Sehe diese berge an, sehe diese baume, ich liebe Berlin!

The title is rough translation to lyrics from Randy Newman's song, "I love LA." The title is "look at those mountains, look at those trees, I love Berlin." Berlin, Los Angeles' sister city does not have any mountains nearby but it does have trees, in fact that city of Berlin, in the 19th century, joined Paris and Philadelphia as some of the first cities to have many huge trees lined boulevards. During the rebuilding after the War, even more of the Western half of the city was built with large tree lined boulevards.

Berlin is a city, that more than any other European city, tells the story of European history, particularly modern European History. Berlin, is a sister city of Los Angeles and it is definitely the much older sister, Los Angeles was founded in the 18th Century and Berlin was founded in the the 13th Century. Berlin is a relative New Comer in terms of European capitals though with most Western European Capitals having been founded in the Early middle ages or the Roman era. Berlin's location is a result of the large scale eastward migration of Germans, east of the Elbe river. Many founded small German speaking villages and towns as far East as Russia and Bulgaria (the most famous enclave may be Siebenburge in Transylvania, which is in the shadow of the Castle Dracula). Berlin was, for centuries the Capital of the small but growing city State of Prussia.

As Prussia grew in power and influence the city of Berlin, which began as one of thousands of backwater colonies East of the Elbe. It was not a particularly enjoyable city, unlike Paris or Vienna, there was little to be had in the way of sensual pleasures. A combination of the German Protestant work ethic and the spartan militarism of the Prussia elite bad it a city where even coffee was banned fell under the broad umbrella of items banned by the city's sumtuary laws. While the ban on coffee was was not long lived, the focus on making war remained and Prussia into a legitimate power by the 18th century. After the defeat of Napoleon and the rise of nationalism and the desire of German speaking people to be like France and England and have nation State, the cunning Statesman, Otto von Bismarck, pulled together the various German speaking city states dukedoms and principalities and by 1876, he had defeated France and the King of Prussia, Wilhelm, was crowded as Caesar of Germany, the Kaiser.

By the time that Berlin became the Imperial Capital, its extreme austerity and sumptuary laws had given way to a thriving, albeit restrained desire to exuberance the extravagance of other great European capitals. The city made up for lost time by building or refurbishing otherwise plain neoclassical structures such as the palace and it built a Roam style victory arch and it widened its main streets, the Unter Den Linden Strasse (under the Lemon trees) and the Sieges Alle (Victory Boulevard) and planted tress down the center.

Meanwhile, most private buildings emulated the pink, purple, powder blue and beige, five story apartments that were being built in Paris. The building were attractive although as is the case with Berlin architecture, the five story apartments severed the purposes of Real Politik because five stories is the perfect high for shooting rioters, with the rifles of the day and the wide streets also prevented mobs from taking over a city by barricading the narrow streets which were the norm in most of Europe at the time.

As the 19th Century progressed, the Imperial capital matched or surpassed other European cities in terms of art nueveau and its ornate, some say garnish, use of gilding, detailed patterns and fine, tendril like metal works on windows and gates. In the inter war years, when the city was drinking and dancing away its dispare over hyperinflation, war reparations and Fascists and Communists fighting for control the building that did occur was in line with the art deco that characterized the style of other cities. Unfortunately Germany had no roaring 20's and its depression was deeper than the American Depression so very little grand art deco building were built.

The Second World War, leveled Berlin almost as much much as it leveled Western Europe's once legendary bellicosity. Even more than the warm the bombing and the rebuilding, the unique position of Berlin as a divided city defined how Berlin is today. The tendency of European cities is to sprawl out and be moderate in terms of population density. The fact that West Berlin had Communist East Berlin on one side and the Rest of Communist East Germany on all other sides essentially put it on an island. As a result it how Manhattan is compared t all other US cities, it economized on space and was also very self contained. Like Manhattan, it has many very tall residential and Commercial buildings. Were there are not tall buildings and busy streets there is a huge park, the Central Park of Europe, which was very important for residents of West Berlin because they could not simply go out of the city and into the countryside and since Germans tend to like outdoor sports, the Park was vital for the spirit of a defeated and not besieged people.

