Available here - pics for Berlin to be up soon!
Umm, hint...click on "here" to get to those!
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Saturday, August 1
Today was our last day in Gotha, and the day that we left to go to Hamburg. Our train didn’t depart Gotha until 3:45, so we had time in the morning to go on individual trips or to hang out longer in the city. I choose to go to the Thuringian Forest with other members of the group. This required us to take the electric train south into the hills. We were ble to get out into the German countryside and relax a little. Our first stop on the route was Boxberg, where we were able to see a horse racing track that dates back to the Victorian Era. It was a turf track. The stands were not so big, but the track itself was long. I am not exactly sure how long it was as I saw no signs, but it was cool to get a look at a German racetrack. We then took a short walk to a small gasthaus that overlooked the hills, where I had another apfel schörle! Love them! Then, after petting and oohing and aahing over goats (we were in the country, and there wasn’t too much to see), we took a hike through the woods. It got a little scary because at one point, the path split in two, and we had no idea which one to take. Of course, we ended up taking the high road – literally. This one went up a hill. It was a bit much for the Old Mickster, but I made it! We then got back on the train and headed to the end of the line, a little town named Tabarz. I was excited about getting here because I was interested in picking up some German crafts, but unfortunately the stores were closed. I thought that was a little weird since it was a Saturday, a big shopping day in the U.S. but apparently not in Tabarz. After a stroll around town I went back to the train station to wait for the train back. I had a delicious iced chocolate to drink, and then once everyone made it to the station, we began to order lunch. There was a large menu, but I think the size of our group intimidated the shop owner, so the menu was quickly reduced to either bockwurst or currywurst. I had ordered slightly before the group order went in, so I got fries with my bock (think oversized hot dog), whereas others did not. We had to scarf it down pretty quickly as you couldn’t take food on the train. We got back to the hotel in Gotha in time to get our luggage, and head for the train station. We had two trains to take today, one to Kassel-Wilhelmshöhe, and there we switched for our train to Hamburg. All of this train riding was pretty uneventful, right up until we got to Hamburg, and the train had to stop because someone was on the tracks. I am not sure if they got hit or what, but we were there for a good bit waiting for things to get settled. We arrived in Hamburg around 8:30 or so, and by this point I was tired, thirsty, and hungry. Luckily we were able to check in and go right away to dinner. Okay, since you asked...pan fried fish with a mustard sauce over German potatoes, with a side salad. Scrum-diddly-umptious, as Ned Flanders might say. Hamburg looks lovely so far. We have a day of sightseeing planned tomorrow, and I get to sleep in a little!
Friday, July 31
Today we spent the entire day in Gotha. Our first appointment of the day (actually, it was the only appointment) was with one of the oldest map making companies in Germany. The presentation was really informative. I really enjoyed seeing two copies of the Almanac de Gotha, which is a book that lists the European royal families and their lineages. We saw an older copy that was printed in Gotha, which was very cool. The book stopped being produced at the end of World War II, largely due to the fact that Gotha was in the former East Germany and the Soviets frowned upon the idea of royal families and monarchies. It began being published again in the 1990’s, but this time in London. We got to go to the map production rooms and watch cartographers at work. This really interested me because I was very interested in one time of becoming a cartographer. Before we left we were given a gift by the company, which was a very cool pocket atlas. This atlas is very different in that each country is labeled in its own language. For example, the United States is labeled in English, Germany in German, the Netherlands in Dutch, etc.
We then took a walking tour of Gotha. What I thought was a small town was in fact much larger. It was a beautiful day for a walk though! I had a bratwurst for lunch and an ice cream cone, which gave me just enough energy to make it through the rest of the tour, which involved much uphill walking. We stopped by the Rathaus, which is found in every large town. It’s the city hall, and is not pronounced “rat house” although it definitely looks like it should be! Near every rathaus, or in its basement, is a restaurant called the ratskellar. This particular day, a very alternative couple got married and was standing out in the square in front of the rathaus having pictures taken when they noticed us star9ing at them. So, they started waving at us, and let us take their picture. Very fun! From there it was off to climb the hill up to the Schloss Friedentstein. Schloss Friedenstein is a palace, and the largest example of Early Baroque palaces in Europe. It was built all at the same time, which gives it some major continuity. We were able to tour the palace, and see some of its refurbished rooms. For some of the rooms we were required to put on these really large oversized slippers over our shoes. I couldn’t take a picture as picture were not allowed inside the palace without buying a press pass, so you are going to have to take my word on just how funny these were!!
