Tuesday, November 10, 2009

The Wall & The Fall

I came back from Finland pretty fast so I wouldn't miss the event of the year. Last night we squeezed into the crowd on Pariser Platz, and stood in the rain all evening celebrating the 20th anniversary of free Berlin. I would like to thank my Lumix for taking these pictures dispite the humidity and my hands for pressing the shutter dispite the cramps of hypothermia. I have to say I was about to turn back and go home where my roommate was watching it all on the couch, but in the end it's nice to be able to say I was there. After all, the fall of the wall is the reason Berlin has developed into my favorite city on earth.

I came back from bleek dark November-Finland to an even rainier and colder Berlin. Yet, I love this city more than ever.

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Although you've probably seen these guys on the news already:

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20 years ago:

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Today:

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The great men and women include our own little Finnish president (Tarja Halonen, on the right side of Hilary Clinton), who just makes most people go like "awwww" 'cos she's so sweet, humble and as Finnish as possible:

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Two great men.

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I would've preferred Gorby to be followed by David Hasselhof, though. I hear he's said in his biography (not that I've read it) that he launched the fall of the wall, when he sang I've been looking for freedom on Alexanderplatz, but I was recently given different information. Gotta love that hairy chested superhero, never mind the rumors. The best that Jon Bongiovi has had to offer lately has been a song that sounds exactly like everything else and is called Have a nice day??!!!. My friend Tuomas would call that "the crappiest crap I've ever heard".

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Handsome Italian dudes singing a pretty song makes the crowd wet themselves:



Happy b-day pretty city! I love you and I wont stop posting in your honor.

I'll soon compile a post for you from how I've seen this city throughout the last 12 years. I was a little girl when I first came to visit my big sis in the real world, and rapidly it became my other home... stay tuned. Love Maiju

4 comments:

L. said...

No, no, no, you've got it all wrong! David Hasselhoff was at the Berlin Wall for New Year's Eve 1989! So after the whole show was already over... He's such a cheat!!!

But still, we Germans will always love him... Long live the Hoff! ;)

Piritta said...

I don't know, if you have the I <3 The Hoff Super Fantastic Activity Fun Book yet, so here's the link:

http://www.thesraid.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/12/ilovethehoff.pdf

Thought you might appreciate it. Gotta love the Hoff!

Meri said...

We didn't want to drag the kids to the festivities, so we watched the whole show on the telly sitting on sheep skins and drinking hot tea... but honestly I all the time had the feeling "scheisse, I should be standing there in the rain too...". Anyway, just wanted to say, that I'm really looking forward to your next post!

avara maiju said...

L: OK, I've now cleared it out from the Hoff himself, I'll soon post a little vid where he both was on the charts 2-3 months before the fall, and sang it afterwards at the ruins :) Sorry for mixing the rumours. Gotta love the guy!

Piritta: AWESOME BOOK! thank you, dear!

Meri: Oh, how sweet and faithful you are! Hope you like it, ur in most of the pics!! :)