Berlin behind us; Warsaw awaits us.

We are writing this on our train as it glides towards Warsaw – a five and a half hour journey.  Although we were only in Berlin for a blink of an eye, we saw many things that amazed us. Perhaps the most compelling is the sense that you get of the German people in just a few days.  Germany has a proud, and at times infamous, history of leadership in Europe.  In the last century alone, Germany has been the instigator of two world wars – and has been defeated in both. These defeats have been costly, particularly the second.  There were few churches, museums or other notable buildings we visited that were not severely damaged during World War II (as were those in all other parts of Europe, on both sides of the conflict, which only highlights the utter futility of war).  Many of the buildings have been restored to, or close to, their original form.  But they are no longer original.  The population of Berlin alone fell by 1.2 million people in the period of and immediately after the war – that is 25% of its pre-war population.  Then followed the Russian occupation, where half the population dwelt in captivity and the other half lived in fear and grief for their separation from family and friends on the wrong side of The Wall. It is somewhat disturbing to be walking down a busy city street where people are happily going about their lives and then be confronted with a sign indicating that, just over twenty years ago, the Berlin Wall went right across the middle of the street.

But there is construction going on everywhere.  Restoration work on damaged buildings continues.  It is little wonder that Germany is setting the economic pace among the Eurozone countries as they struggle to recover from the GFC.  None of the many people we spoke to (including a young student teacher on the train journey back from Potsdam) showed any sign of despair at their situation in life and we gained the feeling that Germans have confidence in their future.

So – off to Poland.

PA: If anybody picked up the mistake in yesterday's blog – the first talking movie was filmed in Potsdam in 1922, not 1992.