Okay, so this morning we got up and headed over to German Federal Foreign Office. We had a talk about Modern Germany, and let me tell you – this was very interesting. The speaker, Daniel Szabo de Bucs, was fantastic. I was initially concerned because I didn’t think that my ADHD would allow me to sit for around three hours and listen intently the entire time, but I was happily entertained. Daniel gave us his first account of being in Berlin the night that the Wall fell. He told us that he was in his punk rocker stage at the time, and was wearing raggy jeans and an American leather jacket from the 50’s. He said a West Berliner came up to him in her fur coat, threw her arms around him, and said, “Welcome to freedom, son!” He had been mistaken for a East Berliner! It was very cool to hear about his experiences, and the dark time that Germany underwent after reunification as the two former Germanys struggled to mesh together.
After that we walked around the Federal Foreign Office to the old part of the building for lunch at the International Club. We had to turn our passports in for this! It admittedly freaked me out a bit as I don’t think you should ever be without your passport abroad, but I was assured that everything would be fine. I then rode a very excellent elevator to the top floor. It was an old school elevator, and it didn’t stop – you just hopped on and off as you got to your desired floor. A little tricky, but an absolute blast – I even rode it around the top! LOVED IT! We walked out on the patio area and got more striking views of Berlin, and then went in for lunch.
Lunch was definitely gourmet caliber stuff. It wasn’t the best meal I have had so far, but it was definitely good – I guess just in a way that I didn’t expect or was used to. The first course of salad was easy enough. Just wild greens with shaved pecorino cheese (like parmesan) and cheery tomatoes, although these tasted a bit preserved. Topped off with a balsamic dressing. Good, but one of the greens was peppery, and a bit of a surprise! Second course was a lightly fried fish filet on top of some lentils in a cream sauce, garnished with these little green doughy things. None of us could figure those out – although we agreed that they were tasty. Dessert? Apple strudel, only this time with a vanilla cream sauce on top. Very good, but the night before is still the winner as it came with ice cream(!!!).
After lunch – and getting back our passports – we went to Berlin’s Museum Island. We had about three hours here. Now, understand, we were all pretty dressed up, and I wasn’t wearing the most comfortable shoes. Some people ended up going back to the hotel to change, but I didn’t want to waste time. Feet heal, right? So off I went. I went to an absolutely stunning church called the Berliner Dom. It was absolutely breathtaking. I also had the chance to go down to the crypt. This was cool mainly because that particular crypt was the resting place of the Hohenzollern royal family. These were the rulers of Prussia, and let me tell you, it was a bit freaky being down there. Freaky and creepy. But, I of course loved it! It is very surreal seeing the graves of the people you have studied, even more surreal when those graves are not separated from you by layers of dirt but only by the thickness of the coffin and sarcophagus of that person. I ended up my visit here with a visit to the gift shop for even more postcards, including my favorite so far. Did you know that when John F. Kennedy gave his speech and Berlin and said that he was a Berliner, he actually said that he was a jelly doughnut? True story! German articles can be tricky, and he used the wrong form. The Berliners knew what he meant, and applauded wildly, but dang it, that’s just funny. So when I saw the postcard with a picture of a jelly doughnut on it and Kennedy’s misspoken words, I had to have it.
After that, it was decision time. There are so many museums on Museum Island that it was hard to choose, and time was rapidly slipping away. I ended up going to the Perganon Museum, chiefly to see the giant Perganon altar from Greek times that was brought to Berlin from Turkey (did you follow that?). Insanely huge. I also saw the famous Ishtar Gate that led into the city of Babylon. I mean, seriously, where does this stuff come from? How in the world did it get to Berlin of all places? Well, there’s that whole concept of imperialism playing in again, and just as with other countries, Germany got some goods that way. I am not sure if that was the case with either of the exhibits I saw, but it is worth noting that countries sometimes come by their exhibited items through questionable means. Just something for you to think about.
After meeting Monika, we hopped a bus to the Tiergarten. The Tiergarten was once the royal hunting grounds for the Hohenzollerns (remember them?), and it is still a gorgeous park much along the lines as it looked when they ruled, but with one major difference. Not one tree in the Tiergarten is over fifty years old. It was completely wiped out during WWII, and was replanted. Today it is very pretty, and provided the perfect backdrop for dinner at the Biergarten! I of course did not have beer as I hate the stuff, but I did sit back and have a great time eating fantastic pizza and drinking Diet Cokes until I was nauseous. It was a perfect end to the day, and an enjoyable way to unwind with some cool new friends.
