If you recall from earlier in the month, PT contributor James Bligh and wife Errin were on a glorious tour of Europe. We pick up with them again, this time in Germany, where they found themselves asking, “Is Berlin the Toronto of Germany?”
Speaking with Germans and Austrians prior to landing, they heard some familiar refrains: “Berliners are smug”, “It’s dirty there”, and, “Why visit Berlin when you could go somewhere more picturesque and relaxed, like Munich?” As the days progressed, James and Errin heard more parallels between Berlin and Toronto:
- Berlin has “hard” drinking water. Some Vancouverites would find Berlin’s repugnant-yet-potable water a reminder of Ontario, though James admits to having been spoiled by Vancouver tap water, arguably one of the region’s greatest assets.
- Berlin has cold winters and hot muggy summers, which seem to map cleanly over Toronto’s two seasons, winter and construction. In fact, James and Errin missed a lot of Berlin due to summer construction: the Neue Nationalgalerie, the Pergamon, the Berlin Palace, the AEG Turbine Factory, and an otherwise conveniently-located rapid transit station.
- It’s hard to meet a “true” Berliner, born and raised in the city; only 1 in 4 Berliners were born in the city, and about half of Toronto’s population was born outside of the country. Homegrown Berliners are known as “unicorns”.
With that in mind, we move to the photo tour of Berlin, and more of these “centre of the universe” -style parallels.
