Jewel on the spree

As I stepped out of the U-Bahn station at Unter den Linden, I remembered how wonderful Berlin really is. There is an energy pulsing through the city with an unrivaled atmosphere. The German capital, once divided by the world's powers, now stands for the progress of the German people as a major European metropolis. The modern architecture is a reminder of the total devastation the city faced during the World War II -- Berlin, at the war's end, was reduced to rubble. \nHowever, parts of the city remained intact. One of the first things visible once you emerge from the U-Bahn on Unter den Linden is the Brandenburg Gate. This gate, built as a gift for the now-defunct royal family of Germany, became the symbol of division between the East and West during the years of the Berlin Wall. Stray a few meters away and you stumble upon the Reichstag, the seat of German government and politics. The distinctive glass dome crowning the building plays host to a dizzying set of stairs -- the reward for your climb is a breathtaking view of the city.\nBerlin has an impressive collection of state-owned museums; most of these sit on the Museuminsel in the center of the Spree River. There, hidden inside the neoclassical buildings, lie some of the world's treasures. From the impressionism of Monet and Manet to the ancient treasures of Turkey and Egypt, Berlin's museums are host to anything you could want to see.\nAmong the more unusual possessions of the Berlin museums, housed in the Vorderasiatisches Museum, is the Ishtar Gate -- the gates to the city of Babylon. Excavated by a German team in the 19th century, it has been painstakingly recreated with the animals that adorned the gate pieced together from ancient shards of pottery.\nBerlin has gone through great pains to acknowledge the painful past of Germany. Situated on Unter den Linden is the Neue Wache, a memorial to all who died in World War II. Inside this stark monument is a haunting statue of a mother holding her dead son. Exposed to the elements, the statue, though housed inside a building, experiences the rain when it rains and the sun when it shines.\nAlso serving as a reminder of the terror of war is the "Hollow Tooth." Once a glorious church in the center of the city, the left tower of the church is all that remained standing after World War II. Instead of demolishing the remains, it stayed as a reminder of the destructive power of war -- a bombed-out shell in the center of the city.\nCheckpoint Charlie, the Allied checkpoint that was the only crossing between East and West Berlin, is now the site of a museum dedicated to the history of the wall. Contained inside is the complete history of the breakdown of relations that caused the erection of the wall, including the story of the dramatic Berlin Air Lift. The ingenious inventions and ruses used by East Germans desperate to escape the tyranny of life behind the Iron Curtain are detailed by the stories of those who survived their flight to freedom -- and those who did not.\nMarring the peaceful atmosphere, there were grim reminders of the recent terror attacks in Spain. Police with German shepherds are in train stations, and the American and British embassies were virtually inaccessible, blockaded behind concrete barriers and an overwhelming police presence. Scrolling across the departure and arrival boards at Berlin Zooilogischer Garten -- the main train station -- are reminders to report unattended bags to the police. Berlin is changing along with the rest of Europe; security is now at the forefront of everyone's thoughts. Despite the security concerns, people in Berlin carry on the same way they normally would -- everybody just pays closer attention now.