BERLIN!

I had the great opportunity to visit Berlin, the capital city in Germany, through a 6 day program with my University. Each semester the International Office at the University of Bonn organizes a trip for the international students to tour the city, visiting all of the essential Berlin sights, museums, tours, and more. I've decided to break each day down by section because there is simply too much to just lump it all together in one.

Day 1: Bus Tour and Marienborn Checkpoint
  We woke up early to board our double-decker charter bus to Berlin. Without stops the ride is between 6 and 7 hours, so we had a long day ahead of us already. We got out before the Sun rose and practically every student went back to sleep as soon as boarding. I ended up sitting next to my two classmates from LSU and we talked for the better part of 2 hours about back home. We were lucky enough to get to sit in the very front of the bus where we had the entire window in front of us with which to look out of. This was great for me, as I always enjoy looking out of windows during travels, and for me this was the farthest east I had been in Germany, so there were definitely new sights to see. To sum up what I saw: tons of windmills! Germany has a great reputation for green energy policy and if anyone doubts this I would recommend touring the same Autobahn that we drove on. Hundreds upon hundreds of windmills close and far away.

Sunset off the Autobahn with a windmill in the distance

Later on in the drive we stopped at the Marienborn Checkpoint, which from 1945-1990, was used as a checkpoint between West and East Germany. Because this route offered the most direct access to West Berlin, this former checkpoint was always filled with traffic. We got to tour the old facilities used during its time of use, including the offices where passports and IDs were checked behind closed doors.

Marienborn checkpoint, Autobahn crossing set further back

We arrived to the hostel around 6 pm, right in time for a bottomless dinner at the hostel's cafeteria. We were all ready to stretch our legs out and explore the city on our own. Marius, Viktor, Megan, and myself decided to do a night tour ourselves, so we set out with a Google Maps image of the city and enough money in our pocket to buy a bus ticket. We ended up finding City Hall, the Fernsehturm (TV Tower), and Alexanderplatz, an iconic market of the city. After wandering around for 2 hours we made our way back to the hostel and crashed for the night--alarms set for 7:30 am!

Berlin's Rathaus, or City Hall

Day 2: City Tour by Bus and Sachsenhausen
  We woke up to an early breakfast and headed out of the hostel to begin our city tour by bus. We got to use our double-decker charter bus once again and passed a handful of embassies and museums before making our way to the Brandenburger Tor and the Reichstag.We stopped there and were allotted 15 minutes to walk between the two and take pictures.

"Dem Deutschen Volk", the Berlin Reichstag

The Brandenburger Tor

After getting back into the bus, we headed to tour parts of East Berlin, namely the East Side Gallery. Here one can see the Berlin Wall, decorated in collages by artists from all around the world. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, artists from around the world were summoned to join in on this international art project of decorating the former symbol of division, into pieces of art. We stopped off right at the iconic mural of "My God, Help Me to Survive This Deadly Love," the (in)famous rendering of Brezhnev and Erich Honecker. 

"My God, Help Me to Survive This Deadly Love," taken up close and personal

After finishing the tour we headed to Sachsenhausen, a former concentration camp used during the Nazi rise to power. The weather was particularly cold, dreary, and gray this day, but it made for a much better interpretation of the surroundings at the camp. We toured former prisoner quarters and the assembly grounds. I decided not to take any pictures during this portion of the day simply because I thought it might take away my ability to appreciate being in the moment. It was an incredibly dense topic that left many if not all of us speechless and reflective. 

We got back to the hostel in time for dinner and then afterwards decided to unwind in the hostel's game room for the night. A few of us walked down to grab some of the local beers (Berliner Pilsner, if you were wondering) and spent the rest of the night playing ping-pong, fussball, and billiards. I entered into a series of 3 games against Mark, a student from Michigan, and had a blast "brushing up."

Staring down the cue for a side-pocket shot......success!

