This was a marvellous spring day! So I used the sunset hours for a walk through my neigbourhood "SO36". SO36 is the name of one of the most famous clubs in the area, but it is also used to indicate this part of Kreuzberg. Well, I crossed the border several times, the border between "Mitte" und "Kreuzberg", the border between what was until 20 years ago Berlin? Wild West and the eastern part behind the wall. The wall is not there any more, but you perfecty see the distinction: On the "Mitte" side a bit embellished "Plattenbauten" - those awful low value constructions that the communist regime prouced for the ruling working class - and high end luxury new buildings on the ex-death strip. On the other side is Kreuzberg. You do not need the wall to see the differences. Buildings mostly from the turn of the century, some restructured, some not and some still occupied. In the center the huge Bethaniencomplex, which was occupied in the 70ths (Ton Steine Scherben, Rauchhaussong) and what is now everything, "Kuenstlerhaus", Familycenter, places for kids. Yes, there are quite some kids. Kreuzberg is the "youngest" of Berlins districts thanks to the 32% of the non-German population :-), but this is another topic.
Kreuzberg is also the most funniest hangover of conservative left wing radicalism. I saw manifesto's for at least two "revolutionary 1 May demonstrations" with slogans formed in the 30s of the last century, which were already ridiculous when we used them in the 70s, but which today have a taste of hilarious mental insanity.

Fortunately not everyone is so stubborn conservative. Going on I found a shop with the sign "Volksluxus" ("Luxury for the people"). They were producing and selling very beautiful useful and useless objects to use for the house as jewelry or whatsoever. This correponds nicely to the many houses that were restructured by co-operatives using modern ecological technology. And also most of my turkish neighbours are busy in maintaining retail dealing in vegetables alive or struggling with other work to better their life. "Volksluxus" has definitely more future than revolutinary 1 May demonstrations.