Great title, right? I always try to make the titles a bit interesting but this one didn’t take much effort nor creativity on my part. The past few days have indeed been filled with some touristy adventures laced with Berlin’s security forces gearing up for potential terrorist attacks.
For some recent information on the terrorist threat going on in Germany right now, you can look at either this article or this one.
(The Prussian Palace, Sans Souci, in Potsdam on the right.)
A friend of mine, K, visited this past weekend. She stayed from Friday until this morning (I took her to the airport at 4:30 in the morning. That’s friendship right there!). This gave me the opportunity to finally re-visit some of the memorable sights I enjoyed so much the previous times I was in Berlin. We were in the Pergamon Museum, saw the Genderarmenmarkt, lined up for 2 hours to go inside the Reichstag (Parliament Building), visited the Jewish Memorial as well as the memorial dedicated to the persecuted homosexuals during the Third Reich, stopped by Checkpoint Charlie, admired the Berlin cathedral, went into some random churches, walked by the Red Town Hall by Alexanderplatz, checked out Alexanderplatz and saw Harry Potter at Potsdamer Platz. Phew! K really likes palaces and so we planned a trip to Potsdam for Sunday because the weather was dry enough with some glimpses of the sun. Another friend of mine, K, came along with us to Potsdam.
I received an e-mail from Fulbright sometime last week with this title: Terrorist Threats Germany?. Intriguing, I thought to myself. The e-mail was pretty straight-forward with links to the State Department and the warning issued to Americans in Europe about the potential terrorist threat in Europe. The Fulbright officer ended the e-mail with “We still wish you all a pleasant holiday season” or something to that effect. I had to laugh at that.
As important as my desire to stay alive is, I also have the desire to live. This was a bit problematic because I wanted to show my visiting friend, K, the touristy places without having to worry about something potentially happening. We would’ve spent a more significant time at a Christmas market since the Christmas market season has officially started as of yesterday (which was a shock because I had forgotten that it was already nearing the end of November). I never start thinking about Christmas until after Thanksgiving.
Tangent aside, the touristy places are the most vulnerable areas and this also includes the Christmas markets. Once I actually allowed myself to dwell on the recent terrorist warnings, I did become nervous and a bit scared. Despite me not living in close proximity to the vulnerable areas, I find myself ironically going to these places recently because of a friend’s visit and my need to watch Harry Potter (the original version without any dubs is playing in a theater on Potsdamer Platz). Furthermore, Christmas markets are one of the best highlights of Germany. No one should miss the Christmas festivities in Germany.
So, what am I supposed to do? I’m a daughter, sister and friend to many people I love and care about, but I can’t live in fear. I will be extra cautious this holiday season but I won’t let myself become frightened again. If I allow myself to avoid the threat by confining myself to my apartment, then the terrorists will have won, which sounds a bit ridiculous, but that’s the point of these threats. Like I said: I’m not in too much danger considering I live quite far away from the obvious targets.
(The above picture is of the Brandenburg Gate in Potsdam. There’s also a Brandenburg gate in Berlin, if you’re confused at why this one is in Potsdam.)