Berlin is a city with two distinct personalities.
One Berlin is a multi-ethnic, multilingual, cosmopolitan hipster that embraces new ideas, artistic expression, and is a descendant of the Age of the Enlightenment.
The other Berlin is a repentant old prisoner who knows that he can never make up for the crimes against humanity he has committed. There is no redemption, only remembrance. And so, each day, he shouts his cautionary tale in detail from almost every street corner. He refuses to be ignored. In that way, this Berlin hopes that future generations will avoid his horrific mistakes.
During a recent trip to Berlin, I ricocheted between these two Berlins; one literally rising out of the rubble of the other.
Geri Dreiling 