(no subject)
I was recently asked in an Email why Berlin was the site of the Ginormous 3-million-strong new-years Party. My answer:
so why berlin?
well, a number of reasons. first, Berlin is one of the few cities in the world able to handle that many people. The city, population 3 million, grows to nearly five on Sylvester (german for new years), all of whom need public transport, a place to stay, food, booze, et cetera. The metro lines ran every thirty seconds to Unter Den Linden*, the gigantic square where the party was being held; meanwhile the cities overhead trams, busses and street trolleys dumped a few hundred thousand more people to withing blocks of the event; all completely without delay or inconveniance. Food, beer, and fireworks are passed out en mass, without the price hike one would expect at a place like that. Medical aid; neccessary in a fest of this size, is provided by overhead cranes with stretchers and EMTs being dropped down in the middle of this crowd. The hostels are crowded beyond belief; every possible bit of floor space is rented out at a premium; people advertise places to sleep with posters out their windows; couch space runs 40 euro, floor space 20, a car seat 30. Meanwhile just under 8,000 police patrol the square alone, in the usual green-and-gold uniforns suspiciously reminicent of the GDR.
The veritable stormy ocean of people floods the square, packed so tight that one couldn't fall down if they wanted, shooting off fireworks*** and downing the beer, absinthe, wodka jellies and god knows that else amongst the mayhem. Eight different bands played, all huge acts, but were blared out eventually by the fireworks, general shouting, sticks of dinomite going off, futile police sirens, and just this infinity of anarchic, beautiful, ecstatic chaos.
at midnight firworks go off forming a circle around the square, trapping everybody inside for the next five minutes, empty shells raining down on the crowd. the shouting, cheering, screaming, grows to such a level that ears ring for hours afterwards. Then eventually the crowd dissapates and runs off to a club until dawn.
And all of this is possible primarily due to Hitler. Unter Den Linden was the site of most of his military rallies***; giving the city this insane ability to stretch its proportions and shrink without any shock to its inferstructure. After the war; 80 per cent of berlin was rubble, divided into the infamous four sectors by the marshall plan. Being such, Berlin had turned into four cities, each with its own town square, courthouse, public transport, police force, cultural identity, et cetera. When the wall dropped, Berlin was left as four cities where one was needed. It is one of the most culturally diverse cities in europe; ive heard dozens of languages spoken on the street; even out of the tourist areas.
So Berlin is now europe's center; able to handle anything because, frankly, it's been through everything.
As for me, I'm feeling a little bit off-center, sleeping off the self-induced Katze and looking for an excuse to sit in an internet cafe for an hour or two; having lived**** through the craziest, wierdest party of my life. Ive decided on a new years resoultion, paraphrased from an Ernest Hemmingway quote I read a while back. When asked what his goal in the new year was, he replied, "Every year I live, I vow to take exactly two years off my natural life."
Or something to that effect.
I went back to Unter Den Linden today, and it's turned into a giant, churning lake of sewage, spent firecrackers, broken glass, and puke. This being Germany, it'l be gone in a week.
Short questions deserve long answers.
so why berlin?
well, a number of reasons. first, Berlin is one of the few cities in the world able to handle that many people. The city, population 3 million, grows to nearly five on Sylvester (german for new years), all of whom need public transport, a place to stay, food, booze, et cetera. The metro lines ran every thirty seconds to Unter Den Linden*, the gigantic square where the party was being held; meanwhile the cities overhead trams, busses and street trolleys dumped a few hundred thousand more people to withing blocks of the event; all completely without delay or inconveniance. Food, beer, and fireworks are passed out en mass, without the price hike one would expect at a place like that. Medical aid; neccessary in a fest of this size, is provided by overhead cranes with stretchers and EMTs being dropped down in the middle of this crowd. The hostels are crowded beyond belief; every possible bit of floor space is rented out at a premium; people advertise places to sleep with posters out their windows; couch space runs 40 euro, floor space 20, a car seat 30. Meanwhile just under 8,000 police patrol the square alone, in the usual green-and-gold uniforns suspiciously reminicent of the GDR.
The veritable stormy ocean of people floods the square, packed so tight that one couldn't fall down if they wanted, shooting off fireworks*** and downing the beer, absinthe, wodka jellies and god knows that else amongst the mayhem. Eight different bands played, all huge acts, but were blared out eventually by the fireworks, general shouting, sticks of dinomite going off, futile police sirens, and just this infinity of anarchic, beautiful, ecstatic chaos.
at midnight firworks go off forming a circle around the square, trapping everybody inside for the next five minutes, empty shells raining down on the crowd. the shouting, cheering, screaming, grows to such a level that ears ring for hours afterwards. Then eventually the crowd dissapates and runs off to a club until dawn.
And all of this is possible primarily due to Hitler. Unter Den Linden was the site of most of his military rallies***; giving the city this insane ability to stretch its proportions and shrink without any shock to its inferstructure. After the war; 80 per cent of berlin was rubble, divided into the infamous four sectors by the marshall plan. Being such, Berlin had turned into four cities, each with its own town square, courthouse, public transport, police force, cultural identity, et cetera. When the wall dropped, Berlin was left as four cities where one was needed. It is one of the most culturally diverse cities in europe; ive heard dozens of languages spoken on the street; even out of the tourist areas.
So Berlin is now europe's center; able to handle anything because, frankly, it's been through everything.
As for me, I'm feeling a little bit off-center, sleeping off the self-induced Katze and looking for an excuse to sit in an internet cafe for an hour or two; having lived**** through the craziest, wierdest party of my life. Ive decided on a new years resoultion, paraphrased from an Ernest Hemmingway quote I read a while back. When asked what his goal in the new year was, he replied, "Every year I live, I vow to take exactly two years off my natural life."
Or something to that effect.
I went back to Unter Den Linden today, and it's turned into a giant, churning lake of sewage, spent firecrackers, broken glass, and puke. This being Germany, it'l be gone in a week.
Short questions deserve long answers.