The city was a microcosm of the difference between the established and industrialized world and the the relatively new communist world. Despite attempts by the puppet communist government of East Germany to blockade and starve out the Western half of the city, the allied air lift saved the city and created a sense of unity and civic pride that is still strong amongst the children and grand children of those who lived through the blockade. The infamous and iconic wall was built some time after the end of the war and partitioning of the city. Frustrated with illegal emigration over everyone who was skilled (I am sure that East Germany was only asking for the "rich" to pay their fair share so that the government could "invest" in "infrastructure" and stimulate the economy), the Easter German Government built the wall in 1961 and served as the site of President Kennedy and President Reagan's wall (it should be notted that "Ich bin ein Berliner" did not mean that he is a Jelly Donut, at least not in the Berlin dialect). Even more important than that, the Wall served as a symbol of the Cold War and the moral depravity of Communism and its fall was indeed cause for celebration.

The post cold war era has ushered in perhaps the best of times in Berlin's history. With reunification of German, Eastward expansion of the European Union and slow but noteworthy growth of Poland and the Czech Republic, the center of Europe has shifted. Its rail lines, now join in a grand new train station that connects Russia with Spain. The city is now a city of glass and steel but mostly glass. Its new commercial and residential buildings are covered in glass and even the Reichstag, the German equivalent of the Capitol building, has a glass and steel dome added atop its neoclassical base.

Wanting to put nearly a century of hyperinflation, depression, Fascism, Communism and division behind itself, Berlin is a much more forward looking city than other Western European cities. It is full of night clubs, busy malls and young and friendly people who love American culture and Hip Hop. A lot of Berlin is like the 'hood but with no crime, there are lots of swap meets, break dancing and free style battles on the street and best of all, it is the world capital of graf murals. Almost every building or piece of infrastructure has some amazing murals on the side of it. Berlin has reflected the trends of European history for years and years and it is not surprising that Berlin is second only to London and first on the Continent at embracing globalization.

The city has many things to do and see. Its very long days in summer are perfect for someone with a busy intinerary. The sun is up from about 4:00 am to 10:pm in summer. Aside from doing the standard things one does in major cities like seeing the historical sites, the zoo (which is open until (9 or 10 pm in summer), the main park and its art museums. Its most unique cites are around where the wall once stood. The Brandenburg gate, where Kennedy and Reagan proclaimed solidarity with Berlin and denounced the evils of the wall and the oppression with it symbolized; the Museum of espionage, which has artifacts that document spying in general and the various attempts by East Berliners to escape to the freedom of the West.

There are also homes of famous writers and philosophers and the old Jewish district which was once the site of Europes' most liberal, well treated and open Jewish community in Europe. If you want some grit, it is best to go to the Turkish neighborhoods on the East side of town. Sim city fans will loves that the Fehrsehturm and Rottesratehaus are within the same eye shot. Finally, visitors to Berlin should take in the vibrant street life by day and enjoy the clubs by night, although it can be a but surreal to leave and be walking back to one's hostel or hotel and the sun is just about up and shining.

I especially enjoyed the city because i twas the culmination of four years of learning German in high school but I am sure anyone will enjoy the city because so many people speak English there. Also, as one of the best German speakers in my group, a group that included a few people which a tincture of that ugly American in them, I ended up interpreting for my friends who often times requested water that was not mineral water. Because Wasser, or water means mineral water in German restaurants, if one does not want mineral water one mus ask for Wasser ohne Kohlensauer, without carbonation, I made my less linguistically gifted friend remember that one. If you want iced cubed, which will be considered strange request, ask for it mit eiswurflen, bitte, with ice cubes please. Either learn German, or write it on an index card because I will not be there to say it for whomever ravels to Berlin on account of this entry.