I was definitely feeling a nap at this point, and as we were done for the day officially and we didn’t have to meet up for dinner until 7, I thought a quick nap would be nice. I slept for maybe 30 minutes, and it may have been the single best thing I have done on the trip so far! When I woke up, I had a little epiphany that was brought on by nothing in particular. I suddenly realized while looking up at the ceiling that 20 years ago looking up at that ceiling would have been impossible. Since Gotha was an East German city, you or I would not have been allowed there. All of a sudden it made Gotha that much more interesting, and I was definitely ready to head back out and explore some more. One of the things that I noticed in Gotha was that very few people spoke English, so communicating was very interesting. Luckily I can ask how to get to a bathroom if I need one (not that I can understand any directions they might give me), but my shopping skills are pretty horrible. I can however look at things for a long time. It seemed to me that a lot of people were a little wary of us. Maybe we scared them! Or, maybe it is simply because we were American, and it was pretty obvious that not a lot of English-speakers make it into the area. In fact, when getting ready to order the second ice cream cone of the day (with all of the walking I did, I deserve it!), the waiter asked us to wait, went to the back, and sent out someone who spoke a little English. Perhaps it was easier on everyone, but still pretty interesting to watch.
After looking around, it was then time to head to dinner, which was at the same restaurant where we had pizza the night before. Dinner tonight had an Italian theme, and this time I stayed away from the wine and drank apfel schörle instead. That drink is a mix of sparkling mineral water and apple juice, and is VERY good and light. In fact, I have had many of those so far on the trip. Dinner tonight was a bowl of baked onion soup (not French onion – it was prepared a little differently) and a baked pasta dish of stuffed tortellini, crabmeat, cream sauce, cheese, and some shrimp scampi. The shrimp were a little disturbing because they still had their heads on. Of course, this became a perfect opportunity to play with my food. It helps me take the sting out of my food still looking like it did when it was alive. Tonight was the last dinner with Monika and Wolfgang, who will be leaving us tomorrow when we leave to go to Frankfurt. They have been so much fun to be with, and very informative and very tolerant of our questions. We gave them parting gifts of German wine and American wine. We all drank a shot of limoncello at the end (limoncello is a very sweet, very powerful lemon-flavored liquor) to mark the end of our first week in Hamburg. It was a very enjoyable day!
We then took a walking tour of Gotha. What I thought was a small town was in fact much larger. It was a beautiful day for a walk though! I had a bratwurst for lunch and an ice cream cone, which gave me just enough energy to make it through the rest of the tour, which involved much uphill walking. We stopped by the Rathaus, which is found in every large town. It’s the city hall, and is not pronounced “rat house” although it definitely looks like it should be! Near every rathaus, or in its basement, is a restaurant called the ratskellar. This particular day, a very alternative couple got married and was standing out in the square in front of the rathaus having pictures taken when they noticed us star9ing at them. So, they started waving at us, and let us take their picture. Very fun! From there it was off to climb the hill up to the Schloss Friedentstein. Schloss Friedenstein is a palace, and the largest example of Early Baroque palaces in Europe. It was built all at the same time, which gives it some major continuity. We were able to tour the palace, and see some of its refurbished rooms. For some of the rooms we were required to put on these really large oversized slippers over our shoes. I couldn’t take a picture as picture were not allowed inside the palace without buying a press pass, so you are going to have to take my word on just how funny these were!!
I was definitely feeling a nap at this point, and as we were done for the day officially and we didn’t have to meet up for dinner until 7, I thought a quick nap would be nice. I slept for maybe 30 minutes, and it may have been the single best thing I have done on the trip so far! When I woke up, I had a little epiphany that was brought on by nothing in particular. I suddenly realized while looking up at the ceiling that 20 years ago looking up at that ceiling would have been impossible. Since Gotha was an East German city, you or I would not have been allowed there. All of a sudden it made Gotha that much more interesting, and I was definitely ready to head back out and explore some more. One of the things that I noticed in Gotha was that very few people spoke English, so communicating was very interesting. Luckily I can ask how to get to a bathroom if I need one (not that I can understand any directions they might give me), but my shopping skills are pretty horrible. I can however look at things for a long time. It seemed to me that a lot of people were a little wary of us. Maybe we scared them! Or, maybe it is simply because we were American, and it was pretty obvious that not a lot of English-speakers make it into the area. In fact, when getting ready to order the second ice cream cone of the day (with all of the walking I did, I deserve it!), the waiter asked us to wait, went to the back, and sent out someone who spoke a little English. Perhaps it was easier on everyone, but still pretty interesting to watch.
