July 1^st, 2012

Day 43: Berln, Germany

Happy July! I can’t believe this month is already here..

After our overnight train ride, we arrived in Berlin, Germany at 4:30 in the morning. Surrounded by people still drunk, still drinking and still partying in the train stations that run for 24 hours, we should have known that we were in for it.

After managing to get ourselves oriented on the train and to our hostel, we were met by the same scene again- people still drunk, still drinking, and still partying in the bar area of the hostel. So much for sleeping in the lounge for a few hours! We set ourselves up in the internet café downstairs, did some laundry, took a few naps and got ourselves sorted.

At 10:15, we met the Sandeman’s tour guide downstairs in the hostel so that he could guide us to the tour start point. We ended up with a guide named Paul who was studying politics, history and economics at Humboldt University- needless to say, he knew his shit and was so enthusiastic about the information he was presenting to us. A fantastic guide, for sure. Here are the stops we made on the tour via pictures:

Brandenburg Gate- essentially the historic gate to Berlin. The statue on top has a long history, originally established to symbolize Peace and bringing/ensure Peace to the city of Berlin, but after the conflicts with France, the statue is said to have been replaced by a different woman on the chariot (Victoria, for Victory) who is always watching the French embassy (which is behind me, from where I was taking this photo) and asserting 'victory.'

The dividing line where the Berlin wall used to stand that divided East and West Berlin.

The Holocaust Memorial, or 'The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe'. This is a almost 5 acre plot in the city where 2,711 concrete slabs of various shapes and sizes sit. What's unique about this memorial is that there is no explanation put forth by the artist- it is meant to be open to your own interpretation. Some say the order of the blocks in confusing and doesn't make sense, an opinion that many people have about the Holocaust also. The memorial slopes downwards and the stone grow in height as you walk through the grid, getting colder, quieter and more lonely as you progress into the center. For me, it was a morbid reminder of the inhumane treatment of the Jews during WWII. It gave me chills and made me appreciate and recognize the variety of people who fell victim to the Nazis, the quiet struggles they endured, the loneliness they felt in the camps, the uncomfortable atmosphere they lived in and the anonymity they have unfortunately adopted.

A shot of the stones as the ground slopes and they grow in height.

The center of the SS headquarters. The photo on the ground and the mural on the wall are representations of the protests that went on in East Berlin in reaction to the new leadership that took over after WWII. All of the people in the photo were open fired on the day after the photo was taken as a way to stop the protest (which was very illegal in East Berlin at the time). Due to the grim history of this building, the city struggled to figure out what to occupy the building with, settling finally on the German Tax office.

The Berlin wall where it originally stood

Checkpoint Charlie- where anyone going in or out of East Berlin needed to pass through to have their documentation checked. This is the American sector of the city; ironically also the location of a McDonald's. 

One of the cathedrals surrounding the Concert Hall. An identical structure was built on the opposite side as well

The main square where the Nazi book burnings took place. There was an open air orchestra performance going on!

The Memorial to the Victims of War and Tyranny

A statue of a mother holding her dying son, representing the horror that is war and the sadness that comes as a result

The Berliner Dom, part of the large square/park on the island in the center of the city. This location was also previously the site of the Royal Palace of Berlin

Museum in the square!

After the tour, we made our way over to another site, Alexanderplatz, and tried to figure out how to get back to the hostel (hopefully for a nap, since we’d been up for hours).

On the way, I discovered my new obsession, which is a ‘bierbike’. It’s exactly what it sounds like; a trolley, powered by people pedaling as they sit behind the ‘bar’ that is in the center of the trolley-like bike and drink beer. A photo would probably do it better justice:

I want one.

When we got back to the hostel, we relaxed for a bit, got some sandwiches for dinner and then had some beers while we watched the Eurocup final between Italy and Spain. Spain cleaned house and ended up winning with some fantastic goals! We were both really exhausted so hit the hay early!

Favorite part of the day: The walking tour. Listening to Paul talk about the incredibly tumultuous history of Berlin, the center of the Nazi empire, was awesome. It was also great to recognize the resilience and strength of the city in post-WWII times in character, recognition of its history, and in its forward-looking attitude.