Arrival in Berlin and Berlin Marathon

Sunday - 25 September 2011 I arrived in Berlin a couple of days ago and have been staying in a hostel in the Moabit neighborhood of Berlin, just east of the Hauptbahnhof or main train station. Moabit is technically an island; it lies on the north bank of the River Spree and is enclosed by various canals and harbors.  Originally famous for its prison, Moabit is today considered a bastion of old, ungentrified Berlin.  The area around the hostel is predominately Turkish with several good cafes and Döner Kebap stalls within walking distance.  In short, I am finding it an interesting introduction to Berlin: a bit grungy perhaps, but an authentic and unhurried place to stay, with easy access to the Hauptbahnhof and public transportation, while I find my bearings in the city I´ll be calling home the next few months.

Today is the day the Berlin Marathon. 34,000-40,000 runners from around the world competed against the heavily-favored Kenyans! The outcome was never really in doubt, but I still wanted to take in the spectacle!

view of Berlin Hauptbahnhof across the River Spree

I walked to the Berlin Hauptbahnhof and rode the U-Bahn under the river to Pariser Platz. Pariser Platz is the heart of Berlin. Like Times Square in New York, the Berliners come here to celebrate big events next to the Brandenburg Gate. The American Embassy, ​​the French Embassy and several other important buildings are located here as well. And today the marathon route would run through this place! I was excited. I eagerly anticipated the noise of the crowd. I exited the U-Bahnhof Brandenburger Tor  and saw ... no one.

The marathon had actually began a few minutes earlier at the center of the Tiergarten, Berlin´s large city park, just a few hundred yards up the Straße des 17. Juni. I was too late ... On projector screens set up next to the Brandenburg Gate, I could see aerial shots of the waves of runners crossing the starting line, and turning to look down the broad avenue, I watched the runners disappearing into the distance.  I decided to walk south to Potsdamer Platz and passed along the side of the American Embassy. This brand-new building takes up the whole block, and was protected by many guards today due to the crowds.

At Potsdamer Platz I saw some runners. I took the subway station and rode west to the Zoologischer Garten station. The Berlin Zoological Garden, containing one of the most diverse collections of species in the world,  is located in the corner of the Tiergarten, and I wanted to see the young polar bear Knut, the world-famous star of the zoo. The zoological garden is quiet on a Sunday morning, and I found the polar bear enclosure quite quickly. Then I learned the bad news: Knut had died in March. He had been suffering from a brain disease, fell unconscious into the pool, and drowned in front of several dozen spectators. I couldn´t invent a sadder story!

  
















 
I soon developed a blister on my foot from all the walking, and had to go back to the hostel. I was quite relieved that I was not  competing in the marathon today! At the hostel I met my roommate Vikrant K., who is an Indian student. He is studying in the Netherlands and is in Berlin this weekend for the marathon . The marathon had just finished, and Vikrant invited me to the official after-party. It was being held at a big hotel next to the Bendlerblock, the defense ministry offices known for the their role in the July 20, 1944 bomb plot against Adolf Hitler which was depicted in the 2008 American film Valkerie. 

Berlin Marathon after-party from "VIP"

At the hotel, we ate overpriced German snack foods and drank a couple of passable beers. The crowd was very international, but the music was amusingly comprised of American pop hits (i.e. Black Eyed Peas). I managed to persuade the bouncer that we belonged in the VIP balcony from which my host and I watched the award ceremony. Patrick Makau Musyoki of Kenya set a new world record of 2:03:38. He, the runner-up and third place finisher made some speeches followed by the women's champions also. The British women´s third place finisher (who is currently the women´s world record holder from a time set in a previous marathon) amused the audience by delivering her remarks in fairly good German!  The other winners seemed a little ticked off by their momentary loss of the limelight.  It was definitely a wild night and a pleasant introduction to Berlin!