Day 3: Jewish Museum, Jewish Quarter, and touring the Stasi prisons

 Today was marked with more museum touring and walking. We were exhausted from the previous day of walking and many of us spent every minute of the bus rides to and from sleeping! We woke up on the bus to tour the Jewish Museum, somewhat famous for its architectural interpretation of the events that transpired between 1933 and 1945. The museum was much more than just an exhibit on what happened during the Nazi's rise to power; it did an excellent job of starting with the beginnings of Judaism and tracing them to the present day. In fact, our tour guide made a point of noting that much of Judaism is a success story in the context of Germany, where their assimilation into a Christian-dominated country was met with legal securities and more acceptance. It was great touring a museum which had such a dynamic presentation of a topic (that I had not formerly been presented with through previous history classes). The structure of the building also offered powerful reflections for the history of Judaism, but it would be in vain to try to explain these emotions over a blog. You'll just have to experience them for yourself!

A robot writing the Torah on a continuous scroll; estimated amount of time needed: 24 hours per day for 3 months

After touring the Jewish Museum, we made our way over to the Jewish quarter of Berlin where we stopped for lunch. We all broke into groups and interpreted the two hours of free time differently. Myself and a few others decided to check out a nearby Jewish synagogue. In our group was Mark, who is Jewish, and was a huge supporter of checking it out (okay, he was the main reason, but it was really cool!). It was called the "New Synagogue" and was partially destroyed in World War II. We were able to see an exhibit about the history of the synagogue and also climb the stairs to the top of the dome, at which point we were able to overlook a good portion of the city. Afterwards, we headed to find lunch and stopped off at an American-themed diner called "Route 66." It was....okay....but nothing like back home!

The New Synagogue

To finish off the day we toured the Berlin-Hohenschönhausen Memorial. Here, political prisoners of the then-current regime were taken and detained. Much of what actually went on here remains a mystery since files were destroyed after the fall of the Berlin Wall, but through accounts of prisoners, it's safe to say that psychological manipulation bordering on the edge of torture was carried out. It was another point of incredible density, where many students were left speechless. 

A cell at the former GDR prison

We got back to the hostel exhausted, but after a nice dinner and getting some energy, we were ready to tackle the night. We were told that the Weihnachtsmarkt, or Christmas Market, was open for business 10 minutes away. I had been hearing a lot about Germany's appreciation of Christmas traditions, with their Christmas markets being the huge staple of the season. Here you can buy an assortment of flavored drinks, sweets, dinner, and trinkets. A large group of us ventured out, all with the intent of tasting Glühwein. It's a special German drink served only during Christmas time, and it's spiced red wine that is served warm. 

Glühwein.....Prost!

I think it's a taste that might take some getting used to, but hey, it's a German tradition!

After wrapping up at the Christmas Market, we decided to get something to eat. Cat, one of the two other students from my University back home, felt very strongly that we all check out her favorite food stand in Berlin: Mustafa's Vegetable Kebab. Cat had previously stayed in Berlin in a hostel adjacent to this food stand and swore that it served the best döner ('dewn-eh: essentially a Gyros wrap with veggies, sauces, and added deliciousness--very inexpensive and tasty!) in all of Germany. If there's one thing you can't go without doing while studying in Germany, it's sampling döner from all around! We all obliged and took a few subways to get there. We were met with a nice 30 minute line, but Cat reassured us that this was a "slow" night for them; usually you'd have to wait between 40-60 minutes just to order your 3.20 euro snack!

Cat, double fisting her favoriteee food in all the world

Cat had already been to Mustafa's the night we arrived in Berlin. So this trip marked her second voyage, to my knowledge.....she could have unknowingly sneaked out one night to feed her addiction and we would have never known. The above picture perfectly captures her excitement. It seemed only fair that I attempt to recreate the picture when we went:

Double the Trouble: recreating an iconic photo

I had to give it to her: it was the best döner I had ever eaten. Shoutout to you, Cat, for the suggestion! Mustafa's went where no other döner stand ventured to go, I mean where else are you going to get complimentary eggplant, soy sauce, and feta cheese? Nowhere, that's where. It was a great end to the night that left all of us full and content.