After looking around, it was then time to head to dinner, which was at the same restaurant where we had pizza the night before. Dinner tonight had an Italian theme, and this time I stayed away from the wine and drank apfel schörle instead. That drink is a mix of sparkling mineral water and apple juice, and is VERY good and light. In fact, I have had many of those so far on the trip. Dinner tonight was a bowl of baked onion soup (not French onion – it was prepared a little differently) and a baked pasta dish of stuffed tortellini, crabmeat, cream sauce, cheese, and some shrimp scampi. The shrimp were a little disturbing because they still had their heads on. Of course, this became a perfect opportunity to play with my food. It helps me take the sting out of my food still looking like it did when it was alive. Tonight was the last dinner with Monika and Wolfgang, who will be leaving us tomorrow when we leave to go to Frankfurt. They have been so much fun to be with, and very informative and very tolerant of our questions. We gave them parting gifts of German wine and American wine. We all drank a shot of limoncello at the end (limoncello is a very sweet, very powerful lemon-flavored liquor) to mark the end of our first week in Hamburg. It was a very enjoyable day!
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Thursday - Leipzig & Gotha
Today we left Berlin. It was kind of sad to leave the city. I definitely don’t feel that I saw everything that I wanted to see, but then again, how is that possible to do in a city the size of Berlin? We did a lot of things here, and I do need to remember that and not feel badly about not getting to everything. I may never forgive myself for not going to see the Bust of Nefertiti, but as there is considerable debate right now concerning the authenticity of that piece, I just might be able to get over it!
We caught the train at the main train station in Berlin. It was a high speed train (similar to the ones I took in Japan, thought I don’t think it was as fast) that we took to Leipzig. Leipzig is a former city of East Germany, and another city that was heavily destroyed during the bombing raids of World War II. I finally felt that I was in Germany when we arrived in Leipzig. It is a very picturesque little town (actually, not quite so little) that has very old and traditional buildings throughout. We started our morning at the Nikolaikirche, which is where the Peaceful Revolution began in East Germany that ultimately led to the breakdown of the Wall and eventual reunification of Germany. This church was absolutely stunning. Someday when I manage to actually get pictures up, you need to check it out. The interior was a blend of soft pinks, mint greens, and gold. I think I could have easily spent a good amount of time in there exploring and just enjoying the surroundings, but we had to make our morning appointment at the Leipzig Museum of Contemporary History. Here we had a very excellent tour of the museum and a description of the events of the Peaceful Revolution. This museum also had a fantastic exhibit of what life was like in the old German Democratic Republic (East Germany). I really enjoyed what I saw of this museum, even though it was just in German. I am sure that as a German-speaker I would have enjoyed the many hands-on experiences that it offered.
After lunch we had lunch at a wonderful restaurant in Leipzig. It is a very old restaurant and was one of the places Johann Goethe frequented when he lived in Leipzig. I had a very tender filet of pork with potato dumplings and red cabbage. For years I have been disgusted about the idea of red cabbage, something of which I am reminded each year when watching A Christmas Story during the holidays. Remember when Ralphie’s mom served it up? Anyway, I was a little hesitant about it, right up until I took the first bite. Now I am pretty certain that I could eat red cabbage every day, as long as it is served as I had it in Leipzig. After lunch we went off to our next appointment which was at a museum dedicated to the influence of the Stasi on East Germans. The Stasi were the East German secret police, similar to the KGB in the former Soviet Union. Some might even argue that it is like the CIA in our own country or Scotland Yard in Great Britain. However, there are some major differences between the Stasi and our own services! The Stasi were everywhere and kept very close tabs on East Germans. They kept extensive files on the civilians, the extent of which was known only after the disappearance of East Germany. They were known quite well for their brutality. It truly is, in my opinion, a fascinating topic for study. At this museum, which is located in the former Stasi headquarters in Leipzig, you can see many artifacts related to the Stasi, in rooms that look very much the same as they did when the building was occupied by the Stasi.
