Fall Break

View of Prague and Prague Castle from atop Astronomical Clock 

Last spring when I was accepted to study abroad in Germany for the fall, I suggested to my high school friend Derek to come visit for a week during his university’s fall break.  When I realized that my program’s semester break coincided with Derek’s, it gave him even more incentive to plan the trip, which he eventually decided to do.

Arriving early morning on Saturday, October 8^th, I met Derek at Berlin Tegel Airport after his nine hour transatlantic flight.  Having stayed up late to watch my beloved Phillies break my heart in game 5 of the NLCS, I was glad that the arrival of my friend would get my mind off the end of the Phillies’ season.  After returning to my apartment to drop off Derek’s bags and for a quick nap, we hopped back on the S-Bahn toward the center of Berlin for a day filled with sightseeing.  Among Berlin’s most famous attractions that we saw were the Brandenburg Gate, the Tiergarten, the Victory Tower, Alexanderplatz, and Potsdamer Platz.  That night we saw a movie at the Sony Center in Potsdamer Platz in a theater where many European film premieres are held.

Sunday included more sightseeing for Derek and me.  We started our day at Checkpoint Charlie, the most famous of the few former checkpoints between West and East Berlin.  We then headed to the Soviet war memorial in Treptower Park, the largest of three Soviet World War II war memorials in the city.  From there we went to the East Side Gallery, where we walked the length of the longest remaining stretch of the Berlin Wall.  Despite it being my third visit to the East Side Gallery, I was still taken aback by how powerful of a tribute to mankind’s struggle against oppression the paintings of the East Side Gallery are.  Later in the day we took a trip to the flea market at Mauerpark, where incredible assortments of things both cool and crappy are sold by some of Berlin’s most eclectic residents.  Derek and I decided to pack it in early that night since we were leaving for Prague early the next morning.

Derek and I boarded our bus for Prague the next morning around 7:30 am.  We found it ironic that we were two Americans from New Jersey taking a Hungarian bus from Germany to the Czech Republic and, to top it all off, were being shown a movie (in Hungarian with English subtitles) based in New Jersey.  The almost five hour bus ride through the German and Czech countryside was a cool experience in itself.  Once we crossed the border into the Czech Republic and an early fog began to lift, we realized that we were driving on a small, windy road next to the Elbe Rriver in the middle of a mountain range.  All around the bus, daunting mountains rose above us with little Czech villages along their sides, making for a quite scenic ride.

Charles Bridge and Prague Castle

Shortly after passing through the mountains and moving away from the Elbe, we arrived in Prague.  We were fortunate that my friends Peter, Jake, Jordan, and Becky who are studying in Prague were nice enough to let us stay with them, and so we met up with them after arriving in the Czech capital to drop off our bags.  After dropping our stuff off and getting lunch, Derek and I went to check out Prague’s Old Town Square.  Located in the middle of Prague’s windy and cobblestoned streets of Old Town is this historic square, which is the home of a statue of Jon Hus, the Czech religious reformer who was burned at the stake in 1415.  Also located in Old Town Square are the world’s oldest functioning astronomical clock and two impressive churches: St. Nicholas Church and the Church of Our Lady before Týn, whose Gothic style invokes images of Hogwarts, especially when illuminated at night.  Every hour on the hour, a large crowd gathers beneath the astronomical clock to listen to a trumpeter play from atop the clock tower as a precession of statues of the twelve Apostles emerge from the clock before withdrawing back into it.  From atop the clock tower, we could see the entire city, with incredible views of the Vltava River, the Charles Bridge, and the Prague Castle.  For dinner, we met Pete and Jake at a restaurant called U Medvídků, a traditional Czech pub dating back to 1466 that has been featured on the Travel Channel’s show “Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations”.  The food there was simply delicious.  After some shared appetizers, including thinly sliced roast beef on rye bread, fried bleu cheese and ham, and sausage, I had an incredible entrée of roast boar on garlic with potato dumpling and spinach. The excellent meal was a perfect end to our first day in Prague.  