And my feet...yeah...not so good...
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Monday, July 27, 2009
Brats in Berlin
Okay, first off, I am at an internet cafe on a German keyboard. Any typing mistakes are likely to be due to the fact that things are in different places, and it is taking me a bit to get used to it! I would have bought internet service at the hotel, but the difference is about $7.50 an hour in the hotel and 1 Euro in the cafe. Hmm. So if zou see the occassional "z" instead of "y" you are just going to have to deal with it! I'm paying by the minute here!
So yesterday was a LONG day. We flew into Frankfurt, spent a few hours there in the airport and then hopped a plane to Berlin. I unfortunately suffered from the same malady that affects me whenever I fly anywhere - I couldn,t sleep a wink on the plane. I knew that this was going to be a problem because we had a long day scheduled for Monday, but I did what I could and got a cool thirty minutes on the Berlin flight. And true enough, we did have a long day on Monday. We met Monkia and Wolfgang, our Berlin-Leipzig-Gotha hosts, and then took a ride to our hotel, the Grand Hotel Esplanade. This is one nice hotel! The down comforter alone is reason enough to stay here! We didn't have time to check the beds out though as we had to immediately change and head to the Reichstag, which is essentially the capitol building of Germany. The Reichstag was bombed heavily during WWII, and still shows the signs of it. Its old dome was destroyed and has been replaced by a huge glass dome. We took a tour of the building and then walked around on the roof where I was able to get some good shots of the city. I also had my first bit of food, which was a pretzel. Quite tasty! We then headed to the Brandenburg Gate (Brandenburg Tor). This is of course a rather iconic symbol of Berlin. It is where Reagan told Gorbachev to tear down the Berlin Wall and from which there was massive television coverage once the wall did fall in 1989. We walked through to a lovely plaza where you could see the hotel window from which Michael Jackson dangled his son Blanket - you know I took a pic of that! We then walked to the Memorial for Murder of the Jews of Europe. This was a pretty stark memorial. It is open to the interpretation of the person viewing it. It is a collection of large stone blocks of varying heights. They are also set on a field of land that is not flat, so that when you walk through the memorial (highly encouraged), you rise and fall, and at times, you feel lost. Perhaps that is the point. Very powerful stuff.
After that we headed out on a bus tour of Berlin. I admittedly really started to feel exhaustion creeping up on me, and I know that I dozed off at one point. We got out at the remnants of the Berlin Wall. That was really cool. You could walk in and around the still existing parts (most of the wall has been torn down). After that, we got back on the bus and headed to dinner - finally! I had an amazing dish of goulash with bread dumplings and my first of what I am sure will be many apple strudels. Back to the hotel and to bed - I actually fell asleep with a book in hand! Very long day, and a great night of sleep!
Everyone is headed back to the hotel now and I am going with them - I am a little intimidated by the area because we are in the Red Light District of Berlin! Ha ha! SO I will hopefully write more tomorrow!
Ta ta, kids!
So yesterday was a LONG day. We flew into Frankfurt, spent a few hours there in the airport and then hopped a plane to Berlin. I unfortunately suffered from the same malady that affects me whenever I fly anywhere - I couldn,t sleep a wink on the plane. I knew that this was going to be a problem because we had a long day scheduled for Monday, but I did what I could and got a cool thirty minutes on the Berlin flight. And true enough, we did have a long day on Monday. We met Monkia and Wolfgang, our Berlin-Leipzig-Gotha hosts, and then took a ride to our hotel, the Grand Hotel Esplanade. This is one nice hotel! The down comforter alone is reason enough to stay here! We didn't have time to check the beds out though as we had to immediately change and head to the Reichstag, which is essentially the capitol building of Germany. The Reichstag was bombed heavily during WWII, and still shows the signs of it. Its old dome was destroyed and has been replaced by a huge glass dome. We took a tour of the building and then walked around on the roof where I was able to get some good shots of the city. I also had my first bit of food, which was a pretzel. Quite tasty! We then headed to the Brandenburg Gate (Brandenburg Tor). This is of course a rather iconic symbol of Berlin. It is where Reagan told Gorbachev to tear down the Berlin Wall and from which there was massive television coverage once the wall did fall in 1989. We walked through to a lovely plaza where you could see the hotel window from which Michael Jackson dangled his son Blanket - you know I took a pic of that! We then walked to the Memorial for Murder of the Jews of Europe. This was a pretty stark memorial. It is open to the interpretation of the person viewing it. It is a collection of large stone blocks of varying heights. They are also set on a field of land that is not flat, so that when you walk through the memorial (highly encouraged), you rise and fall, and at times, you feel lost. Perhaps that is the point. Very powerful stuff.
