And Outside The Rain Fell...

28.10
It's a funny city, Berlin.
It's citizens seem to love their traffic lights only if it has this cartoon character called AmpelMann. The site that was once Checkpoint Charlie is now a famous tourist trap. And the "American Side" is lined with signs of Capitalism - Subways, McD's and Burger Kings. The first sight that greets you as you crossover to the "Eastern Side" is probably Starbucks.

The city is absolutely beautiful. Remarkable. Extraordinary. One of the only cities today whose "history" is as early as the 90s. A city that seems to resurge every single time it has fallen. And beautifully so.

In Berlin again today, the fourth time this Eurotrip, we finally visited the Reichstag, the German Parliament. The entire building seems to echo that one thought - "our democracy is transparent for all". The free tour inside the Parliament building, under the enormous dome seems to epitomise this thought. As you circle feets above the floor along the starkly contemporary glass and steel dome, you get a clear view of everything happening inside the Parliament. And again, for the Members of the Parliament, the clear cue, "no matter what, the hundreds of people walking above you are the people for who you sit here".

Meeting a really quirky Indian "uncle" on the way up had PritS and me in fits of laughter. This bloke, a self-styled Swami, was self-obsessed, enormously pompous and lecturing about almost everything on earth. Rustic in a way, he kept cursing Indian Politicians, referring to his firm belief in the youth for tomorrow's future (yeah, like whatever man) and wanted us to take a video of him walking up the dome.

It got funnier when he gave a running commentary about what he was seeing, mixing up rivers, Berlins and even people. He kept referring to us throughout his commentary, and was almost evil in his attempt to not stare at the camera while he spoke. Imagine PritS' expression when the bloke asked him to give a commentary as well. He was one of those typical guys who seemed to love the Western world, and was quite embarrassed at us seeing him in a cowboy hat, and white overalls, jeans et al. I assume, by his uneasy smile, that he was to be at some ashram in a european city in dhotis and had conveniently found himself the time to visit Berlin. Whose money, I dare not think of it.

Funnier still when he got into a gang of schoolboys to get his photograph taken, a gang of girls next, his funny hat et al. We almost roared in laughter at his antics. Finding a fellow brother who could speak Kannada only made him happier, and finding two more in our group had him almost bursting at his seams.

An impromptu discourse on the Gitanjali later, we had to finally, with an almost heavy heart bid adieu to this guy. He was worth a big smile. Crazy, awesomely.

Having left the Holocaust museum half way yesterday, we headed there while Patwa ji visited the Deutsche History museum.

Having already seen the museum yesterday, I wasted no time absolutely in drifting off to sleep on a coffin shaped ledge there, waking up many minutes later to be woken up by someone in that dimly lit room. Embarrassed for having fallen asleep (cause the museum really was amazing and very interesting), I quickly moved to the next room, thinking I'd lost my mates.

I hadn't.

3 of them had fallen asleep in the exact same way as I.

And it was one of us who'd woken me up!

Nevertheless, the museum was brilliant, recollecting stories from long gone Jews who had suffered the worst of the atrocities during the war. 6 million jews dead. It's a number you, atleast I Can't even imagine. 6 million humans, even more difficult. The all brutally killed. It's touching, even for those who fall asleep midway.

Falafels next, and a weird Stasi exhibition, who were the then secret East Germany Police, we again branched off with 3 of us going off the other way to Checkpoint Charlie.

I liked Berlin today, one for it reminded me so much of Bangalore. The weather, gentle rain that was cold and absolutely the exact same Bangalore one. It felt like I was meeting a long lost friend again. Walking alone often gives you time to think, and today I had plenty of it.

Of late, I've been doing a lot of things I'd lost out on of late. Scaring Bansi from behind huge concrete blocks, jumping out suddenly at her, or trying to be more of a stoic again, or even just making random "monkey-faces" (did I finally get this right?) at will. It's like the old times again. More quirky almost.

Italy next. Italy. Woo-hoo-ness-ess, no?