July Sales and Football Fever

I watched the Germany Argentina game on Friday in Treptower Park in the east part of the city with hundreds of people who all spontaneously jumped and screamed for joy when Germany won. Some couldn't bear to watch the shootout because they were too nervous. Afterwards cars with the red, black, and gold German flag flapping and horns blaring drove through the streets, and those on the sidewalks cheered in response. Long after the game ended, celebrations continued in bars and cafes across the city.

The Soviet Memorial to fallen heroes is directly behind Treptower Park. I walked over after the game with Nick, a visiting American who had tickets to two of the World Cup games. Rock music and cheering sounded in the distance, but at the Soviet memorial, all was quiet, and we were two out of perhaps only five visitors in a gigantic stretch of marble and carefully groomed shrubs. Along two sides, large slabs of marble with relief friezes and quotes from Stalin carved on the side led up to a gigantic sculpture of a socialist hero holding a large sword and, of course, a young child. The effect, surely as intended, was awe inspiring and oddly enough, touching. The grounds were remarkably well cared for; the shrubs trimmed, the marble slabs kept free of graffiti. The heroes of socialism, and Stalin's words, live on in the heart of Berlin.

July. True summer arrives, and so do the semi-annual sales. In Erin I have found a partner in crime, and we went pawing through the sales racks of the Potsdamer Platz mall today. Besides great bargains (I only hope my suitcase won't be too heavy on my return trip with all the new wardrobe additions I've found here for 40-50% off), we also found some remarkably short shorts, a jumper which I think would barely cover one's butt, a bat-like shirt in rose-pink, and a black jacket chic but for a stitched on "no more drama" on the back.