Day 4: Exploring Potsdam

Today we woke up and boarded our bus for a 45 minute drive down south to Potsdam. Here we toured the summer palace of Frederick the Great, King of Prussia, called Sanssouci Palace. Fred's summer palace here was a winery, so unfortunately for us, touring during the winter time, our landscape views were of withered wines and leafless trees. The palace didn't lose any value though, and walking inside was really interesting. The palace was built during the Rococo style, and this was quite apparent once you got up close with the columns and statues on the facade of the palace.

Sanssouci Palace, south facade

After our tour ended we were given the day to walk around Potsdam and explore. It also happened to be Jake's birthday, so we all went out to get Thai food at a local restaurant. Seating 16 of us was no easy task, but we were lucky enough to get a table inside and away from the cold. The delicious lunch was followed with a tour of the Nikolaikirche, or Church of St. Nicholas. Later we boarded the bus and made our way back to the city. We arrived in time for dinner at the hostel, followed by some birthday celebrations for Jake. We went back to the game room in the hostel and played ping pong, billiards, and card games through the night.

Day 5: Neues Museum and free day
The last official day of the trip began with the division of our 71 person group into 3 smaller museum groups. Berlin has a "Museum Island" with a few popular and world famous museums. I toured the Neues Museum which had exhibits highlighting the Egyptian time period all the way through the Bronze age. I was able to see the bust of Nefertiti and "The Golden Hat," as well as read about certain artifacts from the time periods and engage in an interactive exhibit about the evolution of written language, starting with hieroglyphs during the Egyptian period.

It was 12 pm when we finished with the museums, and we had about 6 hours to kill, so a small group of us charted up a walking tour of the city, ending at the hostel right in time for another bottomless dinner. It was nice just walking through the city to begin with, but in our itinerary we included the Reichstag, Checkpoint Charlie, and the Tiergarten (equivalent of Central Park). On our way to Checkpoint Charlie, we ran across a large group of German police who were seemingly blockading a bank. I went up asked a bystander what all the commotion was about, and it just so happens that we were in the presence of the Prime Minister of Holland! I use an exclamation point because although who he was and represented was pretty irrelevant at the time, but I mean still, a world diplomat, woo-hoo!

A shoddy picture of Mark Rutte, PM of Holland

 I mean for all we know he was making a deposit at a bank, who knows? Still, it was a little 'spice' to the day. We continued walking and made it to Checkpoint Charlie. We bumbled around a bit before making our way to the Reichstag.

Checkpoint Charlie. Translation unnecessary

We walked through the park and made our way to the Reichstag, where we had not so long ago booked a free tour online. Upon arriving, we learned that admittance wouldn't be granted since it was too 'short-notice' which was a total bummer! Oh well, maybe next time I visit Berlin I'll be able to go inside! We walked back and came across a free museum called "The Topography of Terror," so we ducked inside, thinking we'd kill 20 or so minutes looking at the exhibits. Turns out we stayed for a little over an hour, taking in all that the museum had. It turned out to be an entire exhibit dedicated to the years 1933-1945 in both Berlin and Germany, and was very captivating. It made for a nice surprise end to the day.

The day ended back at the hostel, where we were too tired to go out on our last night in Berlin, so we resorted to playing more cards. I can't complain though...we all had a lot of fun! We went to sleep that night  ready for an early wake up call for our bus ride back to Bonn.

Day 6: Return Home
The last day of the trip was marked with a lot of uncomfortable bus sleeping. Berlin left us exhausted and sleep deprived, and I took full advantage by taking 3 naps on the bus ride home. Later, a few of us passed the time with card games before making it back into the city.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The trip to Berlin was exactly what the doctor ordered. It was great getting out of Bonn, seeing the countryside, experiencing a new culture and people of Germany, learning a lot, and making new friends. I came back from the trip refreshed and ready to tackle on new problems (many of those problems being missed work from my absence from a week of classes!). I'm not sure if I'll be back in Berlin anytime soon, but there is still some unfinished business left. If anything, this trip taught me just how fast time flies by and how little time I really have here in Germany. At this point I have 8 more months, which sounds like a lot, but considering 4 months are already in the books, I know the time is going to fly by!