The next morning Derek and I crossed the famous Charles Bridge into the part of Prague known as Lesser Town.  Built between the 14^th and 15^th centuries, the Charles Bridge is protected by three Gothic style guard towers.  The bridge is adorned with 30 Christian statues, most of which depict such saints as St. Francis of Assisi, St. Augustine, and St. John the Baptist.  You might recognize the Charles Bridge as the location of the opening scene of 1996 movie Mission: Impossible.  Across the bridge in Lesser Town, the windy streets lead up a hill to the Prague Castle.  Built beginning in the 9^th century, the Prague Castle is the biggest castle in the world.  At the heart of the castle lays St. Vitus Cathedral, an incredible, Gothic styled Catholic church.  Intricate stain glass adorns the inside of the cathedral, whose exterior is lined with dozens of statues and gargoyles.  Other buildings inside the castle that we visited were St. George’s Basilica, St. George’s Convent, the Old Royal Palace, and the line of homes along the Golden Lane.  Among the little homes along the Golden Lane was the home of Franz Kafka’s sister in which the famous author stayed and worked in.

The next day, Derek and I departed from Prague and returned to Berlin.  Before Derek headed back to the States, we went to Potsdam, my second time to the city.  I returned for the second time to two of Potsdam’s most famous residencies, Cecilienhof and Sanssouci.  Despite having already been to both places, it was great to walk among these beautiful palaces that had witnessed so much history throughout the ages. 

Charles Bridge

This upcoming Friday I leave for a weeklong program excursion to Munich and Vienna.  I’ll be sure to upload pictures and make a blog entry in a more timely matter after the trip, especially since I’ll be heading to Barcelona, Dresden, and Copenhagen in the several weeks following this trip.    

  

Oktoberfest

Since even before I knew I was going to be studying abroad in Germany, I have been eagerly anticipating experiencing one particular event: Oktoberfest.  Despite such lofty expectations, the three days I spent last weekend at Oktoberfest  go down as some of the best times I have had in my life.  Held annually in Munich, Germany, Oktoberfest is a two and half week long festival that is the encapsulation of everything Bavarian: amusement park rides, sausages, and beer.  The festival is located on a field named Theresienwiese near Munich's center, providing a spectacular setting for Oktoberfest.    


After a quick 50 minute flight, my friend Greg and I had arrived in Munich, where we were greeted by my girlfriend Sam and her college roommate Klara.  Our apartment, incredibly organized by Klara, was located a short U-Bahn trip from the festival's grounds, a perfect location to get to Theresienwiese quickly while still being able to escape the masses of people that attend Oktoberfest.    

Me and my new Austrian friend

My trip to Oktoberfest can really be divided into two parts: Thursday/Friday and Saturday.  The festival, quite obviously, was not nearly as crowded the first two days I was there as it was on Saturday.  Since the crowds were not quite as overwhelming, I had much more freedom in strolling around the festival and was able to dip in and out of the beer tents basically at will.  I rode several of the amusement rides, which were far more extensive and elaborate than I had expected.  On Thursday and Friday I was fortunate enough to meet great people from all over the world, including Austria, Spain, Britain, Australia, New Zealand, and, of course, some native Bavarians.  (I also met some Italians, but I thought they were creeps, a sentiment seemingly shared by many Oktoberfest visitors.) 

Hofbrau-Festzelt from the outside

Inside of Hofbrau

Saturday's crowds, however, did not allow for such mobility.  Knowing that it would take hours to get into any particular beer tent by the afternoon, several friends and I headed to the Hofbräu-Festzelt tent in the morning to secure a table.  The largest of Oktoberfest tents, Hofbräu-Festzelt has garnered a reputation over the years for being the most popular tent among American college students.  Once in the tent, it was pretty incredible how many college kids I either knew or had mutual friends with.  They say it's a small world, and I can personally account for Oktoberfest making it even smaller.


Before having to head to the airport to catch my return flight to Berlin, I went with my good friend from Eustace Jon Maniaci and his friends from Georgetown to Dachau.  Located just north of Munich, the quaint town of Dachau is infamous for the concentration camp located there.  Established in 1933, the Dachau concentration camp was the first large-scale camp created by the Nazis.  My experience seeing the remains of the camp was very similar to that of when I visited Sachenhausen.  Walking through the remaining barracks and other camp structures, including the gas chamber, provided ample opportunity for quiet reflection.  As with Sachenhausen, I was grateful for the opportunity to bear witness to the memory of the atrocities committed there, despite the feelings of disgust that accompanied my visit.


Since my program's midterms are being held this week, I don't think I'll have many experiences worthy of blogging about until next week, when my friend Derek is visiting for the week.  We'll be in Prague for a few days next week so I will be sure to write about our adventures in the Czech Republic.  Until then, take care and go Phillies!        