After that we headed out on a bus tour of Berlin. I admittedly really started to feel exhaustion creeping up on me, and I know that I dozed off at one point. We got out at the remnants of the Berlin Wall. That was really cool. You could walk in and around the still existing parts (most of the wall has been torn down). After that, we got back on the bus and headed to dinner - finally! I had an amazing dish of goulash with bread dumplings and my first of what I am sure will be many apple strudels. Back to the hotel and to bed - I actually fell asleep with a book in hand! Very long day, and a great night of sleep!
Everyone is headed back to the hotel now and I am going with them - I am a little intimidated by the area because we are in the Red Light District of Berlin! Ha ha! SO I will hopefully write more tomorrow!
Ta ta, kids!
Friday, July 24, 2009
The National Portrait Gallery
In between arriving in Washington and attending the orientation at the Goethe-Institut, I spent a VERY quick 30 minutes at the National Portrait Gallery. Good stuff. Here is a sampling of what I saw...obviously if I paused to long to take pics, I wouldn't have been able to see as much!
George. Classic.
My boy Richard!
Tecumseh Dying.
Pocahontas, European style!
William Henry Harrison
Bust of Elie Wiesel, who survived a Nazi concentration camp. Mr. Wiesel is a Nobel Peace Prize winner, and the author of the very excellent Night (which, if you haven't yet read, you should read immediately).
Ah, Walter Cronkite. A tribute inside the Gallery.
The now-famous campaign ad used by President Obama during his 2008 campaign.
Excellent rendering of the Preamble to the Constitution using old license plates - one from each state! Classic!
I was going to go get pics of the monuments tonight, but am way too tired. Opting for an early bedtime tonight and an early rise. We'll see what happens!
George. Classic.
My boy Richard!
Tecumseh Dying.
Pocahontas, European style!
William Henry Harrison
Bust of Elie Wiesel, who survived a Nazi concentration camp. Mr. Wiesel is a Nobel Peace Prize winner, and the author of the very excellent Night (which, if you haven't yet read, you should read immediately).
Ah, Walter Cronkite. A tribute inside the Gallery.
The now-famous campaign ad used by President Obama during his 2008 campaign.
Excellent rendering of the Preamble to the Constitution using old license plates - one from each state! Classic!
I was going to go get pics of the monuments tonight, but am way too tired. Opting for an early bedtime tonight and an early rise. We'll see what happens!
Dang It!!!
Today's Events:
1. Did you know that a flight to Cincy from Louisville only takes 20 minutes? Weird. You only get a snack, no drink. At least the bathroom worked. The plane going out before mine to Atlanta had no working toilets.
2. Stepped in something funky on the flight from Cincy to DC. I don't know what it was (or is, as most of it is still on my shoe) but it provides a delightful sticking noise with each step. It may or may not be a dried apricot. I'm not getting that close.
3. Delta does not cover if one of your "luggage feet" breaks off. I already asked. Looks like I'll be traveling with lopsided luggage.
4. Neither will they replace luggage tages that are missing from your luggage.
5. However, they better cover the watch that is missing from my suitcase. You think DC is like NYC in that I can pick a watch up on the corner somewhere?
6. For some reason, these people kept trying to get me on a bus to NYC. Maybe they knew in advance that I would need a watch?
I'm now going to go find a place to eat and then head to my orientation at the Goethe Institut. More later from yours truly as the Hampton Inn so graciously provides free Internet!!
7.
1. Did you know that a flight to Cincy from Louisville only takes 20 minutes? Weird. You only get a snack, no drink. At least the bathroom worked. The plane going out before mine to Atlanta had no working toilets.
