Berlin and Dresden

For our first official day in Berlin, we took a walking tour with yet another fabulous tour guide. Even though the weather was dreary, we had a good morning and covered quite a bit of Berlin.

After lunch, we visited the Reichstad where the German Parliament meets. We've talked a lot about how Germany as a nation is always in the process of coming to terms with their past, and I am really starting to see the effects of this feeling in almost all of the places we go. I really like how new and old elements are mixed into their buildings in a way that reflect not forgetting damages of the past, but growin up and out from them. Beyond the symbolism, the aesthetic of old stone and craftsmanship mixed with modern metal and glass architectural elements is beautiful. I think in my next life I might study architecture.... It really is an artform even in the simplest designs.

Tuesday, we headed for Dresden. Dresden is a beautiful city just about 2 hours away from Berlin. Dresden is full of Baroque and neo-Greek architecture. Dresden sits on the Elbe river and we were fortunate to have a beautiful sunny day yesterday to experience it. We saw most of the city during our walking tour. Like most of Germany the old buildings and structures of the city had been almost destroyed, but instead of being rebuilt with new elements, the were rebuilt in the exact designs of the original buildings using as many of the old pieces as possible, which I thought was really cool.

In the afternoon, we visited the Deutsches Hygiene Museum. This museum was by far one of the coolest museums I have been in. In each area of the museum we had to choose an item of interest and present it to our group which provided us with an opportunity to discuss and elaborate. Not only did this allow us to share our thoughts, but it also helped us think about how certain aspects of human biology apply to our studies.

Be back soon!