In Florence I finished Anna Karenina and, not ready to let go of Tolstoy, watched the War and Peace miniseries. I cried, as per usual at Andrei’s death– I love Andrei, I am in love with Andrei, I am Andrei and I want to be Andrei. I am always devested by his death and filled with so much joy at Nikoli and Marya’s marriage– I love them both so much and am so delighted that they are so good and for each other. The last scene where they are outside altogether always makes me fall apart– its what I imagine heaven to be, filled with everyone I love. Finishing the series made me think about how the length of War and Peace is actually one of the things that makes it work thematically. I am always struck by how much I miss the characters once I am done reading it. Because it is so long, it requires not just multiple sitting to finish but many, many sittings. Weeks and weeks most likely. The story also moves in more or less real time which means that for however long it takes you to finish the book, you are checking in with these characters for a long time. Because Tolstoy is so excellent at making you pity and forgive and judge and have compassion for every character, you love them. So when you are done, they are your friends– who else would you see everyday for three weeks and love? After I finished the show I started listening to the audiobook. I wish so badly that I could visit Russia but I can’t right now.

Berlin was so different from Florence! There were hardly ant tourists and I was also much further from the city center. It was rainy and chilly which was so refreshing after the heat of Italy. The first day I walked around the neighborhood I was staying in– so green! The tree’s are beautiful and big and I am in a place with apartments as far as the eye can see but it is pleasant, not oppressive. Almost everyone speaks English and is friendly but a little stern. After walking around I met up with Myra and we walked and talked for a while and then got dinner. I haven’t seen her in years and it was strange but nice– she is easy to talk to and we have a lot of common interests. We gossiped about family for a long time and got Persian food which was delicious.

The next day I went into the city and did a walking tour of Berlin. What a strange place– the insane upheaval in the 19th and 20th century made the city a hodgepodge of buildings that survived all the wars but mostly new buildings built where bombs had destroyed others. I guess that is what you get for starting two world wars. My favorite part of the tour beside the beautiful buildings was that Hitler’s bunker where he killed himself has been filled in with cement and how a nondescript parking lot now sits on tip of it. No honor or glory, no neo-Nazi stuff. Also the Soviet’s have parts of his body! Apparently when they got Berlin they found where Hitler’s guard had burned him but he wasn’t totally gone and they still have part of his skull. They had said that for years and everyone was like ok whatever, you are the Soviet’s, you make up propaganda stuff all the time but then some French teeth guy went over and confirmed. Anyway it was nice but also strange to hear how the German’s talk about their past– strange because of the fact that the Neo-Nazi movement is so disturbingly large in the world. There is this acceptance and straightforwardness about the past that is crazy comparted to how complicated and shameful and political America’s past is. There was none of that American “Well what our ancestors did isn’t our fault, we don’t have to pay for their sins, everyone that is impacted by our complicated past just needs to get over it and work harder.” The tour guide said that the city put markers in front of the places where Jews were taken from their homes and put their names on them. They are called “Stumbling Stones” and there is one in front of his house and the rule is that the youngest child, has part of their chores, has to clean them. Can you imagine the US having that kind of recognition of the slave trade? It is incredible to me. Also the German’s were the most educated people in the world at the time of WWII at every level– education did not prevent what happened– it is not enough. Berlin has been conquered so many times– it has been divided in two, it has been a socialist stay, a communist, a republic, a democracy, a monarchy, and a fascist state. All in the last 100 years!

The next day I went to Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp which I will talk about in another post but afterwards I went to a classical music concert with Myra and her friend. It was gorgeous and it was really nice to say goodbye my Myra.