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1993 travel journals, vol. 1
This is the first in a series of excerpts from my 1993 Scandinavian-European travel journals. Many of the ideas explored during this time have contributed to my approaches to architecture, music, and life. They’re also the writings of a wide-eyed 21-year-old kid, so take them with a grain of salt.
First, a visit to a church in Berlin bombed by the Allies during World War II.
Kaiser-Wilhelm Church, Berlin, 19 September 1993
I feel safe inside the church, but outside I don’t. Outside the church is the rest of Berlin. Inside is a part of my home, here in a strange land.
The priest is speaking to us, but in German. It is only the priest and the organist with us. He is speaking at us, I should say.
It is strange that I should only have to step outside the door of this church to feel threatened. It would be impossible for someone to walk in off the street to make me afraid. It could not happen. They would be neutralized by the place.
The old church is different, however. it is closed off, but if it weren’t, you could go in. You would see the place is no longer a church, but that it once was. Voices still echo there, but no new word is uttered. That is simply a shell and not a church. The one I am in now is a church. It resonates with living voices and not with memories.
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