Sachenhausen, East Side Gallery, Hertha Berlin match

Sorry for the wait guys.  It has been a pretty hectic couple of weeks and I apologize for not sitting down before now to provide an update of all the things I’ve been up to over here.

Sachenhausen

Two Fridays ago, my program went to Sachenhausen concentration camp, located in the town of Oranienburg, just north of Berlin.  Built in 1936 by the Nazis, the camp imprisoned various types of undesirables during the Third Reich, such as criminals, Communists, homosexuals, and Jews.  Unlike purely extermination camps like Auschwitz and Treblinka, Sachenhausen was not originally intended to be a site of mass murder of the Jews.  Later on in the war and as Nazi efforts to kill as many Jews as possible rapidly increased, a gas chamber and ovens were installed at the camp to facilitate the liquidation of large numbers of prisoners.  Following the war, Sachenhausen was used by the Soviet occupiers until 1950 as an internment camp.  Since then, the site has been open to the public as a museum.

Touring the grounds of Sachenhausen was an eerie experience.  There was an ominous silence that filled the place, allowing me ample opportunity to reflect on what I was viewing.  Although most of the camp barracks no longer stand, the buildings’ foundations are still visible, allowing me to visualize how it might have looked like 70 years ago.  My trip to Sachenhausen began with walking through its foreboding wrought-iron front gate, inscribed with the infamous phrase Arbeit Macht Frei (Work makes you free).  Above the gate stands the former main guard tower which once held an omnipresent guard manning a machine gun, instructed to shoot at any prisoner acting suspiciously.  Beyond the gate is an open field that was used for roll call, which was held twice a day and was often a brutal experience for the prisoners.  As I walked around the camp, touring the remaining barracks and buildings, I tried to imagine what it would have been like to be a prisoner of the murderous Nazi regime, stripped of all freedoms and dignity.  Two aspects of the camp were especially appalling.  The first of these was the execution trench, which was used up until the installation of the gas chamber in 1943.  It was sobering to be standing in the same spot where so many people were killed, whether by shooting or hanging.  The second appalling section of the camp was the mortuary.  When prisoners were murdered, they were brought into this building to receive “autopsies” to help determine the cause of death.  Camp “doctors” then cut open the dead bodies, took a quick look inside, and determined the cause of death, such as heart attack or suicide.  Such filthy lies were meant to explain to the objective observer why so many people were dying within the concentration camp system.

My experience at Sachenhausen was somber, but I am ultimately glad that I was able to visit a place that was once an embodiment of hate and be able to bear witness to the memory of the incredible suffering that once occurred there.

East Side Gallery and Hertha Berlin match

The next morning I had the opportunity to walk the length of the East Side Gallery with Günther Schaefer and some fellow students.  The longest remaining stretch of the Berlin Wall, the East Side Gallery is covered in paintings by artists from around the world, painted in 1990 following the fall of the wall.  One of these artists was Günther, whose controversial “Vaterland” painting depicts Israel’s flag on top of Germany’s flag.  Günther explained to us that many of the paintings, his especially, have been the victims of vandalism and require refurbishing every six months.  Most of the paintings involved some sort of peaceful message, usually including a denouncement of war and oppression.

That afternoon, I met up with some friends Berlin’s Olympiastadion for the Hertha Berlin vs. Augsburg soccer match.  Originally built for the 1936 Olympics, the Olympiastadion has played host to several historic sporting events, including Jesse Owens’s four gold medal performances at the Olympics, three matches of the 1974 World Cup, and six matches, including the final, of the 2006 World Cup.  The massive stadium still retains an aura of the Nazi landscape, despite several renovations throughout the years.  Being able to attend my first European soccer match was an awesome experience, one that I will never forget.  Although the game ended in a 2-2 tie, the atmosphere was still rocking from start to finish and I had a lot of fun imitating the diehard Hertha fans.  

I’ve got another blog entry still to write, namely about my trip this past weekend to Munich and its famous Oktoberfest.  Unfortunately, it’s almost midnight here in Berlin and I have early class in the morning, so that post will have to wait until tomorrow (hopefully).  Until then, I hope this satisfies your oh-so-hungry appetite for exclusive insight into my life in Berlin.