After this, I visited the church of St. Thomas, where Johann Sebastian Bach spent many years in residence. I was able to see his grave and listen to someone practice one of the arias from one of his compositions. I then had some time to head out and finally do a little shopping on my own. I got some gelato (lemon, and it was great), and had a fantastic time walking down little streets lined with cafes doing some window shopping. I then caught my next train, which brought me to where I am now, in Gotha. Gotha is by far the smallest place we have been yet, but I love it. We got in tonight around 9:30 or so, and then quickly headed out for a late dinner and social time. My hotel room is near the train station, and I hear trains coming and going, but I have wonderful full length windows that open up to flowers and a nice view. As long as the bed is comfortable, I should be all good for the night! We are spending two nights here before heading off to Hamburg. From what I have experienced so far in just a few hours, I think that I am going to like Gotha a lot!
We caught the train at the main train station in Berlin. It was a high speed train (similar to the ones I took in Japan, thought I don’t think it was as fast) that we took to Leipzig. Leipzig is a former city of East Germany, and another city that was heavily destroyed during the bombing raids of World War II. I finally felt that I was in Germany when we arrived in Leipzig. It is a very picturesque little town (actually, not quite so little) that has very old and traditional buildings throughout. We started our morning at the Nikolaikirche, which is where the Peaceful Revolution began in East Germany that ultimately led to the breakdown of the Wall and eventual reunification of Germany. This church was absolutely stunning. Someday when I manage to actually get pictures up, you need to check it out. The interior was a blend of soft pinks, mint greens, and gold. I think I could have easily spent a good amount of time in there exploring and just enjoying the surroundings, but we had to make our morning appointment at the Leipzig Museum of Contemporary History. Here we had a very excellent tour of the museum and a description of the events of the Peaceful Revolution. This museum also had a fantastic exhibit of what life was like in the old German Democratic Republic (East Germany). I really enjoyed what I saw of this museum, even though it was just in German. I am sure that as a German-speaker I would have enjoyed the many hands-on experiences that it offered.
After lunch we had lunch at a wonderful restaurant in Leipzig. It is a very old restaurant and was one of the places Johann Goethe frequented when he lived in Leipzig. I had a very tender filet of pork with potato dumplings and red cabbage. For years I have been disgusted about the idea of red cabbage, something of which I am reminded each year when watching A Christmas Story during the holidays. Remember when Ralphie’s mom served it up? Anyway, I was a little hesitant about it, right up until I took the first bite. Now I am pretty certain that I could eat red cabbage every day, as long as it is served as I had it in Leipzig. After lunch we went off to our next appointment which was at a museum dedicated to the influence of the Stasi on East Germans. The Stasi were the East German secret police, similar to the KGB in the former Soviet Union. Some might even argue that it is like the CIA in our own country or Scotland Yard in Great Britain. However, there are some major differences between the Stasi and our own services! The Stasi were everywhere and kept very close tabs on East Germans. They kept extensive files on the civilians, the extent of which was known only after the disappearance of East Germany. They were known quite well for their brutality. It truly is, in my opinion, a fascinating topic for study. At this museum, which is located in the former Stasi headquarters in Leipzig, you can see many artifacts related to the Stasi, in rooms that look very much the same as they did when the building was occupied by the Stasi.
After this, I visited the church of St. Thomas, where Johann Sebastian Bach spent many years in residence. I was able to see his grave and listen to someone practice one of the arias from one of his compositions. I then had some time to head out and finally do a little shopping on my own. I got some gelato (lemon, and it was great), and had a fantastic time walking down little streets lined with cafes doing some window shopping. I then caught my next train, which brought me to where I am now, in Gotha. Gotha is by far the smallest place we have been yet, but I love it. We got in tonight around 9:30 or so, and then quickly headed out for a late dinner and social time. My hotel room is near the train station, and I hear trains coming and going, but I have wonderful full length windows that open up to flowers and a nice view. As long as the bed is comfortable, I should be all good for the night! We are spending two nights here before heading off to Hamburg. From what I have experienced so far in just a few hours, I think that I am going to like Gotha a lot!
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Last Day in Berlin
This morning we got a later start. It was nice to be able to sleep in a little longer and get some much deserved rest. Our first appointment of the day was at the edge of Berlin - actually I believe we were in Brandenburg - to meet with the new Berlin Brandenburg International Airport. This airport will eventually replace Berlin's three airports (Tegel, into which I flew, Schoenfeld, which was the GDR's airport, and Templehof, which is where the Berlin air lifts took place). It is actually being built at Schoenfeld (much more space there), and is considered to be one of if not the largest construction project in Europe. It was really interesting to see how this airport is being developed. We also got free luggage tags (which helps for me as mine disappeared somewhere between Louisville and DC - probably with my watch) and some gummi airplanes. Yes! We then went out to the observation tower to look at the work being done.
