Berlin

It was cool for me to go to Germany because it is the country my grandparents emigrated from in the 50s. I've always been proud of my German heritage and now I am even more proud after visiting the capital city. We visited the Berlin Wall, the former site of the SS headquarters and corresponding museum, and the East Germany museum, among other sites. There is nothing that current Germans can do to change past events that took place in Germany or by Germans. What they can do, and what they have done, is remember these events and the people affected by them. By doing this, they can inform people of why and how we must prevent these events from being repeated in the future.

 

 

 

 

 

Coming from Amsterdam, one of the first things I noticed was how clean Berlin is, at least most places we saw. I also noticed how friendly the people are. When we were looking a bit lost trying to find our hostel at 1 am, some friendly young teenagers came up to us and asked if we needed help. Another thing I liked was that it didn't seem too congested for a large metropolis. Like many other cities we've visited, the large amount of bicycling helped with this. One thing that was just slightly frustrating was trying to get around on the subway. Trying to change lines was the main frustration.

(Julia side note: Food was delish! We had spatzle from "the best spatzle in the city" as recommended by two girls from Berlin that we met in an Ireland hostel. For dinner, donor kebab and something-wurst ha. Oh and we also had a famous "berliner" donut in the afternoon.)

 

 

 

 

The SS and DDR museums were very interesting and informative as they told the stories of how two dictatorships, Nazis and Soviets, rose and fell. The DDR museum was very interactive and really gave you the feel of the constricting life that East Germans lived. The most powerful part of our visit for me was the Berlin Wall. At the DDR museum we saw how intensely the border of East Berlin was secured, then we saw in person the wall that many died trying to escape over. There are chunks smashed out from the symbolic breaking down of the Wall in 1989 that reunited families and compatriates. There is beautiful artwork on the wall memorializing the casualties of Nazi and East German oppression. The Wall is a great reminder of the despotism that evil-resisting Germans have broken down to rebuild a great nation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

- Andy

Less serious footnote: now if only they can overcome the despotism of the Spanish football team.