It was 'back to the future' this morning as I arrived Berlin and made a bee-line for some of my old haunts ... only to find that they've become haunted by the spectre of "tourism." Take the Berlin Wall (pictured above). For years, segments of the wall have been on display at Potsdamer Platz on what used to be the "East" side of Berlin. Now, a phony East German official stands guard over the area, selling Visas to East Berlin. For a few Euros, he'll stamp your passport and hand you an officer's cap so you can pose for photos in front of the wall. "Come, get a souvenir photo," he said. "No thanks, I'm holding out for the Brooklyn Bridge!," I replied. It was the same story a few blocks away, where a group of Fake Officers (pictured below) barricaded themselves at Checkpoint Charlie. "Come," they cried, "Get a photo!" I ignored them and promptly marched right up to my own, personal Checkpoint: The Starbucks on Friedrichstrasse.
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5 comments:
Maybe they will autograph your Pink Floyd alblum :o)
Interesting that they are doing the capitalist tourism thing. Viva Freiheit! :)
We have our socialism right here.
What happened to the update on the new worker in starbucks at 7th & Montana?
In some cases fake officials are better than real ones. ~Mary
Ach du lieber! LOL
be well....
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