I slept incredibly well last night—the best night’s sleep I’ve had in months. I woke up at 8:30 in the morning after sleeping deeply all night without any sleep drugs or sleep aids whatsoever. I woke up refreshed, prepared to segue into my unexpected week as a solo explorer.
Last night, while visiting Michaela in the hospital, we discussed what I might do today. One of the few things I definitely wanted to do in Berlin was go to the East Side Gallery, a stretch of the former Berlin Wall that’s been transformed by the work of dozens of international artists to commemorate the tearing down of the Wall that represented the dramatic end of the Cold War.
I’m old enough that I remember when the wall came down, and I’ve always known about the separation of East and West Germany, but I wanted to learn more. For such a significant site, I wanted to be on some kind of tour that would teach me its history. But I didn’t want to commit to a physical tour with a guide. I wanted to be able to take pictures and move at my own pace.
While scrolling online, I came upon an audio tour recommended on Trip Advisor: The East Side Gallery Self-Guided Tour: The Berlin Wall as a Canvas by Roberta Schmoi. I could download it onto my phone using the VoiceMap app and then listen to it with AirPods as I walked the length of exhibition. I’ve always loved audio tours and Roberta’s online sample sounded great. It synched with my GPS so the app knew where I was standing, when I stopped, and when I started walking again. The audio actually synched with my movements. What a great use of technology! All that and it cost only 10 Euros.
I bought it and spent a half hour struggling to figure out how to download it, but I finally figured it out. I was set.
When I woke up alone this morning in our spacious apartment intended for two, I warmed up to what it means to be on my own as a solo traveler. I cooked myself oatmeal, just the way I like it. I took care of a little business. I piddled around, much as I do at home. I didn’t set out until 11.
And instead of taking public transit to the East Side Gallery as Michaela and Google Maps suggested, I opted to walk. It was an hour-long walk. I’d get to meander through some new neighborhoods, try out a thinner pair of socks with the shoes I plan to wear on the Camino, and put in some miles on pavement—excellent preparation for the pilgrimage ahead of me.
My self-paced morning highlighted the benefit of solo travel, something I’ve been reluctant to undertake. I could do exactly what I wanted to do when and how I wanted to do it, and then change my mind, without consulting or negotiating or compromising with anyone. Before I left the hospital last night, I’d told Michaela that I’d visit her later in the day, but I hadn’t specified a time.
I was free. I could stop and take pictures as often as I liked. I didn’t have any deadlines. I wasn’t on a schedule. I didn’t have to stop when someone else needed the bathroom or was hungry or thirsty. Only when I had those needs. It was just me—and I loved it!
And as I moved through my day, I got in touch with what the rhythm of the rest of my week in Berlin is likely to be: one activity, a lot of time walking, and a visit to Michaela every day.
I’m so glad I didn’t pre-plan, that I don’t have a big bucket list of “must-dos” or “must-sees” in Berlin. I have a couple of places I definitely want to go to—like the Holocaust Museum—but mostly, I’m open to whatever presents itself along the way.
On my hourlong trek to the East Side Gallery today, I felt like a sponge, drinking everything in. I didn’t always know what I was seeing, but that was part of the fun. It felt as if I was walking in New York City. The streets were filled with people of a wide variety of ethnicities and nationalities. Multiple languages peppered the air. Berlin feels like a hip place, full of artists, young people, queer people, avant garde energy. There was graffiti everywhere.
Now, on to the East Side Gallery. I hope you find these images as remarkable as I did. I’ll share some of the narration from the audio tour in the captions on the pictures. So read through to the end!
“After the border between East and West Berlin opened, between June and September of 1990, in the brief window between the fall of the wall and German reunification, 118 artists from 21 countries came together to paint 106 murals on a 1.3 kilometer stretch of the wall, creating what is now known as the East Side Gallery. The murals weren’t designed as permanent monuments. There were spontaneous reflections of a moment filled with uncertainty, hope and transformation.”
I was deeply moved by the experience of witnessing how artist provides testimony to history.
The audio tour ended with these haunting words:
“Where are the walls of today? Where are the borders deciding who may move freely and who may not? Whose private lives are still shaped by distant decisions? If places like this are supposed to help us avoid repeating past mistakes, where do you see the connection between then and now?”