I’ve got nothing.

There’s so much history and so many facts on my computer, but I don’t know what to do with it.  I don’t want to prattle about the whys and wherefores of the wall.  I know I’ve done it before (sometimes at length), but for some reason I can’t do it this time.

Really, the Berlin Wall is all about separation and segregation.  It divided an entire city.

Looking up at the wall it seems impossibly high.  A lot of effort went into building it, and a lot of effort went into tearing it down.

Even though there are pieces of the wall still standing throughout Berlin, you can trace the wall’s original path throughout the city.  The path is marked by bricks that zigzag across the pavement.

I think there might be tours where you can trace the original wall.  If not, you could probably do it yourself.

Another remnant of the wall is Checkpoint Charlie, the best-known border crossing.

The checkpoint is now a tourist site with souvenirs and passport stampings.  I did not get my passport stamped (I’m kind of glad I didn’t – my passport is reserved for real stamps) but I did take pictures, like a proper tourist.  They have a person in uniform standing there for you to get a picture taken with, but I didn’t do that either. 

While looking at the site, it’s hard not to think about the people who had to cross through the border.  It’s also hard not to think about the tank stand-off between the Soviets and the Americans, which all started because of a guy who wanted to see the Opera, and other incidents that are just as terrifying.

I’m not usually such a bummer, but sometimes things get real.  Sometimes you just have to pause and take it all in.