Potsdam and Deutsches Historisches Museum

Cecilienhof courtyard with Soviet star flowers

Last Friday my program had a daylong excursion to the city Potsdam, located about 15 miles southwest of central Berlin.  I was looking forward to this trip for several reasons.  For one, I had yet to actually leave Berlin's city limits since arriving in Europe a few weeks ago and was excited to see another place in Germany, even if it was so local.  Secondly, I was excited to visit Schloss Cecilienhof, the site of the famous 1945 Potsdam Conference following the World War II, and soak up all of its history.  Finally, I was especially looking forward to seeing Sanssouci, the summer palace of Prussian King Frederick the Great.

Completed in 1917, Cecilienhof was built for Hohenzollern (German ruling family until the end of World War I) Crown Prince Wilhelm in honor of his wife Duchess Cecilie.  After World War II, the palace lay abandoned until the conquering Soviets refurnished it in preparation of the upcoming Potsdam Conference.  Held in late July and early August 1945, representatives from the United States, United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union met to decide the fate of Germany.  Participants at the conference included President Harry Truman, Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin, and British Prime Ministers Winston Churchill and Clement Atlee.  It was at this conference that Germany was split up into four occupation zones: a Soviet zone to the east, an American zone to the south, a British zone to the north, and a French zone to the west.  Among other agreements, Germany's industrial and war potential was to be dismantled and all of Germany's European annexations prior to and during World War II (most notably Austria, Alsace-Lorraine, Sudetenland, and western Poland) were to be reversed.  Some say that the beginnings of the Cold War can be traced to this very conference.  The division of Europe into Soviet influence in the east and American influence in the west began to take shape with the partitioning of Germany, eventually leading to the formation of two separate German governments.  It was also at Potsdam that President Truman learned of the successful atomic bomb testing at Alamogordo, New Mexico and authorized its usage against Japan.

Being able to tour such rooms as the great hall and Stalin, Truman, and Churhill's offices was an experience I will never forget.  The palace has been preserved with all of the furnishings from the conference, making it feel like I had stepped back in time when I entered.  One such original furnishing is a large red star of flowers in the courtyard, which was planted by the Soviets in anticipation of the conference.  Supposedly the Soviets placed Truman's office next to the courtyard so that every time he entered and exited the palace he would have to look at the red star.

Sanssouci 

After Cecilienhof we headed to Sanssouci, which was completed in 1747.  French for "without concerns", King Fredrick the Great would come to this palace for relaxation during his summers.  Despite its imposing facade, the palace itself is actually not that large, containing only 10 rooms.  Compared to the Palace of Versailles in France and its 700 rooms, to which it often is, Sanssouci is much more like a large villa.  The interior of Sanssouci is beautiful and extravagant.  The guest bedroom often reserved for the French Enlightenment philosopher Voltaire, for example, has bright yellow walls and carvings of apes, flowers, fruits, and birds throughout the room.  The most spectacular aspect of Sanssouci, however, was the incredible terraced gardens that lead up from Sanssouci Park to the palace.  Although I have seen pictures of the palace looking up from the fountain in the garden, actually standing there and taking in the majesty of the palace was simply breathtaking.  If I never return to Sanssouci again in my life, that image will still remain imprinted in my memory.  Following our visit to Sanssouci, I grabbed a bite to eat with some friends in old town Potsdam, which was quaint and very old-European looking.

Deutsches Historisches Museum on Unter den Linden

Posters urging children to join the Hitler Youth

This morning I visited the Deutsches Historisches Museum on the famous avenue Unter den Linden ("Under the Linden Trees"), right down the street from the Brandenburg Gate.  This impressive museum chronicles the history of Germany from its early roots up until present day.  Divided into two main sections, I spent around 3 hours closely examining the exhibits in the section covering German history from 1918 to today.  Included in this section of the museum were various artifacts pertaining to Germany's hardships following its defeat in World War I, its stabilization during the late years of the Weimar Republic, the rise of Hitler and the Third Reich, its experience during World War II, the period of occupation after the war, the years of divided Germany from 1949-1990, and its history since reunification of West and East Germany in 1990.  For a nation with such a troubled past, the DHM does a great job to present German history in an objective and fair way.  I partially expected a more restricted view into some of Germany's most guilt-ridden memories, namely the rise of the Nazis to power and their implementation of the Holocaust.  The museum, however, did not try to shirk such ugly stains on Germany's past, something that I certainly appreciated.

