Atlantica - 01.03.2004, Page 22

20 A T L A N T I C A
quarters to Checkpoint Charlie, sight of
the Allied military post that once divided
East from West, a contentious spot
where Soviet and American tanks stared
down one another during the cold war
like two heavyweight boxers before a
prize-fight. Once the Wall came down,
the original military guard post went
into the Allied Museum at Clayallee.
Today, you can sip on a beer at Café
Adler and watch tourists taking pictures
in front of the replica guard post erected
in the exact location. Souvenir hunters
will be happy to know that Friedrich-
strasse is loaded with street vendors
hawking cold war keepsakes like Soviet
flags, army hats, gas masks, and flags
with pictures of Lenin; there’s even a
babushka with Gorbachev’s face paint-
ed on it. If you are jonesing to see more
of Berlin from the Cold War perspective,
make sure to visit the Museum Haus am
Checkpoint Charlie, a flip of a nickel
down from the guard post. Here the his-
tory of the Wall is played out in pho-
tographs of escape tunnels and the tales
of those who tried – and failed – to cross
the border.
EAST ENDERS
Now that the sightseeing is over, it’s time
to enjoy the best of Berlin: the people
and places that make this city such an
exciting place to visit.
When the Wall came down, thousands
of students flocked to the eastern part of
“Berlin is a world town,” says Firat Akgil. “Many cultures mix
here. I am Turkish. But I was born here. I grew up here. I am
part of Berlin. It’s part of me.”
L
Berlin
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