The fascinating factor about the Berlin Wall is the obvious conjecture to the Cold War. During height of the confrontation, gun barrels from both sides of the fence faced one another. There were exciting stories on how East Germans attempted to cross the death strip: hiding under cars, having false identities, and simply, by climbing over the wall. It has also seen the worst of humanity (Google "Peter Fechter"). Some "escapees" were just a couple of meters away from freedom before they were shot by the VoPos (East German police). The world, not them, is at fault here. The guards were acting under orders after all.

The world was surprised that the problem got itself resolved with relatively ease in 1989. A misinterpretation of a message by the GDR government caused the border guards to open up the borders. Ecstatic East Germans then swarmed crossed the borders into the arms of the West Germans. The Berlin Wall came down in an instant, some of which ended up as expensive souvenirs. Was the cold war over? Will we ever witness the same for the "two" Korea as well?

Perhaps I could have rented a bicycle (I didn't); that would have helped me cover more distance in Berlin. I explored the area north of Mitte, Reichstag (where Bundestag, the German Parliament sits), Pariser Platz, Hitler's Bunker (I actually couldn't find it!) and the Memorial to the Murdered European Jews. It was not until evening that I got back to my guesthouse. I am glad that there were 2 pints of cold beer saying hi: I bought them in the morning and kept it in the fridge. The wheat did my legs well.

In the end, I realised that Berlin is definitely not all about white punk skinheads in black jackets with their German Shepard in leash (though I did my best to avoid them). But I had no time left: I had to catch my train at Zoologischer Garten. Oktoberfest was next, just 6 hours away. More beer maybe?