Tour of Berlin

Saturday, June 16.


I had a good night's rest after the seemingly never-ending travel from Schaumburg to Berlin on very little sleep.  After spending the morning taking care of phone business at the Saturn at Alexanderplatz, we went on a tour of Berlin lead by one of the professors of the trip.

My first real observations of Berlin: it is very clean, it is very beautiful, it is a strange mix of modern with flairs from older times, and people are never on their phones like you see in the United States! It is amazing to see people actually communicating with one another rather than having their faces in their phones.

I love hearing about the history of Berlin, and the interesting details that David points out to us.

Marienkirche, St. Mary's Church, was one of my favorites sites. Here we see one of the numerous examples of bullet holes which create a lasting impact on the landscape, signs of the past which cannot be forgotten.  The church is the oldest building in Berlin, dating back to the 1300s.

I love the details inside the church, including sculptures of angels and chandeliers.  We see other sights of Berlin, including the Berlin Cathedral which was "commissioned" by Kaiser Wilhelm to be built in the style of the older Prussian buildings. It looks very old, but was actually built around 1910.  We see the armory, Humbolt University, Neue Wache, and of course...

Brandenburger Tor!  The most famous monument of Berlin.  When Napoleon conquered Berlin he apparently dragged the quadriga back to France, though as you can see it was eventually returned to the Gate.

And the Soviet War Memorial.  There were Russian coins on the inscription, paying respects to fallen Soviets.  I found this memorial surprising, but I'm appreciative of it.  While war is never right, I think it is important to honor those who directly or indirectly lost lives due to violence.

The Holocaust Memorial was last.  This memorial was even more profound and had a bigger impact than I had imagined it would be.  I wandered off from the group a little, becoming enveloped in the giant gray slabs which varied in height.  It definitely gives an impression of the immensity of the lives lost during the Holocaust, which I think makes it a successful art piece for those who take the time to experience it.  Anyone who enters immediately becomes overwhelmed by the pillars.  In other ways, it is unsuccessful because many people don't take the time to contemplate or understand.  I saw many people jumping, standing, and taking pictures on the pillars, a sign of disrespect.  I think the site, being near the Brandenburger Tor and a lot of tourist shops and restaurants, makes it hard for this to be as haunting as the location for the Soviet Memorial.

First day ended with a delicious welcome dinner of traditional German food!