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.
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| 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.
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| 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!
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| 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.
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| "Dem Deutschen Volk", the Berlin Reichstag |
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| 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.
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| "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."
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| 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!
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| 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!
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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 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:
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.
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!
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| Cat, double fisting her favoriteee food in all the world |
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| Double the Trouble: recreating an iconic photo |
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.
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!
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.
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!
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| Sanssouci Palace, south facade |
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!
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| A shoddy picture of Mark Rutte, PM of Holland |
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| Checkpoint Charlie. Translation unnecessary |
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!
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