May Day 2015

Today is International Labor Day in Europe, an official holiday for workers. Traditionally, marches, demonstrations, speeches (sometimes violent) were held on behalf of better pay and labor conditions  --- today it seemed more like a festival for tourists than for workers and trade unionists.  We strolled to the Brandenburg Gate where the Labor Unions ended their march and where we listened to one of the speeches that supported the newly won German minimum wage legislation (Mindestlohn)($8.50/hour), and that demanded support for similar wage conditions in low-wage countries worldwide plus more immigration of foreigners into Germany.

 

 

Later, along with demonstrators and tourists, we enjoyed the weather, the band music, the sights.  

 

 

Not far from the Brandenburg Gate is the Hotel Adlon which was destroyed at the end of World War II.  At that time it was a hospital for the wounded who had to be brought out on the street.  These days photos from that time are on show in front of the hotel.

After the war The Adlon was rebuilt to its former glory.  Some day Senta, Hannelore and I want to have coffee and cake in its posh café.

 

 

In anticipation of the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II  photos are stationed near the Brandenburg Gate.  This one of a soldier's grave and youths at one of the Berlin lakes.

 

 

There is construction just about everywhere in Berlin.  The city's main street Unter den Linden is no exception.  It's not enough that a subway from the eastern part of Berlin to the main train station is in the process of being built under it, but many buildings lining this avenue, such as the Opera House, the Opera Palais restaurant (where Senta and Stefan celebrated their wedding), the State Library, several private buildings and museums are being restored at the same time.  Plus the castle (Schloss), completely destroyed in WWII, (rebuilt as a modern Volks-Palast (The People's Palace) during Communist times, then demolished after reunification)  is being built from scratch to look like the castle it once was. Similar to DC, Berlin has been built on swamps and sand which means that every building has to be waterproofed from underneath and all around it - a gigantic undertaking.  No wonder Unter den Linden has been partially closed for years, and the cranes, trucks, pipes have become a way of life for Berliners and tourists alike. 

 

On this glorious spring day Berlin showed itself from its best side making the mood even more festive for everyone to enjoy the sights.

 

 

  The Opera House

Das Schloss (castle)

 The Pergamon Museum

  Altes Museum
Can you see the square dots on the columns? They are filled-in bullet holes, remnants from World War II:  (Construction complete)

  The river Spree flows divided around the Museum Island.  Yes, these popular tourist sights are standing on sand and are completely surrounded by water.  As any home inspector would tell you:  they ought to be condemned......  oops, better forget being a real estate agent...

  Is he pointing to the TV Tower or to the ad for the Apple Iphone 6?  Could there be a better summary of the modern world than the realities we see in this photo?  Berlin no longer a factory town that employs manual labor, but a city teeming with upstart companies, founded by youngsters from all over the world.

 

  And this guy is heading home, happy after an interesting day. 

 

On the news tonight we saw that the under 35 crowd, 45,000 strong, is dancing in the streets of Kreuzberg ---- one of Berlin's Labor Day "demonstrations".  To these youngsters it is My-Day, not May-Day....