I saw a church in East Berlin which was riddled with machine gun bullet holes. The huge iron doors had an abstract sculpted motif for the background, and a depiction of two men in the foreground. One man stands above the other, arm extended out to his shoulder. The other man is on his knees beneath, head hung and hands behind him. The figures created the handles to the church; the hand of the man on the left made one handle and the head of the man on the right made the other handle. Form follows function.

There is an incredible amount of building going on in Berlin today. Everywhere you look there is a clump of cranes in sight. The right-angle shape of these machines blend beautifully into the skyline. I can't imagine a more ideal city for buildings to be going up (apart from maybe Chicago, which is the American city most influenced by this style) The Germans build these seemingly simple boxes which at first glance look gaudy. Upon closer inspection, however, one realizes they all seem to have perfect functionality and an understated charm. Cables, perfect squares and primary color schemes. As simple as this architecture is, each new building seems to be subtly evolving the last in this simple, deep-rooted Bauhaus style which creeps across the city. I wish to be in Berlin every year to see what next brilliant use of the square is being formulated.

When I got off the train in Berlin, I was immediately hit with a remarkable and strong energy. As I walked further and the sun got lower, I found myself in the dark amidst a ruin of some sort. I stood in the center of the crumbling columns and construction fences encircling me. I felt an inexplicable pang of negative energy all of a sudden in this place. I couldn't understand it, but I hurried out with shivers and goosebumps.

When I went back the next day to the same place in the daylight, I immediately understood why I was "vibed" out of this particular ruin. There was a photo on one of the construction fences that depicted the ruin before the destruction, with a colossal group of Nazis gathered around the steps and Hitler at the podium giving one of his many famous speeches. People would just walk past it muttering in German, the only understandable word to me being "Hitler".

I left Berlin only because I had no money or time left. If I spoke fluent German, that is where I would never leave. I have never been so affected by a city. To me, Berlin is the perfect city. Conversely, it will forever be tied to a shameful, unforgivable past. The people are harsh and cruel, not bothered what anyone but fellow Germans think. They press on in their German ways, influencing the world without trying and never halting. A city which plans, creates, builds and moves on, not waiting for any applause, or even critique. This city is real. I still can't help but pine for this remarkable place. Watch what this city will become again, and pay attention. This is the city which realized my passionate love affair with the square.

Figure 1. A playground in Berlin.