A Day in the Life By Nicholas Fields
Tuesday
After what would be an emotionally and physically draining Monday at Sachsenhausen we met once again with Dr. Finn Ballard to take a walking tour of the historic LGBTQ neighborhood of Schöneberg. Prior to the uprising of the Nazi party in Germany Schöneberg was the heart of gay Berlin and some would argue the heart of gay Europe as a whole. Dr. Ballard gave us an excellent lesson in the history of the community dating back to the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nations (which wasn’t particularly holy and definitely not Roman). As we walked the streets we discussed prolific LGBTQ landmarks like the El Dorado which is claimed to be the first gay club/cabaret opened in Europe. Though the venue itself was taken over by Nazis in the 1930s and used as a polling place the building itself still stands as an organic market.
Shöneberg was also home to queer celebrities such as author Christopher Isherwood (“Goodbye to Berlin”, “Mr. Norris Changes Trains “) who was instructed by a friend to come to Berlin because “Berlin is for the boys”. It was in fact for the boys, and for the girls, and for transgender individuals as well. Schöneberg was a haven for all those in the queer community in which one could live with freedom and dignity. Unfortunately, according to Dr. Ballard, the neighborhood has lost some of that inclusivity. Various bars and clubs will deny potential patrons based in gender, age, ability to pass and in some cases looks. This is a far cry from the original intentions of the neighborhood.
Wednesday
At the end of two long and informative days we were faced with a free day in Berlin. Some of us went shopping while others explored the city for its various museums and historical districts. I decided to immerse myself in the beautiful game, the world language of soccer. I am a huge soccer fan and the chance to experience the World Cup in Europe has been amazing. Coincidently I fell in love with the sport on another trip I took to Berlin back in 2014. I spent a majority of my day looking around the are for any café playing reruns of Tuesday games. I met a decent number of locals and tried to keep up with both their language and enthusiasm for the games. I did much better with keeping up with the games than I did with the language. It was a wonderfully relaxing day enjoying the sport I love with people that love it just as much if not more.