Berlin ist mehr ein Weltteil als eine Stadt - Berlin is a part of the world rather than just a city

By Thibaut Hugueny - Blog Entry III

Our last stop of our European journey started on Wednesday May 23^rd in Berlin, which displayed its monuments under a sunny blue sky.
My prior assumptions about the coldness of the German land disappeared as soon as the bus put in motion. The pleasant impression of the previous day was confirmed; German people are as welcoming as its capital city. The first impression of any experience often conditions a future perception, and my perception about the “country across the Rhine” could not have started in a better way.
The tour of the city made me think that Berlin made peace with its post-war(s) sorrows - and found joy. Indeed, this city is nothing like the city depicted as the center of a world, traumatized by a conflict that vastly exceeded its borders. Berlin is a city resolutely established in the present, without rejecting its past. Modern architecture rests close to its  vestige of the past. The "responsibility to memory" seems to be the driving force for its  development. 
Due to its painful past, Germany inherited one of the strongest determinations and political wills for democracy. No country in the world is more "obsessed" with democracy than Germany. Following the city tour, we had the pleasure to discuss the political situation in Germany with Mr. Thomas Habicht, a journalist working for leading newspapers in Germany for many decades. The center of the discussion touched many topics. 
His vast knowledge of not only the German society but also its political and cultural nuances were impressive. Personally, this meeting allowed me to dispel my last reticence about a country that rivaled my country for the longest time. In France, one's  childhood is consistently influenced by the history taught in classrooms. When I was a kid, I watched movies where Germans were portrayed as Nazis, and when I invented stories with toy soldiers, the bad guys were always German. Subconsciously, I guess it played a role on my apprehension toward Germany.
I would have liked to talk to Mr. Habicht for longer because our discussion forced me to reconsider many of my prior assumptions. The last meeting of the day occurred in the Paul-Lobe-Haus with Peter Beyer, member of the German Bundestag. Even though the discussion was about important topics, my head was filled by thoughts resulted of the previous meeting. While all the meetings provided me with knowledge about European issues, Mr. Habicht allowed me to think beyond my preconceptions.
The magnificence of Berlin and people like Mr. Habicht created a link between Germany and me. The young boy I was at seven would probably consider this as treachery/disloyalty, but like Berlin, I turned the page.