Faces of victims of Auschwitz death camp

This upcoming weekend is sure to be an exciting one, with scheduled excursions to Sachenhausen (Nazi concentration camp just north of Berlin), the Berlin Wall's East Side Gallery, and a soccer match between Hertha Berlin vs FC Augsburg of Germany's Bundesliga.  Next post should come sometime after this weekend.


Thanks for reading, keep it up.  

Weekend Review: Sam Bennett crushes Berlin

Sam, the Berlin Bear, and I in front of the Brandenburg Gate

After a program dinner last Friday night at a restaurant on the Freie Universität's campus, I made my way over to the Berlin central bus station to meet my girlfriend Sam upon her arrival from Copenhagen.  Following a 7.5 hour bus ride that included a ferry trip across the Baltic Sea, she reached Germany's capital city one exhausted trooper.

Nazi bomb shelter

Saturday morning we woke up early and met up with other members of my program for an excursion to two different art sites in Mitte (most central area of Berlin).  The first of the two sites was located in a former Nazi bomb shelter built in 1942.  Although the modern art collection housed inside was, in my opinion, incredibly stupid (since when was a blue collared shirt hanging on a wall considered art?), the bunker itself was really awesome.  Unique because it was actually built above ground, the shelter held as many as 3,000 Germans during Allied bombing in World War II.  After a tour of this art collection we had a short break during which time I experienced my first currywurst.  For those unfamiliar with this Berliner cuisine, currywurst consists of a hot pork sausage covered in curry ketchup and cut up into little pieces, usually served with pommes fries.  Not too different from a classic American hot dog, the key to good currywurst is in the sauce.

Tacheles

The second art site that we visited was called Tacheles.  Originally built as a huge department store, the building was heavily damaged during World War II, with only the front section of the builiding remaining.  Upon the building's scheduled demolition in the early 1990s, a group of artists occupied the building, managing to delay its destruction by registering it as a historic site.  Today, the space is shared by many artists and their work.  We had the opportunity to meet with one of these artists, Roman Kroke, who has gained recognition lately for his work as an art designer for the 2008 Hollywood movie Defiance, starring Daniel Craig and Liev Schreiber.  Roman told us about his work, the history of Tacheles, and the potential future of the building, which has been purchased by a German bank looking to turn the space into upscale condominiums.  Although the building was a bit dilapidated and reeked of urine, meeting with Roman and listening to his passion for his work was a great experience.

Brandenburg Gate

Following this program excursion, Sam and I visited several of Berlin's most famous sites.  First on our list was the Brandenburg Gate, arguably the most recognizable symbol of Berlin (and even Germany).  Built in the late 18th century as a gate to the city, the gate has been the site of many important events throughout history.  Badly destroyed during World War II, the gate was partially restored in the following years by both West and East Berlin governments.  In 1963, President John F. Kennedy visited the Brandenburg Gate, during which time Soviet banners were hung across it to prevent him from looking into East Berlin.  The gate was also the location of President Ronald Reagan's famous speech in which he called upon Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev to tear down the Berlin Wall.

Reichstag building

After checking out the Brandenburg Gate and walking around the corner to view the Reichstag building, Sam and I walked through the Tiergarten, which is Berlin's largest public park.  Originally a hunting reserve for Friedrich I of Prussia, the Tiergarten (which literally means "animal garden") now is a great place to relax and enjoy the natural scenery.  Located just below the Tiergarten is Potsdamer Platz, where we walked to next.  Completely destroyed during World War II, Potsdamer Platz was split during the Cold War by the Berlin Wall.  Since German reunification, the area has experienced an incredible revival and has undergone a lot of new construction.  Today, Potsdamer Platz is a center of commerce with beautiful modern buildings with at its heart the Sony Center, a large futuristic looking center that includes restaurants, hotels, museums, and a movie theater.  After checking out Potsdamer Platz, Sam and I hopped on the U-Bahn and went to Hackescher Markt.  At the center of Hackescher Markt is a really neat shopping district consisting of interconnected courtyards.  Although I wasn't in the mood to spend a couple hundred Euro on a fine belt or tie, I did enjoy peeping into the little shops and scouting out the merchandise.