2. Stepped in something funky on the flight from Cincy to DC. I don't know what it was (or is, as most of it is still on my shoe) but it provides a delightful sticking noise with each step. It may or may not be a dried apricot. I'm not getting that close.
3. Delta does not cover if one of your "luggage feet" breaks off. I already asked. Looks like I'll be traveling with lopsided luggage.
4. Neither will they replace luggage tages that are missing from your luggage.
5. However, they better cover the watch that is missing from my suitcase. You think DC is like NYC in that I can pick a watch up on the corner somewhere?
6. For some reason, these people kept trying to get me on a bus to NYC. Maybe they knew in advance that I would need a watch?
I'm now going to go find a place to eat and then head to my orientation at the Goethe Institut. More later from yours truly as the Hampton Inn so graciously provides free Internet!!
7.
All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go...
So it is 7:00 the morning of August 24. I am leaving this morning to go to Washington D.C. for an orientation with the Goethe Institut, and then it is off to glorious Germany!
We got the final itinerary yesterday, but I was so busy trying to get stuff done around here that I didn't have an opportunity to get it typed out and included on this blog. However, it is a long flight to Germany, so maybe I will have time to get that done sometime before I land! If not, I will keep you posted day to day. Biggest change from the preliminary itinerary? No Porsche factory and no vermouth distillery. WHAT?!?!
I am excited about hitting Washington later today. Our orientation begins at 4 and is followed by a catered dinner at 7. Afterwards I hope to find a couple of people and head over to the National Mall to view the landmarks at night. Should be gorgeous!!
We got the final itinerary yesterday, but I was so busy trying to get stuff done around here that I didn't have an opportunity to get it typed out and included on this blog. However, it is a long flight to Germany, so maybe I will have time to get that done sometime before I land! If not, I will keep you posted day to day. Biggest change from the preliminary itinerary? No Porsche factory and no vermouth distillery. WHAT?!?!
I am excited about hitting Washington later today. Our orientation begins at 4 and is followed by a catered dinner at 7. Afterwards I hope to find a couple of people and head over to the National Mall to view the landmarks at night. Should be gorgeous!!
Monday, July 6, 2009
Time flies...
Umm, yeah. So, as of right now, there are 17 days left until my departure date. 17 DAYS!!!! Wow! Summer has been flying by so fast, and I can't believe that it is almost time to leave for Germany.
Since, as you can see, this has snuck up on me, you shouldn't be surprised to hear that I don't feel that I am in any way, shape, or form ready for this trip. I need to knuckle down and really start learning some basic German phrases. I need to start my packing list (for those of you who read the Japan blog, you know that I am way behind on this - I could have easily packed for Japan about four months before I left). A pressing issue for me is to get things ready for the start of school, as I will be returning home two days before the start of the academic year. I also need to finish things up for a graduate course that I took this summer. Suddenly my summer of fun has turned into a summer of work! AAAAAHHHHH!!!! But, I know it will all be worth it in the end!
I am excited about meeting my fellow travelers and exploring Germany!
Since, as you can see, this has snuck up on me, you shouldn't be surprised to hear that I don't feel that I am in any way, shape, or form ready for this trip. I need to knuckle down and really start learning some basic German phrases. I need to start my packing list (for those of you who read the Japan blog, you know that I am way behind on this - I could have easily packed for Japan about four months before I left). A pressing issue for me is to get things ready for the start of school, as I will be returning home two days before the start of the academic year. I also need to finish things up for a graduate course that I took this summer. Suddenly my summer of fun has turned into a summer of work! AAAAAHHHHH!!!! But, I know it will all be worth it in the end!
I am excited about meeting my fellow travelers and exploring Germany!
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Itinerary
Today I received my itinerary via e-mail from the Goethe-Institut. It looks like I will be touring mainly northern Germany. I know at one point we will be headed to a port on the North Sea, so that will be cool! I like being able to see other bodies of water for some reason!
I also received a list of names and e-mail addresses of the people who will be on the same trip as me. I look forward to meeting them!
And for you car lovers out there, it looks like I am going to go to a Porsche factory. That's right!
I am going to post my itinerary as soon as possible!
I also received a list of names and e-mail addresses of the people who will be on the same trip as me. I look forward to meeting them!
And for you car lovers out there, it looks like I am going to go to a Porsche factory. That's right!
I am going to post my itinerary as soon as possible!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
