Thursday, February 19th 2015
Friday, February 20th 2015
Saturday, February 21st 2015
We then biked to the East Side Gallery. It is a long part of the wall that has been painted beautifully. Throughout the weekend, we skirted the crossing of the Berlin Wall many times. Some of the sections are just marks on the ground while in others parts community efforts have been made to beautify it. Nonetheless, almost all pieces of the wall has a lot of graffiti on it as well as colorful paintings. It shows a very interesting side of the community and makes you realize how recent all of this history is. We then took our bikes through lots of cute neighborhoods, peaking around as we biked through. We made it to Pariser Platz just in time for our 11AM tour. Our tour guide showed us some amazing things as well as taught me a lot of history. | |
Another very thought-provoking moment was when we stood outside of a building that was clearly Nazi architecture. The building had somehow been spared in the bomb raids. Since it was such a well-made building, and the government needed a place to work, the government started to run out of there. It is actually kindof ironic, the government running out of a Nazi building. Now, it is a tax office, but it is certainly a thought of contention that the building still exists. |
As we moved to the next spot, the next thing I knew is I was straddling East Berlin and West Berlin. The border that we so gracefully walk across now was such a guarded and terrifying place for so long. Now, the remnants of the wall, and even the places where it used to be, plays such a quiet but strong role in the city. Also, when East Berlin existed as communist, everyone had the same type of car. They aren't efficient and are terrible, so what did the city do with them... they painted them crazy colors and made them a tourist attraction to drive them around the city. |
We visited another section of the wall, this one much more scary and dark than the ones before. It made me really think about what it would be like to be stuck on a side of it. We then visited Checkpoint Charlie, an American checkpoint. Who won the civil war is incredibly evident by the way the checkpoint is currently shown. There are no Soviet flags, but many American flags swaying in the breeze. It is a very Americanized area (lined with our national fast food chains) and has ‘American border guards’ there. We then saw how Berlin is becoming a very international city. Unlike the rest of Europe it asked people to move there after the fall of the Berlin Wall. To show this, they actually built a French Church in the square next to the Concert Hall (also very pretty!) But, the Germans wanted a pretty church also, so they built a German church which looks almost identical across the square from the first one. We ended the tour outside the University. Back during the war, the students of the university played a huge role in the book burnings, but to make up for that now, they always have a book sale outside of the university hall. There is also a memorial underground which shows empty shelves that could hold all of the books that were burnt during that time. This continues the theme of showing the missing parts of the city. |
Sunday, February 21st 2015
I then went upstairs and saw the exhibit I came for… BIOS! Bios is a robotic arm that can write the Torah. Although it is completely un-Kosher, it was remarkable to see a robot write it! It was amazing. I do have to say, the writing isn’t as pretty as the handwritten versions, but it was very impressive and interesting to watch. My engineering brain was on fire. I could only think about how it is done and the skill it takes to have that control. I even scoped around to find the control box. The mechanism was incredible and it was amazing to watch. I then entered the permanent exhibit. I wrote my wish on a pomegranate and hung it on the tree. The museum was good, it had some interesting exhibits but it was fun to walk through. I really enjoyed it! |
That afternoon I went to Mauer Park for an incredible market. It was so large it was impossible to capture it on a camera. The foodie in me came out and I tried lots of things. I gave currywurst another shot, because it was the Berlin food. This one was delicious. I also had a hot white wine, which was a whole new experience. It was a Riesling and it was mixed with ginger soda. The market was so much fun! There were a bunch of shops and some very unique things going on there. I bought a spinach and cheese filled roll, which was very cool because the ladies behind the stand were rolling the dough and baking it right there! I saved that for the plane ride. There were also bands and lots of fun things at the market. Yes, I know I had a lot of food, but I didn’t eat all day before that! So on my way out I had a Berliner boulette, which was like a meat patty on a roll, and it was very delicious! By far my favorite thing from the market. To my surprise, although I should've expected it, there was a part of the wall right next to the park. There was actually someone drawing on the wall right before me. There was a band playing in the park and a great atmosphere of fun and excitement. It was a wonderful way to end the weekend. I made my way to the train station to catch a train to the airport. This entire weekend, I’ve noticed that trains and trams and every sort of public transportation in Berlin is on-time if not early. My train pulled out 1 minute early! It was crazy how prompt the Germans are! Very remarkable. When I finally got home to my kot in Belgium, I relaxed, wrote my blog and slept for 10 hours! Clearly an exhausting but exciting weekend. | |