I'm in Berlin now. Yesterday we toured the Parliament and the Parliament library. Today we were special guests of the American Embassy. The building is only one year old, filled with wonderful American art, and right next to the Brandenburg Gate. I haven't had a lot of free time on this trip, but I did have a few hours tonight. I figured I couldn't leave Berlin without going to Checkpoint Charlie, the most well-known place to cross between East and West Germany during the Cold War. Fortunately for me, getting to Checkpoint Charlie from the University of Berlin involved waking down the Berlin version of Fifth Avenue, Friederichstrasse. Crossing the streets I noticed some neat traffic lights. Instead of just red or green for crossing, or a timer, there were cute little icons. As I got closer to my destination I saw a nice shop and found an entire wall of these guys as sponges, keychains, puzzles, shirts - you name it. I found my souvenier Christmas ornament! Now back at the hotel, I've done some reading to find out the meaning of these symbols. They are called the Ampelmann. According to Wikipedia, "The Ampelmann is a beloved symbol in Eastern Germany, "enjoy[ing] the privileged status of being one of the sole features of communist East Germany to have survived the end of the Iron Curtain with his popularity unscathed." Seems like it's something East Germany did better than West Germany. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Ampelmannn acquired cult status as a symbol of East German nostalgia. People protested the governments' attempt at removing it and it was restored. They say seeing the Ampelmann is one way to tell that you are in East Berlin.
Photos: Ampelmann symbol, Ampelmann street crossing, Brandenburg Gate, soldiers near Brandenburg Gate, Checkpoint Charlie
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