Slytherin vibes: Feeling smart and dangerous

I like structure. And that’s why I like traveling in groups. Not only is there safety in numbers, but people generally have an idea of what the collective should do when exploring the city. My Syracuse contingent and I took a walking tour of Berlin on the first day of arrival, which I thought was a smart decision. Our tour group was predominantly English-speaking (we had Brits, Aussies, New Zealanders, the works), and since our tour guide was from the United States, we had an easy time communicating with everyone. And the best part of it all? The tour was free! We were able to see:

• Brandenburg Gate
• Aldon Hotel (where Michael Jackson dangled a baby over its balcony)
• Memorial of the Murdered Jews
• The place where Hitler died (we stood on top of the underground fortress)
• Some tax office 
• Berlin Wall
• Berlin Square

Berlin is a city that’s aware of its dark history. Following the aftermath of World War II and the Holocaust, much of the city went through restoration, and the city was rebuilt by its women from the ground up—most of its men were either injured or killed from war. There’s an air of guilt that floats in the stream of German consciousness. The tour guide alluded to the German backgrounds of many popular movie villains; Germans are used to being stereotyped as evil.

Out of all the European capitals I’ve visited, Berlin from the exterior looks pretty bare for the most part. The architecture isn’t as romantic or ornate as Paris or Rome. However, the streets of Berlin are incredibly clean. I’ll give them props for that. Berlin also flourishes in intelligentsia. Much of man’s most brilliant minds (Einstein, Heidegger, Bach) hail from Germany. So... a city full of smart and dangerous people? Sounds like a breeding ground for the Slytherin of society. (Sarcasm.)