Fernsehturm

Spree River from atop the Fernsehturm

Located near Hackescher Markt is Alexanderplatz, where Sam and I went next.  A large public square and transportation hub, Alexanderplatz is very close to the Fernsehturm, Berlin's famous television tower.  With a height of over 1,200 feet, the tower is the tallest structure in all of Germany.  About halfway up the tower is a silver sphere that houses an observation deck and a restaurant.  Sam and I had the great opportunity to travel up into this sphere and enjoy dinner, which was an amazing experience.  The food was pretty good and not too expensive and the view was breathtaking.  As we ate, the floor rotated slowly so that over the course of dinner we got to enjoy a 360 degree of Berlin and its surrounding areas.  Be sure to check out my Facebook profile for more pictures from atop the Fernsehturm.

Brandenburg Gate and Tiergarten in the distance

Tons of these hats at the flea market

The next day Sam headed back to Copenhagen via another 7 hour bus trip.  After her departure I met up with some friends at a one of Berlin's several flea markets, which was quite the experience.  I was pretty tempted to buy an authentic Soviet winter fur hat, but then I came to my senses and realized that I ain't no commie.


This Friday my program is travelling to Potsdam, which is just outside of Berlin, to visit Sansoucci (summer home of Prussian king Fredrick the Great) and Cecilienhof (site of the 1945 Potsdam Conference between Truman, Stalin, and Churchill).  I am pretty excited about all the history I will be immersed in during this trip and will check in afterward to let you all know how it went.

Thanks for reading, so long for now.

First week of classes: Complete

So Monday's are basically going to be hell.  I have German class from 9-12, followed by an hour and a half break to go grab lunch at the Freie Universität's mensa (cafeteria).  Since it's about a twenty minute commute to the mensa via bus and walking, I have to rush through my meal in order to get back in time for my next class, Themes and Issues in Transatlantic Relations.  This class runs from 1:30-4, which is followed by a half hour break before my third and final class of the day, German Cinema before 1945.  Scheduled to run from 4:30-7, the instructor informed us that we typically won't be getting out of class until 7:30 at the very earliest because the films we are going to be watching run longer than the allotted time period.  I hope I like these classes because if I don't, Monday's are going to be even longer than they already are.


Luckily I have Tuesday's off from classes to recoup from the beating I'll be taking each Monday.  Wednesday isn't bad either: just one class, The Human Condition and the Totalitarian Experience (which I think is going to be incredibly fascinating), from 4:30-7.  My Thursday class schedule consists of German again from 9-12, a few hour break to get lunch and chill, followed by a class called Media Politics at 4:30-7.  Once this class is over I am officially done for the weekend since my program does not have any classes scheduled on Friday.


Tonight there's a program dinner at an Italian restaurant which I am pretty excited about because I'll take free food over here any chance I get.  But that's not to say I haven't been making out alright for myself in terms of food in my apartment.  After a dismal first few days of Nutella and jelly sandwiches on really cheap white bread, I've upgraded my go-to meal to sliced salami and cheese (sort of like muenster cheese but not exactly the same) sandwiches on toasted baguette rolls.  They're actually quite delicious so I'm going to keep making them until I get tired of them and/or adventurous enough to try something different.


I'm heading out in a few minutes to join a local gym called McFit, which I'm pretty sure has no affiliation with McDonald's, or my last name, or anything else that starts with "Mc", but it's cheap and within walking distance so I'll give it a shot.  Take care everyone and go Phillies!

Willkommen in Berlin!

I'll start off by thanking all (any?) of you that are currently reading my blog and will take the time over the course of this semester to check it out.  As I sit in my apartment and reflect on my experience thus far in Germany's capital city, I can't help but to be excited for the upcoming three and a half months.  Although my time thus far in Berlin has been short, it has felt like I have lived here for weeks.  My days here so far have been packed with new and incredible experiences at places that just a week ago existed only in books, films, and on the internet.

It's probably best to start this off by explaining the inspiration for this blog.  In the spring, my cousin Colin kept all of us back in the States updated on his time abroad in London with an awesome blog, something that I hope to mimic with my own entries.  He popped the initial idea of writing about my European adventures; my fellow teachers at the Y.A.L.E. School this summer, Ms. Maurer and Ms. Jackie, convinced me that a keeping a blog would be a good idea.  I hope I can give each of you a small taste of my endeavors in Europe with each of my entries.

