When we got to Berlin on Thursday, we went to a Beer Garden and had a nice traditional German meal. The sausage is delicious and the sauerkraut is surprisingly tasty as well. I had a pilsner with my meal and followed it up with a Hefe-Weissbier. The pilsner didn't live up to the stereotypical German standards in my opinion. The Hefe-Weissbier, however, was great.
The first full day in Berlin we met at the German Federal Foreign Office with an ex-German Foreign Official. It was very interesting to hear his somewhat politically correct answers to our groups questions. I'll go ahead and post the questions that I asked even if you don't care.
Q: 'It was said that the German's are pursuing a 'peace-policy.' What does the 'peace-policy' entail and what are your thoughts on the U.S. War on Terrorism?
A: Peace-policy entails arms control. Disarmament as opposed to armament. Making friendships with other countries - not just the western powers. Disperse any fears about German ill-behavior. Example: His father owned a farm in present day-Poland. His father died in 1940 so they sold the farm. When he visits the farm from time to time, the now Polish owners get nervous when he pulls up in a car that has German license plates. He said the Poles claim not to understand English/Russian/German and they do not interact with him while he is at the farm.
As for the War on Terrorism: He says that the Germans understand the shock of September 11, 2001. They supported the United States and 'followed us into Iraq.' He continued saying that the German newspapers say that the U.S. allegedly can not control our 'secret service' anymore - this statement made no sense to me, I think it is propaganda and his way of saying we are disorganized. He also said that the U.S. overreacted and thinks that we need to create a sound plan of action as soon as possible.
Q: 'What do you feel is Germany's role within NATO and how does Germany's role affect the other NATO members?'
A: Germany profited the most from NATO thus far because they were more frequently threatened. Germany has a gratitude towards the United States who is the biggest, most important partner in NATO (obviously). He also stated that there is a growing German responsibility within NATO, however, Germans are sick of their involvement within NATO and especially within Afghanistan. He said that 'Germany is in a position where they must pay off their thanks to the United States' - what the heck does this mean? What do you say you fight in Afghanistan because it's the right thing to do? - He said that he is unsure of Germany's role in NATO. He also noted that NATO was not prepared prepared for Afghanistan - who was?
Q: 'I understand that NATO requires each member to delegate a certain percentage of their GDP to defense. Does Germany meet their GDP requirement and how do you overcome the inability to have a standing army?'
A: He was quick to say 'Oh we have an army. We have an army that stands 350,000 strong.' He said that they do not have a 'professional army' like the United States has, Germany only has a drafted army. He also noted that he has no expertise in Germany's financial requirements.
Note: after discussing this with a few other people, their seems to have been a disconnect in our definitions (the foreign affairs officer and my own) of 'standing army.' Germany can not have an offensive military due to their historical actions; it is written in their constitution. This is what is meant by a 'standing army.' It is my understanding that they did send troops into Afghanistan but they do not shoot weapons. Help is help, but it sure is nice to be able to send 'non-offensive' troops. Could be wrong on this one - this is just my understanding.
After the meeting we cruised around Berlin and went to the Checkpoint Charlie Museum. Checkpoint Charlie was one of the checkpoints during the Cold War that lead from West Berlin to East Berlin. Check Point Alpha lead from the north western part of Germany (controlled by the British I believe) into eastern Germany (under Soviet control). Checkpoint Bravo lead from eastern Germany into West Berlin. Anyway, Checkpoint Charlie became famous due to the number of diplomats, politicians and journalists who crossed the border at this location. Fast fact: 108 people were killed trying to illegally cross from east Berlin to west Berlin but 1,000-2,000 people still managed to escape successfully. The museum was great; I could have easily spent 4-5 hours reading all of the information. One of the most interesting aspects about the museum was the 'Ronald Reagan Room.' Okay, it wasn't called the Ronald Reagan Room, but it was essentially a room telling everyone that President Reagan was awesome (which he was).Later that afternoon I got on the subway and saw that I was on the line that could take me to the Olympiastadion. I asked the others if they wanted to go, they said 'no,' so I went by myself. What great friends they are :)
The stadium was supposed to be built for the 1916 Summer Olympics but construction was aborted due to a small event known as World War I. The stadium construction was resumed in 1934 and was completed just in time for the Summer Olympics in 1936. The stadium is absolutely beautiful. I wanted to buy a fussball ('fussball' = 'soccer' in German, lame) jersey but they were ridiculously expensive. I settled on a 1 Euro postcard instead.
The next morning a buddy of mine and I went on a bike tour of Berlin. The tour was decently 
priced (more than half the price of the Rome tour) and was much more informative than the one in Rome. Alex, our tour guide, was very helpful. We went by the Brandenberg Gate, the TV Tower (built in East Berlin under Soviet control), Reichstag (the Parliament building), Tiergarten Park, the Memorial of the Murdered Jews of Europe, part of the Berlin Wall, the site of Hitler's bunker where he committed suicide (now a parking lot for an apartment complex) and a Beer Garden for lunch. Quick note on the Memorial of Murdered Jews of Europe (pictured to the right) - the memorial itself was fairly unique. There were a lot of people standing on the memorials which I presumed to be very disrespectful. A lot of kids were running through the memorial playing games as well - I don't know how people could be that naive/ignorant.
Back to the 'important' stuff - later that night we went back to the Reichstag. The Germans built a huge dome on top of their parliament building for tourism. The dome itself weighs 1,200 tons and it sits 24 meters above the roof of the Reichstag. There are walkways all around the dome from the top to the bottom which serve as a useful tool if you want to see the city. We ended up waiting an hour in line just to get in the dome but it was well worth it. The dome has an opening at the top which guides all precipitation in through the roof and into a large cone within the dome. There are also tons of mirrors (see the picture to the left) to minimize the number of lights needed to operate the building during the day. Very 'green.' Sounds similar to something AEL Construction does. Overall, the trip to the Reichstag was well worth it. The view was absolutely beautiful.My final thoughts about Berlin - The city has an 18% unemployment rate. It is very sad how many beggers there are. It's not uncommon to see a family (with children) digging through a trashcan or asking for some change. Housing is cheap in Berlin. Alex said you can get a very nice apartment for 600 Euro or a really cheap apartment for 200 Euro. Try finding that in northern Virginia - Ha! The city itself reminds me of an American city. Most everything was wiped out in World War II, so there really isn't much to look at. The buildings that look old were restored sometimes as early as 25 years ago. Nothing but the statues are real - Hitler took all of the statues and hid them in lakes or rivers during the war. I guess he had planned on getting bombed. Good plan, Hitler. Eating out is unbelievably expensive. Groceries are unbelievably cheap. Mercedes Benzs are everywhere. There is a very limited middle class in Berlin - from what I can tell. The people are nice... about as nice as the city-slicker Americans. Not as nice as Small Town USA, Americans - but who is? The transportation system is great. A bit confusing, but really good. All of the museums/tours love the United States of America. A couple of my friends got rejected from night clubs for having dark hair - not kidding. The food is great. Beer was actually quite disappointing. I would recommend Prague over Berlin - unless you're looking for wheat beer (Dad).
My beard looks good and my faux hawk looks even better. I miss America.
Busy week of school work ahead,
Luke
I bet you call yourself the Ass Man now. Fitting.
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