Whisper House Press

Berlin always feels like home to me—or a home, anyhow. I know my way around, find food options that always please, and I have friends I visit with when I’m in the city. I understand the language, for the most part, and I can help visitors with me with knowing what to expect.

This is the city where I completed two manuscript drafts (Max in the Capital of Spies and an as-yet-unnamed prequel) and where I’ve been welcomed by the local recovery community—invited out to eat, to speak at their meetings, and to be a part of generally since my first extended visit in 2014.

I actually saw some new things this trip, and I returned to some old favorites and important memorials. New to me was the Nikolaiviertel (Nikolai Quarter), an old section of the city centered around the Nikolai Church.

This visit was unique because I visited with my son, and we visited the Stasi prison (Gedenkstätte Hohenschönhausen) where Max (the titular character of the novel I released this year) was detained at a late point in his adventure through East Berlin in 1965. We rode by (on the Metro / trolley) the Volkspark where the story begins and where Max finds himself again nearer the end of his story. We checked out the Wall at Bernauer Strasse, near where the climactic scenes take place. We visited the spot where I took the cover photo and then headed downtown to Checkpoint Charlie (this site is always a bit disappointing given the constant tourist fiasco—this is addressed in the prequel, actually). A lot of these places were translated quite literally into the book; visiting them in the order in which they appear in the book is to track the character precisely. (My ASD brain wouldn’t allow me to stretch the truth of the geography of this place, so if you like the idea of following Max’s footsteps, you can do so in a literal and exacting manner in Berlin.)

Here are some shots from inside that prison, from Checkpoint Charlie, and from Bernauer Strasse:

And here’s Zionskirche (Zion Church)

Another crucial spot to visit in Berlin is the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, which is immediately south of the American Embassy. I only took two photos there. It’s a place for reflection, I think. (Note that there’s a “downstairs” portion to this monument, and it’s pretty intense and takes a unique—when compared with other sites in Germany—approach to the Holocaust. The stories of specific people are a major part of the exhibition, along with an overview at the start of this short but densely packed (in terms of people at first but then in terms of content later) series of rooms. Entrance is free, but the hours are limited, and you should ensure you’re not just throwing young kids at this thing. If they haven’t already received an education about the Holocaust, I would not start here. My son visited it, but he’s received a pretty intensive education on the subject.)

Here are those two photos:

We spent five nights in Berlin on this visit, and we’ll be back for another six nights toward the end of the month. In between: about two weeks in Greece, where it’s quite hot right now (and every summer).

Tschüß

– steve