Blog 2: We're not in Florida anymore

The owner of a BMW that was torched by an arsonist looks on as his car is removed.

I spent my entire first blog post writing a love letter to Berlin. Before I start doing that again, I guess it might be a good idea to acknowledge some of the city's downfalls.

Admittedly, there aren’t many. One I’ve noticed, however, is a lack of security. Look, I’m not advocating for 1984 here. But some security cameras would be nice. According to our “Alternative Berlin” (highly recommend, by the way) tour guide Jake, security cameras are pretty much only found in train stations, where they are clearly marked.

This guy probably wouldn't be happy if he knew I took a picture of him.

Which makes what I stumbled across on Tuesday morning somewhat troubling. In the middle of the night on Monday, some (one?) arsonists torched 14 cars just a few blocks away from our hotel. When I came across the scene, there were only a few cars left. The owner of (what was left of) a black BMW X1 was out watching his car get towed. According to him, leftist extremists committed the crime. Apparently, they were protesting the gentrification of the neighborhood. According to the latest reports, police do not know who did it.

People here are uber-private (pun intended). But there’s a price to pay for that.

Anyway, I still feel the sentiment that I did when I made my first blog post. The alternative art and music tour really reinforced that. It’s not something for a typical tourist. It documents the incredible street art, punk, techno, and squatting cultures that existed in this city in the years before and after the wall fell.

I think this picture juxtaposes the last 28 years of Berlin's history pretty well.

Today, the squatting culture is pretty much dead. The burnt cars were a protest against the elimination of this culture. Today, department stores occupy the buildings where young left-wingers created music, art, and political movements. That squatting culture may be gone, but the legacy remains on seemingly every wall in Berlin.

Today, Berlin is a family city.