Germany in 1999

jeseymour

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If someone was visiting Germany in 1999, what would be some sights to see in Berlin? I've found a club called Ostgut, but can't find a ton of info. Said person is really not a party animal, but might be dragged along with some younger buddies. Even better if he can get into trouble, as long as he can get out of it. (I'd prefer he not get arrested, as any fingerprinting would cause problems.) He has ties to the New York mob, but is definitely a low-level guy. He does speak a little German. I'm thinking he's there with someone developing contacts for a car-theft ring. I don't need a ton of detail, I'm thinking he's probably going to get into some sort of mess and go home. This is actually a very small thing, maybe a chapter or so, but it needs to feel right.

There wouldn't be much of the wall left at that point, right? Maybe visit the Brandenburg Gate? Anything less well known? Anybody familiar with Ostgut? Any stories about visiting Germany in the late 90s?

Thanks in advance.
 

DrZoidberg

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As a tourist to Berlin (not in 1999 specifically) but around that time, I'm probably the closest thing you'd get to an expert. Since I can talk about it through a tourists inexpertant and highly subjective eyes.

He'd probably visit Alexanderplatz. There's a tower there he might want to go up to, but give up when he sees the massive queue. For a western tourist it's really fun to see old commie sights, which can also be found at Alexanderplatz. He'd most likely get sick of the ubiquitous schnitzel. He'd think the old east Berlin is bohemian, especially Friedrichshain, but a bit dirty and dilapidated. West Berlin is very clean, but also very boring.

I'd say the main party thing for Berlin as a tourist are the freak parties. There's quite a unique vibe in Berlin that can't really be experienced anywhere else (possibly Amsterdam). Berliners have a detached air about them, and seem to be okay with almost anything. Whether it's sex or drugs or just any bizarre behaviour. Irony doesn't seem to exist in a Berliners vocabulary, or it's just that they're so subtle, it goes completely over a tourists head. Berliners have a penchant for wearing a mix of bright colours that clash violently, and they like to paint dilapidated east Berlin houses like it.

At this time east Berliners were very resentful of west Germans coming in and trying to obliterate every trace of communism. They felt that their identity was attacked (and they still do).

The Kitkatclub opened in 1994 and will give you plenty to write about, if he goes there.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KitKatClub
People getting blow jobs in dark corners, or even on the dance-floor...or just public sex will always shock a tourist, whether they approve of it or not. I doubt it is possible to get used to.

Barghain didn't open until later. The Loveparade was still going strong.

In 1999 the drug of choice would have been ecstasy and hash, possibly speed (not to be confused with chrystal meth). The drink of choice would most likely be beer. For some reason the popular beer brands escape me. The music found at most parties would be techno, and more specifically Goa Trance, with the customary clothing that goes with it.

This is just my highly subjective take on Berlin based on my experiences from going there and visiting around that time. It's one of my favourite cities in the world, because it's so weird (from my perspective).

edit: ...and lots of skinheads. Pretty much everywhere. The majority of the skinheads would be sharp-skins (ie aggressively non-racist) which would be confusing to somebody not used to the various style and clothing of them. Especially the gay skinheads, also quite common in east Berlin, are probably the most confusing. At the time, the default view of a skinhead for the uninitiated would be that they're all nationalistic/racist/neo-nazi.
 
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