course you!
Love,
Kristin
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