Author: jameswagner

seen on the edge of the pavement across from our Wohnung this morning

We’re staying on Rosa Luxemburg-Platz, only steps from the national headquarters of the PDS, or rather of its successor, Die Linke. I’ve worn my very red button every time I’ve gone out, and it seems it escapes the attention of almost no one here. [in the U.S. I sometimes think it’s invisible]
Anyway, a few days ago an open-faced youth stopped us a hundred meters from our door to ask if we knew where the PDS office was. I was silly-proud to point him in the right direction, and it was near their building that I spotted this poster this morning.
This is a very political people and they will not be deceived this time. It’s my own country that I’m very worried about.

FOLLOWUP: It happened. Everybody marched. No one was hurt. There were eggs thrown (by the anti-antis). The counter-demonstrators outnumbered the neo-nazis three to one. The police outnumbered both. There were ten arrests however, none of them of partisans from the extremist right.

pushing up green


“DER BEVÖLKERUNG”, Hans Haacke’s conceptual and somewhat controversial contribution to the Reichstag, installed in the interior court to the north, is very visible from the roof of this amazing building, at least to those with a bit of curiosity.
Outside, the dedication has remained unchanged since 1916, when it was added to the west front:


on a clear day you can see them all

above the inclined plane

We spent hours this afternoon at Berlin’s Jewish Museum. I don’t think the impact of architecture has ever brought me almost to tears so easily. Yes, the city and the nature of the collection has set the visitor up for it, but I had not yet gotten beyond the ramps inside Daniel Libeskind’s masterpiece when I had to stop and catch my breath.
I had expected much, but I was given more.