I
stayed well out of the red light district while I was in Amsterdam but in
Berlin, sex is ubiquitous.
Today
I visited the impressive Berlinische Gallery in Mitte where they were showing a
major exhibition of the work of American, Dorothy Iannone who basically depicted
society as clusters of genitals over a career that has lasted 50 years. When
room after room of legs-wide-open became tedious, I climbed the crossed
staircase* onto the level of the Berlin artists permanent collection. The
downstairs theme continues… (please excuse the pun). Is it me? Have I been away
for too long?
At
lunch I purchased a copy of ‘EXBERLINER’. As far as I know this is a mainstream
magazine for English speakers in Berlin. The first article is about an English
gay club that has opened. The title of the article is BEST MOUTHFUL OF
GERMAN(S) and it reads like this: “A
little bit nervous when it comes to the legend of the giant German Schwanz?
Having trouble saying ‘Ich finde dich geil’ while gobbling down schnitzel? Fear
not: there’s a new sex party for horny homos who want (or need) to speak
English. Not subscribing to the adage that love is a universal language, EXPAT
MEAT (yes) at Prenzenlauer Berg gay sex club Stahlrohr 2.0 aims to fill a hole
for the Teutonically timid.” Case in point! Ha!
I
spent the afternoon in a completely different dimension at the Jewish Museum. I
barely have words for this. The building itself is completely
disconcerting: narrow corridors file off
in various directions and the floor appears to be slanted (which I believe it
is - ever so slightly). The effect upon the visitor is a sense of vertigo –
intended by the architects to express the sentiment that nothing makes sense
after a tragedy such as the holocaust.
Tears
began when I read this letter from a mother to her son who has managed to
organise passage to South America at the beginning of the war to stay with
relatives there.
“My Darling Son,
Tomorrow I am being evacuated to a
place called Auschwitz. I do not know what will become of me. If by chance you
do not hear from me again, please know that you have been the light of my life
and I am so relieved that you are safe away from here. I will love you always,
Mother”
Another
was a letter from a 10-year-old boy to his aunt. He had been separated from his
parents and has managed to hide, alone, in Nice for one year before he was
caught. He pens this on the train. Looking at the actual letter you can see how
young he is by the immature handwriting, though his words are eloquent.
“The heat, the stench and the crying
of men, women and children who are crowded into this train, defies all
description. We do not know where we are heading. Escape is impossible.”
There
was a little notation from the museum saying that he was taken to Dachau where
he was murdered.
I
had to leave. With tears running down my face, I tried to find my way out of
the labyrinth. The museum is largely underground so that by the time I burst
onto the street I was able to recognise what an incredible museum experience it
was. For a millisecond of my life I gained an insight into the terror of the
holocaust. But escape was possible for me.
I
shifted into a third dimension for the evening when I met up with a friend of a
friend Ilona, Kat. We had spoken on the phone and arranged to meet on a street
corner near Alexanderplatz. She was going home after work to collect her dog,
Winnie, who joined us. Not knowing what Kat looked like I approached a girl
with a dog who was standing on the corner. “Kat?” I said. She looked at her dog
then back at me, frowned a meaningful frown and said “Nein”. I decided to wait
for Kat to approach me.
We
went to a Vietnamese/ Japanese restaurant (apparently this combo is a very
Berlin thing). We did have miso soup and sushi and chatted our faces off. It
was so lovely to meet Kat and I know our paths will cross again. Winnie is
divine and I hope to get more cuddles from her some time soon.
On
this note (aware that this is a very long diary entry)… my host, Eva, is a yoga
teacher, energy healer and editor of Art Berlin. Her apartment is a retreat
with beautiful little shrines in every corner. I feel like the universe is
getting involved in my journey.
*This
is German design ingenuity at its best – the sleek staircase runs diagonally
across the enourmous double-story-high gallery space. The staircases run in
opposing directions. Where the staircases meet (in the centre of the room,
mid-air), there is a landing so you can redirect to any corner of the upper
level (or lower level if you are Christopher Robin – please, someone get that
reference).
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