Start to Karneval and visiting the Harry Potter Exhibition

The German equivalent to Mardi Gras, Karneval, officially kicked off on November 11th at 11:11 am in Cologne. Karneval is only celebrated in the Rhineland region of Germany, where the city of Cologne is the 'capital'. It's here where all of the festivities, bands, and major costume parties take place. One of my German professors cancelled class on this day so that we could all make our way to Cologne to celebrate, noting that we had to wear a costume to kickoff the season of Karneval. I had a friend from my language school days, Chris, who still lived in Cologne, and we decided to meet up and walk around the downtown area of the city. I woke up earlier than usual to catch a train from Bonn to Cologne, and the streets were empty as I walked from my apartment to the train station, all the while sporting my pair of lederhosen and Bavaria-esque shirt (this is a typical costume for Karneval. Lederhosen attire in southern Germany, Bavaria, is pretty common, but everywhere else in Germany it remains to be a special-occasion costume of sorts). Needless to say, my walk through the city to the train station was filled with odd sights from business men and women on their way to work; I was definitely the odd man out, but as soon as I reached the train station I became part of the majority. Hundreds of similar-minded students were decked out in random costumes waiting for the train to Cologne. Once the train came around, we packed into the aisles like sardines and made our way to the city. It was only 9:30 in the morning and people were already on their third or fourth beer, but it made for a fun environment. Everyone in the train started joining in on German drinking songs and classic Karneval tunes. Unfortunately I didn't know any of the lyrics or else I would have joined in too, but what a funny act to be caught up in the middle of. I joined Chris and we made our way to the downtown portion of the city. You would have been hard pressed to find anyone who wasn't in a costume, and that is why it was so much fun! We saw some Mario and Luigis, monks, clowns, safari men, zoo animals, and more. Chris and I walked around, killing time until it was close to 11:11 am, at which point Karneval season is officially opened. Everybody drinks and sings the whole day through. We grabbed a drink and found a group of drummers in a market square.

Group of Karneval drummers wearing typically colorful attire

Unfortunately Chris and I both had to cut our Karneval festivities short; Chris's heating had gone out and had a meeting with a technician, and I had to get back home for another course at the University which hadn't been cancelled! The real celebrations come in February where things get ten times crazier than what we saw today, so neither of us felt too bad leaving prematurely. At least we got to help kick off the season!

Later than week I went on another long bike ride. The weather has been postponing getting too cold, so I've been taking advantage of all of the outdoor time I can get. Instead of going north along the river like I had become accustomed to doing, I decided to ride south as far as I could (or until the sun gave out). I rode through little villages and train stations, all the while riding along the Rhine river, which surprisingly opened up once outside of the city limits. The topography of the city is flat, but as soon as I got out 30 minutes from the city, the landscape changed to valleys and hills all along the river. Looking out across the river into the landscapes I could see the steady toll of a chilling temperatures; much of the landscape was brown or gray.

View of the Rhine river

 

Rare glimpses of sunlight hitting hills across the river

I kept going further and further with the bike, pushing to see new villages and landscapes. Due to the short winter days and small amount of daylight, I  had to turn back around after 30 km in one direction and make my way back home before it got too dark. I was hungry and needed more energy to get myself home, so I stopped off at a little cafe along the river and ordered a coffee alongside a waffle covered with Nutella and powdered sugar.

Mhmm.....sugar........

It was refreshing, delicious, and just what I needed to get home. By the time I stepped out of the cafe I realized I had only one hour of sunlight left (it gets dark around 4:30 now)--one hour to make a 1.5 hour bike ride! I didn't have any lights with me so I sprinted the whole way home. I got home exhausted and ready to spend the rest of the night in my bed. To date, it was the longest and most tiring bike ride, but worth it!

Later than weekend I re-united with one of my old classmates from the language school, Synthia, in Cologne. The city was hosting the international Harry Potter Exhibition, and well, both of us being Harry Potter fans, we decided to meet up and see what it was all about. It was great! We got to see props and costumes from the movies and read descriptions about each article. The exhibit had fans of every age group represented, but it was especially cool to see the little kids' eyes light up over every detail.

