Berlin and its ghosts

Berlin, a disquieting city, or is it just me?

Like many war damaged cities, Berlin wears its scars with pride. In the last century it has probably been fought over more than most.  It has the most wonderful modern architecture in large spaces (not all of them pre-planned), and the Berliners, the residents of the City of the Bear, have fashioned a most remarkable renaissance.  At the base of this ruined church at the end of the Kurfuerstendamm are modern sculptures of peace and defiance.

But I still feel the ghosts, not least on the U-Bahn.  For many years it was the only "international" underground railway in the world, and the background to numbers of films noirs.

I was travelling down the old U6 to Friedrichstrasse on my way back to the hotel and I noticed the woman opposite me with a bag of greenery in her hands.  "Rocket! I said, "Lovely with tomaten und basilica!) "

" They are dandelions which my dead rabbit liked"

"Oh, I am sorry" I replied. "What did you call him"

"Tot" (Dead) was the answer.

Friedrichstrasse was the next stop.  Why are all pedestrian lights little boys?  They are not, says Melbourne.  Some of ours are little girls.  In Berlin, some of the lights are little bears!

And then you turn the corner and you see a statue, a monument, to six young children.  One has a suitcase; the litle girl is carrying her teddy bear, one of the older ones has a banjo.  At one end of the statue is a saying "Zuge gutes, zuge schlects" which translates to "good trains, bad trains"  These six fictional children are off for the holidays (although we know different).  The real punch in the stomach comes at the other end of the monument.  There are six names, each with different dates of birth, but the same date of death, and there is a small wreath. They were not fictional. They were local kids from local schools.

Berlin still has its ghosts.