Saturday Afternoon, October 3, 2009
After the emotional reuniting of the giants, a few classmates and I made the long detour north around Brandenburg Tor and then west to enter onto Straβe des 17. Juni about halfway between the Gate and the Victory Column. We then began to wade through the crowd back towards Brandenburg Tor. We visited the various booths lining both sides of the street, filling up on bratwurst hacksteak, and waffles, as we made our way to the enormous stage which was set up on the west side of the Gate. As it grew dark the stage lit up and an incredible concert began. Hosted by MTV, the concert featured several popular German artists whom I had never heard of before; despite this, the music was awesome and I had a great time. I was surprised by the diversity in the ages of those who attended the concert, though I would normally expect only the Berlin youth to attend the event, I saw people of all ages enjoying the music – these older Berliners had probably attended the dramatic festivities of the afternoon and were simply not ready to head home when there was still so much to see. After the concert, I discussed the days events over a beer with a few friends who from Berlin. When I left to head home in the wee hours of the morning, the night was still beautiful, and I decided to pay one more visit to Brandenburg Tor now that the crowds had dispersed. When I arrived, all was quiet except for the subtle sounds of the two slumbering giants, the smallest of which rested on the lap of the larger. The pair was silhouetted eerily against the lights on the Brandenburg Gate. I snapped one last photo of the incredible figures, and then resumed my journey home.
Above and to the right is a photo I took of the west side of the Brandenburg Gate, during the rock concert. Left is a picture from the east side of the Gate, where the giants slumbered.