Exhibition goers could pull up potted Mandrakes 

Quidditch uniforms 

Synthia and I left the exhibit and parted ways, agreeing to meet up again in each other's cities to play tourist. It was a great day catching up with a not-so-old friend in a city we both had the opportunity of living in for two short months.

Day trips to Münster and Luxembourg

It's been a little while since my last post, but things here are starting to slow down. I've gotten into the groove of the classes, but now my time in Germany, aptly, is being characterized by happenings with the University instead of adventures across the continent. More adventures will come with time, but the first month of classes definitely required attention in order to secure a footing. I'll throw in an academic update later in this post. First, I'll write about some of the excursions I have been fortunate to make.

Since my last post of seeing Luxembourg for the first time, I visited another climbing gym in the area with Guillermo and Isa. It was definitely a lot of fun and I'm glad I got to see it. The building was spectacularly large and filled with dozens of climbing routes. Everyone there was very helpful and friendly. Here's a picture of this climbing gym, for perspective.

Climbers tackling 10 meter high routes with partners on the ground, belaying

The next day I went to my economics class and got out around noon. I stepped outside and was surprisingly greeted with warm weather. I had no other plans that day so I packed my backpack with a full water bottle, a few carrots, and an apple, and set off on my bike north-bound along the Rhine River. I had already ridden this section of the river a number of times (however I was always going in the other direction, visiting Bonn) so I couldn't really call this jaunt an exploration by any stretch of the imagination. It took me about an hour of riding to reach the village I used to live in, at which point I still felt great and continued going forward. I rode for about 40 minutes more to reach the center of Cologne. It was about 2:30 pm at that point, but I still felt great so I continued going forward to parts along the river I had not yet explored. I continued going north-bound, through the industrious part of the city, problem solving all along the way. Sometimes the river-path cuts out and you are forced to figure out where the path starts back up. This always gives you great excuses to go exploring in villages and taking in all of the little, individual specialties which make up each community. I continued going forward, for about one more hour. I knew by this point that getting back home by bike was out of the question because the remaining sunlight wasn't going to allow me a return trip of 3 hours! A bit saddened, I turned around in the middle of the path and made my way back until I found the nearest train station. Luckily my knowledge of Cologne's inner-city transportation routes was shaped in the two months of having lived there, so when I found a subway station way out in the boondocks of the ports north of the city, I knew exactly how I was going to get home. It took over an hour to get back home via subways and transfers, but it was a great way to spend a Friday afternoon: out on a bike, exploring Germany, and seeing nature. In total, it was about 3 hours of riding (including snack breaks and a pit stop to a favorite food stand in Cologne) with uncharacteristically warm weather. I ended up riding past a giant Ford Motors production plant. The plant was so large that it spanned three subway stops and came out to be 5 miles long (rough estimate.

I woke up early the next day to take a 2.5 hour train ride to Münster, an historic city located near the top of the federal state of North-Rhine Westphalia. This meant I was going to be able to take the train for free; all students enrolled in the University system in North-Rhine Westphalia have unlimited, free, transportation to any part within the state. Not only does this mean I can take free trains to other cities in the state, it also means that once I arrive in those cities I can use the bus and rail systems of that city, free of charge! It's a great incentive to travel around the state and I took advantage of the opportunity of visiting my friend Pia in Münster. She studies there and was able to show me around the city. At her suggestion I brought my bike so that we could ride around the city together. This ended up working out for the best because as I was finishing some reading on the train, in my haste, I departed the train one stop too early! This was a trial-by-fire if there ever was one, because I was forced to go up to strangers and ask them for directions to the next train station. I rode my bike from intersection to intersection, asking strangers to point me in the right direction until I made it! I was proud that I never once got turned around or confused, but instead, had enough confidence with the language to make it there as instructed. On reflection, it was a great experience (although slightly annoying at the time) because it helped me see and experience the city first-hand. I jokingly told Pia that she didn't have to show me the city because I had already seen the majority of it! When we met up, we walked around the downtown portions and through the huge fruit and veggies market which sets up shop every Saturday. We also saw the Münster Dom, the port, and chatted in a coffee shop for a while. I left later that day and made it home for dinner time.

