By Hand

Last Thursday I decided to choose a direction (NE) and ride my bike in that direction until I was lost or tired. I do not know which one happened first but I saw a lot of the city that I had not seen before. I made it all the way out to Weißensee (White sea) which is a small lake near the edge of the city. Along the way there were lots of social housing complexes mixed in with older neighborhoods. In one of the courtyards of a housing complex I saw this monument and thought it was worth posting.



I guess Ernst Thälmann was part of the German Communist party in the 1920-30's and was jailed for speaking out against Hitler and the Nazis. Remember, Nazis and Communists are not synonymous; in fact they did not get along. It is an impressive monument but the kind of heroism and display of power that are looked down upon with American monuments.

Also, did you ever wonder how German sidewalks are made????? Well, now you know. By hand. Every single stone is pounded into place forming distinctive patterns. This photo was taken out of our window. If you want to know what the process sounds like, come sleep in our bedroom for a night. On second thought, you might not get much sleep.