Where are all the Germans?

The S-Bahn had some maintenance going on today, so there was a complex system to shuttle-trains, one from Friedrichstrasse to Bellvue, another from Bellvue to Bahnhof Zoo, and then regular trains went on from there. It could be confusing, even if you could read the German explanations, so I was not too surprised when a dark haired young woman asked me in English how to get to Potsdam. Her English was good, but not perfect. After trying to explain where to trainsfer and seeing incomprehension creep into her eyes, I told her that I was going in that direction myself, and would tell her when to get out. She turned out to be a Hungarian medical student in Berlin for an internship and had been told that Potsdam was a sight worth seeing.

At St. George’s church I met a young Australian couple just visiting the city, and an older couple from Vancouver, Canada, who were visiting a friend of their son and his girlfriend (from Virginia). Of course St. George’s is an Anglican parish, so one ought to expect to encounter English speakers.

At supper at one of my favorite Berlin restaurants, Mommsen Eck the “House der 100 Biere” (which was there when my father was a child), I sat at one of my usual tables. The three girls at the table nearest mine turned out to be British, and the couple that sat down at the table just opposite spoke loud, clear American English. The waitresses answered all of these English speakers in equally good (if not better) English.

So where were all the Germans today? Probably enjoying the fresh air and sunshine in the Grünewald or walking around the gardens of Sans Souci. The only genuine Germans that I saw were carrying their bicycles or lacing up their hiking boots.