Berlin Round Two

It'd only been a little over a year since my last trip to Berlin, so I remembered the city fairly well. However last time it had just been my friend Sam and I, whereas this time I was with 60 other people. They divided us into 2 groups so we would be easier to manage (that and we had slightly different schedules), which meant that we were also located at two different hostels. With my luck, our group kinda got the shaft on the hostel deal and got the shittier one further from downtown. Though I shouldn't complain too much considering I spent almost no time there, thanks to some very late nights. As soon as we dropped our stuff off we went straight to Brandenburger Tor to begin our walking tour of the city. We briefly met the other group, and then we were off to walk around Berlin and learn about post WWII history!

I'm just all about the selfies in front of important stuff

Moser and I 

Our guide was great (and British, yay!) and gave us a pretty thorough history of Berlin under Hitler and right after the war. We walked through the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, over Hitler's bunker, past the Topography of Terror, the Luftwaffe Headquarters, and the Propoganda Ministry. We ended our tour at Checkpoint Charlie which was just as unimpressive as it was the last time I was there, and then we were free for the rest of the evening.

The group walking into the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe

Kevin in the Memorial

Hitler's Bunker. Ahh I stood over where he killed himself...

Former Luftwaffe Headquarters

Topography of Terror Museum

We went to this awesome club called Felix which was right near the British embassy and the Holocaust memorial. Monday is Ladies Night which meant no cover for us girls and then basically male strippers from Magic Mike. Needless to say it was awesome. We danced and danced and probably didn't leave till about 3 or 3:30 and made the long cold trek home to BaxPax Mitte where we were staying. It was about 4 when I finally got in bed which basically allowed me to take a 3.5 hr nap before I had to get up and shower. With only 2 showers to our floor, I wanted to make sure I at least got one!

The group on stage at Felix

Our second day was pretty jam packed for us essentially having the afternoon off. We started out with a tour of the Berlin Wall Memorial where we watched a couple of videos on the wall, and then had an awesome tour guide take us around. The amount of people that died trying to escape East Berlin, or really just the victims in general astounded me. The fact that children died because they fell in the river and couldn't swim, yet no one could jump in the water to save them without risk of being shot, just hit me really hard. The fight against communism was so real and so strong, and you can still feel that the fight isn't over in Berlin. There's so much construction, especially in the Eastern half of the city, from tearing down Soviet buildings. There's also a strong presence of Die Linke in the Eastern half, as if the people still aren't willing to let socialism die just yet.

Anyway, after our tour we were free for the afternoon to work on our Berlin Projects for German. Mine required that I go to the Jewish Museum and answer some questions about it, reflect, and the sorts. I was intrigued because this was a museum that I had not been to, and Jewish history has always been so interesting to me, especially the Jews in Germany. I went with Tammy, Rin, and Salome, and this museum beyond exceeded my expectations. There is such a huge focus on the architecture of the museum and one's interpretation of it. Libeskind, the architect, designed it so that one would reflect, that one could put themselves in the shoes of the Jews - especially during the Holocaust era. The Garden of Exile and the Memory Void were the 2 highlights of the museum for me. They respectively lie at the ends of the Axis of Emigration and the Axis of Continuity. Being in the Garden of Exile you can tell that he wants one to feel disoriented as it does not lie on flat ground, but on a slope. There are also tall concrete blocks like in the Holocaust memorial that block most of your vision while in the garden. However, at the top of each block there is an olive tree planted which I believe symbolizes how that at the end of their journey the Jews were to eventually find peace (I believe that place to be Israel). 

View of the outside of the Jewish Museum

In the Garden of Exile

The other exhibit, the Memory Void, actually made me speechless. Never have I been so moved by a museum exhibit before. The floor of this void is comprised of over 10,000 iron faces "fallen leaves" as the artist calls them. They stare up at you hauntingly as you walk across them (which you're allowed to do because it's an interactive exhibit). The faces klang against one another as you move across the floor and actually make it impossible for one to move silently, but the klang is the only thing that breaks the silence. "Schallendes Schweigen" is a poem by Rose Ausländer which accurately, in my mind, represents the room. If you go to Berlin, you have to go to this museum, and you have to go to the Memory Void. It sticks with you. You feel the suffering of this group of people, hear their long lost cries. I scribbled out a poem the following day about it when I should've been paying more attention to the DGAP speaker, but I couldn't get the place off of my heart or out of my mind.

"Etched Faces"
Faces staring all around
Looking up,
as I look down
Their cries, they echo
through empty space
And haunt the void,
This solemn place
Standing still
They cry no more
Their dried tears
stain the floor
-S. Ireland

Fallen Leaves

When we left we had a tour scheduled for us at the Reichstag (seat of the German Bundestag aka Parliament), and we were kinda late getting there lol whoopsies. It was so cool actually getting to visit, even if our tour guide was ancient and talked super slowly in a monotone voice. It also made me realize that I've never even seen the US Capitol...awkward. Also the Cuppola at the top offers amazing views of the city, so I highly recommend giving the Reichstag a visit.

Where important stuff happens in Germany

Sunset in the Cuppola

The rest of the evening we had off, so we went and ate some tasty German food and went out to a neat little bar with some Australians. Literally the accents on this trip though, they just made me melt haha. Also on our way back we happened to walk through prostitute alley. German prostitutes are quite practical really, they all wear fanny packs with their corsets and 5 inch heels.

Our last day in Berlin was jam packed! We had a meeting at the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Auswärtige Politik which was led by a Mr. Julian Rappold. The DGAP is essentially a network for Germany's foreign policy, so the meeting was very interesting as we really focused on the upcoming election. After our meeting with Herr Rappold we had a little break to change our clothes and eat before we went to listen to some women speak about living in the DDR (former East Germany). It was astonishing hearing actual accounts of the presence of the Stasi, how people were monitored, and how if you weren't compliant with the government they could essentially ruin your life. After listening to them, I had my reflection session at this cafe with some other students in my group where IES graciously paid for my coffee as I discussed politics in the EU and Germany. And for our last night in Berlin we made it out to East Berlin to this club called Suicide Circus. I think the name should be enough to accurately describe how that experience was. But hey I got to dance, and got a poster and some stickers so I think it was a success. Overall Berlin was yet another fantastic experience. While I experienced a lot of the same sights that I did with Sam last summer, it was such a different trip this go round. And I'm sure that the next time I go back, it will be just as different.

Song of the trip: Royals by Lorde
Best meal: My schnitzel at that one German restaurant we went to...
Must do: Visit the Jewish Museum
Don't do: Underestimate how long it takes you to get somewhere! We were like 30 min late to a meeting because we underestimated how far we had to walk hahaha
Nightlife: Go to Felix! So much fun! Firebar was also a great time (and cheap!)