To end the weekend I traveled back to Cologne on Sunday night to reunite with some friends that I made while studying at the language school. We were going to share a dinner prepared by one of the members. This time it was Neha's turn to cook some Indian for everybody! We've tried to put ourselves into a rotation of cooking foods from the places we identify with, so next up is supposed to be Colombian food. I'm not sure if I come after that or not, but it should be Gumbo season by the time it's my turn. Neha cooked a delicious chickpea curry and aloo gobi (cauliflower and potatoes). I made sure to stick close to the chef on this one because I've been wanting to learn some new recipes, especially Indian. Neha was a great teacher and a few days later I replicated the recipes at home for a few friends. Delicious!

Neha juggling the tasks of cooking, chopping, and storytelling

Dinner spread of chickpea curry, aloo gobi, lentil soup, and basmati rice

I was fortunate enough that the next Saturday Guillermo and Isa were heading to Luxembourg for the day, and I was able to tag along. I got a bit of climbing in, but really, I was excited to see Guillermo try a really hard route that he had been working on. It's called projecting, and Guillermo was actively working on completing this. With the sun setting in the sky and temperatures dropping, Guillermo was pressed for time, but as if it coming right off of a movie screen, he accomplished the route with 10 minutes to spare. We hiked back to the van, loaded in, and headed back home. It was a Saturday packed with excitement yet spent like time was irrelevant.

  Academic Update
Since my last post, all of my classes have become extremely interesting. Both of my Economic classes have proven to be more math based, if anything. This is in stark contrast to the direction of my Economic courses back home, but I know the challenges that arise with these courses will make me a better student when I return from my year abroad. Before leaving the US, I heard that undergraduate courses here are taught at a pace more representative of Masters of PhD classes back in the US. In Spring 2014 I was allowed to enroll in a PhD Economics course at LSU. It was an incredible opportunity, but the pace set forward in this course was unlike anything I had yet experienced as an undergrad. Adapting to that style and pace was great, but in comparison I can say that my two Economics courses this semester are more like that course than a regular undergrad course. They are both keeping me on my toes, that's for sure and I'm learning a lot, which is great. Regarding my English course, "Green Utopias and Dystopias," we wrapped up our first book discussion on The Word for World is Forest by Ursula K. Le Guin. Maybe some of the readers of this blog have read Le Guin before and can offer their opinions in the comments or by privately messaging me. I found the book to be very thought provoking and enjoyable. We also watched James Cameron's Avatar and will be critically discussing the movie in the coming weeks. This class is really great and I look forward to attending the sessions every week. I just wish we met more than once per week! Another class which I wish met more than once per week is my "America's Republican Party" course. Each week's lecture is themed, and so far we've gone through 'Right-Wing Populism,' 'Race and its continued centrality in American politics,' and 'George Wallace--Godfather of the modern Republican Party?' Each session is very academic, which I like, because often times I feel that this course's presentation could never survive in a classroom in the US. I feel lucky to have this opportunity. Following the results of the 2014 Mid Term Elections, one entire class is devoted to presentations on several states across the country. I have also volunteered myself to give an additional, independent, presentation on the results in Louisiana. So all in all, the content of the academics is great. In contrast to college back home, we have no busy-work, homework, or required assignments. Aside from article readings prior to class, there seems to be little accountability between the students and the professors. All of this is reconciled at the end of the semester when 15-20 page term papers are due!

Although my adventures this time around weren't grandiose or extravagant, I've found a lot of joy from the little things which hardly, if ever, make it to the blog. After one month of moving to Bonn (and thus 3 months in Germany) things are great. I'm not looking forward to the winter, but there's no getting around that. I do have a few big trips planned before 2015 rolls around and I'll be sure to document it all here!