Sunset Trains

It is May and already the sun isn't fully set by 9pm. Tonight, heading back from Kreuzberg from am Indian dinner with Michael, the sun wasn't yet gone. I walked for a bit down tree strewn and leaf canopied streets around Mehringdamm as the sun slowly slipped down the horizon, dodging between buildings, through the blanket of green.

When I reached the U6 and headed to Tempelhof to catch the Ring Bahn home, the sun was dipping low enough to turn the evening pink. As I waited in the rosen dusk for my train, the exposed platform at Tempelhof took on a new life. It was the moment before streetlamps come to life- when life in the pink, or at least behind rose colored glasses, seems infinitely and believably possible. Bathed in the warm glow of a day's end- everything became, for a moment, just.

On the Ring back, the sun continued to drop below the horizon and the familiar scenery outside the SBahn tracks of Eastern Berlin looked strangely different. For a moment, passing the Fernsehnturm at Alexanderplatz did not seem the icon of Berlin that I have lived with for the last nine months. It wasn't recognizable, despite the constancy of its presence down the old Stalinallee, the magic memories of it wrapped in fog, or the recent brilliance of its glimmer in the summer sun. It was a foreign object on the night's sky- one I was experiencing for the first time.

And as I walked through my courtyard, the sun's light all but gone, it too took on a new presence, the trees dark against a blanket of blue, the bicycles beneath silent and waiting, silence wrapping around, taking over the sun's warmth.

1. Mai 2009

In the day preceding May 1st and on the day itself- Berlin became a different world, or rather parts of Berlin did. I live in Friedrichshain, in the eastern part of the city- together with the slightly southwest neighbor Kreuzberg, we make the super Bizirk of Freidrichshain-Kreuzberg. Kreuzberg was in the former West Berlin and has long been home to a large immigrant population, artists, students, and other bohemians. Kreuzberg also has a long history of demonstrations, protests, and violence on May 1st, and this May 1st was no different. Indeed, they are saying that due to the uncertain economic climate, the increase in joblessness in Germany, and the general economic crisis, this year was far more violent that in recent years. Over 250 demonstrators were arrested May 1st in Kreuzberg and over 250 police officers were injured. I had been told that the violence usually picked up around nightfall, but I was surprised to learn that it did not wait until cover of dark to begin, but rather began around 7.30pm. I was well out of Kreuzberg by then, but you could hear the sirens rushing to the area all over town. More about all that in a bit, but first a bit of background to give you a sense of Berlin leading up to the the May 1st National Holiday.

The preparations for violence and rioting began the day before. Walking around Kreuzberg the day before, one couldn't help but notice that all the banks and ATMs were boarded up- as though a hurricane were coming. I walked through Boxhagener Platz to get to Kreuzberg, where Walpurgis Nacht celebrations were to happen, hundreds of people were already gathered and police had set up a barricade. Bags were searched heading into the area and about 25-30 police wagons surrounded the square- ready for the evening hours. Indeed, before May 1st even came- Boxhagener Platz saw around 50 people arrested and another 50 police officers wounded- no numbers of wounded protesters seems ever to be given. Walking through Friedrichshain and Kreuzberg on April 30th, there seemed to be something in the air, a sense of excitement and trepidation. It felt like we were on a rollarcoaster- looking over the edge of the first climb, waiting for the plunge.

Now to the day itself, May 1st took me to Kreuzberg with a few friends, during the daylight hours, it was home to a huge street fair- Myfest (a play on the German word for May- Mai's pronunciation).The streets were full of people listening to live music acts set up around Kreuzberg, dancing, and people lounging in the sun. On every street, Turkish vendors were selling grilled items and everyone was drinking beer or mixed drinks sold for a few euros on the streets. There was a concentrated effort to prevent people's access to glass bottles- but there is no open container law in Germany- and it is harder to control access to alcohol than once would think. We wandered through Kreuzberg, drinking, eating street food, and taking in the great weather (the mid 70s). There really was a wonderful vibe of peace and joy throughout the area.

However, despite the chill vibe settling over the sun and shadow covered streets, the possibility of conflict which the later hours promised was not forgotten. Different demonstrations were going on all over the area and police wagons were parked all over, ready and waiting. According to a local newspaper- the police force on May 1st was around 5800 strong, 1700 of which were members of the Berin Police, the remainder being on loan from other areas of Germany. Indeed, as Kreuzberg enjoyed the Myfest, over in Köpenick (south-east of me), there was a demonstration against the NPD- National Partei Deutschland, an extreme right wing neo-Nazi organization- and their desire to open a new office there. Around 3000 protesters were there and managed to disrupt service to the S-Bahn station for about an hour. The Berlin Morgenpost has a nice series of photos from the demo here.

Around 5pm or so, we headed out of Kreuzberg, across the Spree, in Mitte close to Friedrichshain and to 25, a beach bar just opened for the spring and summer in Berlin. It was on the Spree, shinning in the afternoon sunlight- trees hung their branches low over a series of decks, and the chill vibe returned. As we enjoyed the afternoon-evening sun, we heard sirens in the distance and watched the sun sink lower into the horizon. As I enjoyed the sun, friends, and the type of relaxation I'd only ever felt in the summer before- Kreuzberg was erupting with violence.

The 6pm demonstration at Kottbusser Tor, Kapitalismus ist Krieg und Krise- Capitalism is war and crisis, was foreseen to be the forbringer of violence, but the numbers surprised most expectations. Around 15,000 people had been in Kreuzberg for Myfest, and at 6pm, around 7000 marched in the demonstration. Among the 7000 was a so-called black block- one of the largest seen in years. Soon enough, beer bottles and stones were flung at the waiting police officers. As the evening progressed, trash cans were set on fire, and some cars were attempted as well. The police countered with tear gas, pepper spray, rubber bullets, and other "crowd dispersal techniques." As with the Köpenick demo, the Morgenpost has another very nice photo series, here. It is almost difficult to believe that this is yearly occurrence, but based on the police presence alone- not even taking into account the tales of my friends, I know this to be true.