Next it was time for lunch. We stopped in one of the main Turkish neighborhoods of Berlin, where I had organic currywurst and fries with mayonnaise (when in Berlin...). It was a great lunch, and I washed it down with a Mezzo Mix, which is a blend of cola and orange drinks. I then finally got the chance to hit a grocery store, which is my favorite thing to do in foreign countries, and pick up some much needed gummi type items.
Our next meeting was very interesting, and probably something that freak show who made a comment on my last entry could have used. We met with a group that fights right-wing extremism and discrimination within Germany. It was very cool to see the kinds of work that they are doing. They don't focus on the past, yet they find ways to connect the past with today for students in a way that is not old and worn out. It seems that teenagers in Berlin do not connect that closely anymore with what happened during the Holocaust, as they see it to just be part of history. This group wants the students to see how these right-wing groups are using the same styles and techniques of discriminating against others as did the Nazis, and hopefully by making that comparison the students will be better informed and be able to inform others.
We then stopped for a short bit at Alexanderplatz, which is where the demonstrations took place just prior to the Wall being opened. This is the twentieth anniversary of the Wall falling, as I have mentioned before, so Berlin has erected a large and very informative open-air exhibition in the square. It was pretty eye-opening. I picked up a book about it if anyone is interested when I get home.
Our last stop of the day was a dinner cruise. Did you know that Berlin has more water running through it than Venice? We took a three-hour tour with a fantastic dinner spread through downtown Berlin. It was nice to get a final look at all of the places we have visited so far in Berlin. I also had my first and probably last beer in Germany. I have never liked beer, and didn't want to try this one until someone told me that it tasted like a Jolly Rancher and not beer at all. And you know what? They were right. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) this beer is only served in Berlin (Berliner Weiss Rot), so no more for the trip.
I have really enjoyed my stay in Berlin. We are leaving soon for Leipzig and Gotha. More from there!
Next it was time for lunch. We stopped in one of the main Turkish neighborhoods of Berlin, where I had organic currywurst and fries with mayonnaise (when in Berlin...). It was a great lunch, and I washed it down with a Mezzo Mix, which is a blend of cola and orange drinks. I then finally got the chance to hit a grocery store, which is my favorite thing to do in foreign countries, and pick up some much needed gummi type items.
Our next meeting was very interesting, and probably something that freak show who made a comment on my last entry could have used. We met with a group that fights right-wing extremism and discrimination within Germany. It was very cool to see the kinds of work that they are doing. They don't focus on the past, yet they find ways to connect the past with today for students in a way that is not old and worn out. It seems that teenagers in Berlin do not connect that closely anymore with what happened during the Holocaust, as they see it to just be part of history. This group wants the students to see how these right-wing groups are using the same styles and techniques of discriminating against others as did the Nazis, and hopefully by making that comparison the students will be better informed and be able to inform others.
We then stopped for a short bit at Alexanderplatz, which is where the demonstrations took place just prior to the Wall being opened. This is the twentieth anniversary of the Wall falling, as I have mentioned before, so Berlin has erected a large and very informative open-air exhibition in the square. It was pretty eye-opening. I picked up a book about it if anyone is interested when I get home.
Our last stop of the day was a dinner cruise. Did you know that Berlin has more water running through it than Venice? We took a three-hour tour with a fantastic dinner spread through downtown Berlin. It was nice to get a final look at all of the places we have visited so far in Berlin. I also had my first and probably last beer in Germany. I have never liked beer, and didn't want to try this one until someone told me that it tasted like a Jolly Rancher and not beer at all. And you know what? They were right. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) this beer is only served in Berlin (Berliner Weiss Rot), so no more for the trip.
I have really enjoyed my stay in Berlin. We are leaving soon for Leipzig and Gotha. More from there!
