Finally, the big climax - day three of the Lichtgrenze, when all the balloons were released into the sky! Day three was Sunday, November 9, which was 25 years to the day that the Peaceful Revolution took down the Berlin Wall, as I previously described here. The special day was marked in Berlin by releasing all of the thousands of balloons along the Lichtgrenze art project, followed by a big concert at the Brandenburg Gate.
The whole city was out to see the spectacle - the streets were packed! So we were unable to get the Brandenburg Gate since the big square in front of it was more than filled to capacity. We instead stood on top of a cement barrier at Potsdamer Platz, which is just a block or two down from the gate, and got a nice view of the action there.
The event started at 7 pm with speeches from Angela Merkel and Berlin's mayor (the one I met!), and 15 minutes later, starting at the Brandenburg gate, the balloons were gradually let free. I have mentioned (and I will elaborate upon this in later posts) that the Germans are absolutely in love with protecting the environment. If you knew this, you were probably asking, like me, why are the Germans okay with releasing thousands of balloons in the sky, which will ultimately result in them floating off and becoming litter? Well, have no fear - I learned the balloons are biodegradable and will disintegrate in a fairly short period of time. Leave it to the Germans.
After the usual afternoon coffee and cake that Sunday (Germans love afternoon coffee and cake, especially on the weekend), I headed out with a few friends to take it all in. Here's what it all looked like that special night:
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| The view we eventually secured for ourselves. I zoomed in a bit to take this picture, but from our spot we could clearly see the center of it all - the Brandenburg gate! Also, note the throngs of people |
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| Before I met up with my friends, I took a quick detour to the Gendarmenmarkt (which I first wrote about here) for a quick picture at dusk |
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| Back to the view we had of the night's festivities |
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| Looking down the wall's route as it snaked away from the Brandenburg Gate |
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| So. Many. People! It made for a great atmosphere and reminded one of how unique this night was |
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| I turned pretty much directly behind me to take this shot. As you can see, the solid mass of people reached way far back away from the actual balloons. Good thing we were here early |
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| Looking away from the Brandenburg Gate |
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| Anticipation |
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| Now you can see the balloons being released! The moment we had all been waiting for was here! The guy on the sign on the right really wanted a good view |
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| More balloons! It's happening! And look at all those cell phones documenting the event |
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| Now the balloons by us were being released |
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| Berlin's symphony was playing "Ode to Joy" back at the Berlin gate, and a chorus of cheers rose up as the balloons closest to us were released. Here, the procession continues south |
The next challenge was getting home. It was later announced that over a million people were out on Berlin's streets watching the festivities! To get back home, as usual, the only option was taking the subway. I led my friends to a station a block away to try to avoid the crowds, but no go - it was so crowded that we had to miss a train that came by since it was so full. And the next train was already full as well, but we just had to try - so we pushed and were pushed as we squeezed through the subway's doors. That was the most cramped I have ever been and I hope I ever will be. There was literally no way to move, since others were sandwiched against you in all directions. And at each stop, somehow one or two more people came into our car. Thankfully, we all managed to make our way out of the mayhem that was our train car without missing our stop, and we could breathe again.
But what a special night! I felt lucky to be a part of it all. I'll definitely be remembering this night due to its historical significance and the fact that it is literally a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence. Hopefully you found the shots intriguing. Photos from Prague are next!
Now, for some other random updates. This past week has been all about birthdays! Last weekend, it was my host mother's birthday. As per my host dad's suggestion, I bought her a mystery novel. When family and family friends came over to celebrate with us and she started opening presents, I quickly found out that a book was the standard gift for my host mom - every single present she opened was a novel! One gift even turned out to be TWO novels! So now my host mom has a personal library. That same night, I headed out late to celebrate my tandem partner's (a German student I practice German and English with) birthday. And TODAY is my younger host brother's birthday. Happy Birthday, Consti!
And here are a few fun facts I've heard over the past week. While talking with a German university student, I learned that Berlin is cold (it has been 30 degrees lately) because it gets winds from Siberia, as there are no mountains to block those gusts. That's right, I'm basically surviving Siberia. Next, I had a nice lunch on Monday with Korean, Greek, Italian, and French students. I learned from them that one stereotype of Americans is that many of our teenaged girls are pregnant! What?! Sure, it's a problem, but I don't think it's that rampant an issue that it should be an American stereotype. But apparently this perception stems from shows like 16 and Pregnant, which are also shown abroad. Great. Next, a French student said she was not endeared by American culture when she lived there for a month at 15 years old. Usually Europeans who have visited the U.S. enjoyed their time there and want to go back, my host parents in Cologne and Berlin included. But this girl was an exception - apparently the U.S. is too commercialized and materialistic, too close-minded, and too focused on itself for her tastes. All arguments I can understand. She also mentioned that every time she mentioned she was from France to an American, the FIRST thing the American would invariably ask is, "Do you eat snails?!" That got old. So, PSA - don't ask French people you meet in the U.S. if they eat snails!
...even if they probably do.