I guess I didn't think long enough about a name for the blog because it took until my second day here to come up with something acceptable enough.  As I stood in the shower Tuesday morning in my hotel room in the beautiful Kurfürstendamm area of Berlin, it hit me all of a sudden that I had actually just woken up in Berlin, an experience that I will be repeating every day for the next couple of months.  In a more philosophical sense, I hope that my time in Berlin will be an awakening of sorts for myself so that when I return home, my experience in this new and different culture will have led to greater maturity and global awareness.

Recap so far:

Hotel in Ku'damm

I flew out of JFK Airport in New York City last Sunday evening after being delayed about an hour due to thunderstorms.  After arriving in Berlin Monday morning, I took a shuttle with a few other people in my program to the Lindner Hotel in Kurfürstendamm, known locally as Ku’damm.  Ku’damm is a beautiful part of the city known for its high-end shopping, hotels, and restaurants.  In about a stretch of 4 blocks I saw Rolex, Gucci, Prada, and Louis Vuitton stores, among several others. During the Golden Twenties period in Berlin under the Weimar Republic, Ku’damm was a hub of activity day and night.  In between initial orientation sessions I strolled down the avenue while getting my first taste of German culture.  That evening my program’s director invited us all for dinner at a biergarten in Tiergarten, which is basically Berlin’s central park.  The food and beer were delicious and the dinner served as a good opportunity to get to know a few of the people that I will be sharing my time in Berlin with. 

My room

The next morning the small group at the Lindner Hotel transferred to the center where the program’s classes will be held, which is basically a large converted home in Steglitz, an expensive residential area of the city.  After a basic information session, I took a taxi with a few other students to the apartment complex that I will be living in for the semester.  My room has lots of living space, including a bathroom, kitchenette, and balcony.  Since I am on the ground floor I don’t have much of a view, but the large balcony is a nice feature nonetheless.  The apartment is all in all pretty nice, but the hallways remind me of a prison, especially since the lack of carpets make even the littlest sound echo throughout the hall.  After getting food at the nicest Burger King I have ever been to since it’s within walking distance from the apartments, I went into the Mitte (center of Berlin) to check out the city.

Bode Museum with Fernsehturm and Pope's Revenge
looming behind it

The rest of the first week mostly consisted of doing touristy stuff during the day and exploring different parts of the city at night.  On Friday the program went on a boat tour on the Spree River, which runs right past such famous sites as the Reichstag building, the Fernsehturm (huge TV tower), and a long stretch of the Berlin Wall.  Fun fact about the Fernsehturm: on clear days, the reflection of the sun makes a distinct cross on the TV tower's steel dome.  This effect was called the "Pope's Revenge" because the secular East German government and the tower's designers never desired such a phenomenon.  Immediately after the tour we went to the largest Soviet War Memorial in Berlin, located in Treptower Park.  Created in 1949 to commemorate the 80,000 Soviet soldiers killed in the Battle of Berlin at the end of World War II, the memorial contains the remains of 5,000 soldiers.  I was really taken aback by the enormity and beauty of the memorial, an emotion I didn’t anticipate to feel when I went there. 

5,000 soldiers buried beneath the grass

Huge statue of Soviet soldier saving a child
and crushing a swastika

Classes started for me yesterday with intro German, Themes and Issues in Transatlantic Relations, and German Cinema before 1945.  After an off day today I will be back on my grind tomorrow with a history class called Totalitarianism and the Human Condition.  On Thursday I will have German class again, followed by a class about German media politics.

Some basic observations:

- Berliners are a very ordered people.  Many Berliners have dogs, which are all very well behaved, and they take them all over the city on buses and trains.  On a similar note, most natives will not cross the street unless the green light indicates they can, even if there is not a car in sight approaching.

-Cutting in line is common and almost acceptable.

-Public transportation is extremely efficient and easy to use.  Having an S-Bahn station around the corner from the apartments has been crucial.

-Stores and restaurants very rarely accept anything other than cash.

-Most stores are closed on Sunday, which was really inconvenient when I was down to just bread and jelly this weekend.

-Punctuality is extremely important, even more so than in the U.S.
-It gets cold way too early in the summer.  The first few days of Berlin were around 90 degrees; since then, the temperature has been hovering around 60 during the day.

I had so much more that I wanted to say but at the moment I can’t remember so if I do those thoughts will be included in my next post.  Sorry for the wait but thanks for reading.  Until my next post, bis später!