LONG Tuesday
I woke up this morning at 3:00am. Yep. It seems that jetlag is still trying to kick my butt, and I must say that it is doing a bang-up job. The only good thing that came out of this is that I didn’t get up late for this morning’s appointment. It was an early morning, meeting at 7:00. We left Berlin and went to a neighboring town to visit the Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp. I am going to do my best to describe this, but it truly is one of those beyond words situations. I tried very hard to put myself in the mindset of someone who was entering this camp as a prisoner, but I have nothing at all to compare it to. Sachsenhausen was first used as a camp for Nazi political prisoners, and then for Jews, Gypsies, homosexuals, Jehovah’s Witnesses – anyone who the Nazis eventually persecuted. The camp was liberated by the Soviet and Polish armies near the end of World War II, and it is then that the camp took on a whole other life as a prison for enemies of the German Democratic Republic (that’s East Germany for most of us). The Communists then made the camp into a memorial, but not as it is today in its current state. The Communists used the camp to show the triumph of communism over fascism, and dedicated the camp in memory of those Communists who had died under the guard of the Nazis. They even built a memorial tower taller than the guard towers of the camp to show how Communism “towers over Fascism.” We saw an original barrack, some artifacts from the camp, and lastly, the ovens and mass graves of the camp. It was truly upsetting, but I am nonetheless glad to have seen it. I wish that I could have had a couple more hours there to see everything, but we just didn’t have time. We had to get back to Berlin for our next meeting.
That meeting was at a newspaper office, Der Tagesspiegel. We talked about newspaper publishing in Berlin, and really throughout Germany. Berlin itself has ten daily newspapers, which I thought was a little crazy. After that, we broke off in different directions for lunch. I went to a Turkish restaurant where I had a nice falafel dinner. I like falafel. For someone who hates beans of all kinds, I have for some reason really taken a liking to chickpeas, of which falafel is made. Yummy in the tummy, you know? Then it was back on the bus for our next appointment, which was with the Berlin Sanitation Department. Now admittedly, a lot of us made jokes about this. We really thought that we were headed to watch poo being separated from water and that water being treated, blah blah blah. But, we were really there to learn about Berlin's pretty advanced recycling program. Berlin has a fantastic program for recycling, and this is something we really need to get on in the U.S. Berlin, and Germany really, has greatly reduced the amount of refuse they generate. Excellent stuff.
By this point I thought I was in the throes of death. Exhaustion was creeping up on me, and I was about to drop. My feet and their blisters were acting up, and I was getting cranky. Luckily we got about a 45 minute break at the hotel before heading out again. Some of us were headed to the Charlottenburg Palace to check out a Baroque and Classical music concert. The musicians were all dressed in Baroque costumes, and it was very very nice. After a big dinner (Germans love big dinners, and this is why I love Germans) of pork and spaetzle, the concert was very very relaxing and enjoyable. We headed back to the hotel and got here around 11:30 or so. I was up another 20 minutes trying desperately to catch up on blogging so you guys won't be bored. Aren't I nice?
I am planning on uploading pictures to facebook tonight, as well as possibly flickr for you guys who are not my facebook friends (that would be you, current students). Hopefully it won't take long. It is currently Wednesday morning, and I have to head off for another jam packed day. Tschuss for now (that's "bye") and I will write more later!
That meeting was at a newspaper office, Der Tagesspiegel. We talked about newspaper publishing in Berlin, and really throughout Germany. Berlin itself has ten daily newspapers, which I thought was a little crazy. After that, we broke off in different directions for lunch. I went to a Turkish restaurant where I had a nice falafel dinner. I like falafel. For someone who hates beans of all kinds, I have for some reason really taken a liking to chickpeas, of which falafel is made. Yummy in the tummy, you know? Then it was back on the bus for our next appointment, which was with the Berlin Sanitation Department. Now admittedly, a lot of us made jokes about this. We really thought that we were headed to watch poo being separated from water and that water being treated, blah blah blah. But, we were really there to learn about Berlin's pretty advanced recycling program. Berlin has a fantastic program for recycling, and this is something we really need to get on in the U.S. Berlin, and Germany really, has greatly reduced the amount of refuse they generate. Excellent stuff.
By this point I thought I was in the throes of death. Exhaustion was creeping up on me, and I was about to drop. My feet and their blisters were acting up, and I was getting cranky. Luckily we got about a 45 minute break at the hotel before heading out again. Some of us were headed to the Charlottenburg Palace to check out a Baroque and Classical music concert. The musicians were all dressed in Baroque costumes, and it was very very nice. After a big dinner (Germans love big dinners, and this is why I love Germans) of pork and spaetzle, the concert was very very relaxing and enjoyable. We headed back to the hotel and got here around 11:30 or so. I was up another 20 minutes trying desperately to catch up on blogging so you guys won't be bored. Aren't I nice?
I am planning on uploading pictures to facebook tonight, as well as possibly flickr for you guys who are not my facebook friends (that would be you, current students). Hopefully it won't take long. It is currently Wednesday morning, and I have to head off for another jam packed day. Tschuss for now (that's "bye") and I will write more later!
Monday, Monday...
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...
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...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
