Trains, Planes, and Automobiles (or really, just Trains)

First of all, I must make it clear that I am in no way overstating the importance of public transportation in the average Berliner's daily life. To illustrate this fact, I am including a long excerpt from what my friends endearingly refer to as my 'epic study abroad updates, which [they] didn't really read.' Screw them, my grandparents STILL oo and aahh about these 3,000 word missives and lament the fact that I don't find daily college life nearly as 'let me detail every minute of my life'-worthy. Without further ado, letter from late September, 2005 (and yes, I AM quoting myself):

"The closest subway station to my host family’s apartment is Sophie-Charlotte Platz, which is on the U2 subway line (quite appropriately named, I must say). It’s the original line that winds its way through the city (here’s where you should bust out a map of Berlin, as architecture and geographic boredom is sure to follow), connecting Alexanderplatz and the Fernsehturm (TV tower) to Potsdamer Platz (the geographical center of the city, formerly a Soviet No-Man’s Land, made famous by the hyper-modern glass and steel architecture of Daimler-Chrysler and Sony-Ericsson), the Zoologischer Garten, the Deutsche Oper (one of three main opera houses in the city), and at the very end, the Olympic Stadium (not to be confused with the Velodrom where Robbie Williams, the British pop sensation, will play to crowd of thousands whose tickets sold out within 20 minutes for over 98 Euros a pop on October 9^th). On the subway map that is always in my wallet, the line is red, uncannily depicting its artery-like qualities, representing on a perfect microcosmic level the spirit of this burgeoning, ever-evolving, intricately fascinating metropolis.

Weekdays around 9 am, I often find myself switching from the U-Bahn (underground) to the S-Bahn (above ground, faster, originally built to bring the workers from the suburbs into the city) at Zoologischer Garten. There was a seminal book written in the 80s called Children of Zoo (Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo), describing the drug-ridden youth counterculture that concentrated in the area. Since becoming the one of Berlin’s Deutsche Bahn hubs, the area has perked up and now fosters many a kitschy tourist shop and Döner Kebap Imbiss. The S-Bahn takes me to Friedrichstrasse, the closest station to the main building of Humboldt University (in conjunction with Duke, the host of my program) which, across from the Staats Oper, graces Unter den Linden, the historical thoroughfare of East Berlin punctuated by the Brandenburg Gate (Tor). The area was redesigned in the early 1800s by the architectural genius of Karl Friedrich Schinkel, the grandfather of Berlin urban planning and design, whose influence is still heavily witnessed throughout the city. From Zoo to Friedrichstrasse, the train runs through the new main train station (Hauptbahnhof) – Lehrter Bahnhof – which is currently under contrstruction, scheduled to be finished by next summer, when Germany will host the World Cup (Weltmeisterschaft). Business owners and commuters alike are worried about the Zoo area reverting to the filth, grime, and danger of the 80s once the trains are rerouted to Lehrter, which is an amazing feat of modern glass construction, sweeping through the northern center of the city, overlooking the Reichstag and the Spree River.

Depending on my evening activities, I will spend anywhere between 1.5 to 3 hours on public transportation daily. On the way to class, I usually finish up readings or look over notes if I have to give a presentation (although we’re not in German university classes, we’ve still fallen into their obsession with the Referat – oral presentation) on some random idea or person of historical significance, feeling very productive, glad to be “one of those people who reads on the subway.” On Tuesday and Friday evenings, I take the S1 50 minutes out of town to Mexiko Platz, where I am an English tutor for the daughter of the Korean Ambassador’s Press Secretary, I write German journal entries for class or stare off into the distance, bracing myself for yet another adventure with my over zealous parent of an employer, for whom I must resign to a very uncharacteristic role of subservient female. There are many ways in which one ends up “working for the man,” this one seems more literal than others, however. The most lonely train rides usually involve furiously text messaging my friends on my way out to some cool eastern neighborhood to partake in “Berlin’s famously wild nightlife.” I would not characterize any of my nights out thus far as “wild,” per se, but I will say that they are always long and invariably entertaining. I think my favorite rides involve a fresh butter croissant from the subway bakeries that open for commuters around 5 am, as I blankly observe my fellow early morning riders (an odd collection of homeless men reeking of sour beer and street filth, young, fashionable people with smeared eyeliner and dazed expressions, and the incidental elderly woman who carries an umbrella at all times and always wears that creamy tan color of velcro orthopedic shoes that matches her loose trench coat). I’ve come to enjoy the 7 minute walk from the U-Bahn station to my host family’s apartment as the sun rises, hearing my footsteps echo through the quiet residential streets of Charlottenburg, occasionally shivering as the early fall wind whips around the corner, blowing my scarf up to my face and shaking the green-for-not-much-longer leaves of the trees lining the vicinity."

There are many readings in the first section, "The Subjective Experience of Public Transportation," and I chose these for two reasons: 1) most of the authors are well-known, important figures on the literary landscape and are integral to a basic introduction of German Lit (modern or otherwise), and 2) they offer a different way to interact with the subject matter. The trainstation is no longer the faceless center of destination A that helps connect you to destination B, it is part of the process - the wonder, excitement, ridiculousness, and frustration.

I think it's fairly obvious how the Emil clips relate to the topic, but I chose the Christiane F. shorts in order to convey the mood of this time period (late 70s-early 80s). Zoo Garten is an important figure in the contemporary history of West Berlin and that this youth counterculture was so deeply and shockingly out of control presents a very different picture of the roaring West than what we're used to. Also, the soundtrack is just so good.

Lehrter - Metaphor for the Future? In many ways this is obvious, in others, it's completely not. The new main train station of Berlin's capital city, built right in the heart of the governmental district in the glass-and-steel-transparent-democratic style is a crossroads of European ground transportation. I have a problem ascribing too much weight to this concept, which is probably why I've emphasized visual materials over the news articles and architectural reviews of the site. Unlike the Reichstag or the Palast der Republik, I find that this piece of architecture is not necessarily a representation of a cultural and historical discourse, but rather visual depiction of a modern city with modern workers and technology (and also completely modern ideas of an Architect's rights: there are rumors that since they shortened the arching glass roof, thus altering the Architect's plans 'significantly,' they are going to spend an extraordinary amount of money either paying him off or rebuilding parts of the station --PREPOSTEROUS, anyone?)