Cologne and exploring Berlin!

Happy new year! I feel like we crammed two weeks worth of tours, buildings, dates and beer into one weekend. It was a blast. On Friday, we took a train to Cologne, and when we left the station we immediately saw the Cologne Cathedral towering above us. It's the most imposing yet beautiful cathedral; the details in it's architecture were overwhelming! I couldn't pull my eyes away, they were absorbing everything they possibly could. We saw the relic of the cathedral-the bones of the three wise men encased in an intricate gold case- the history of the cathedral through World War II, and the beautiful stained glass windows from multiple decades. We also visited a museum of roman history, which was definitely a flashback to my Latin-learning days. The mosaics were interesting, it was a comical contrast to the strict holiness of the cathedral. The Romans weren't exactly restrained when it came to wine, feasting, and politics.
We were also able to visit the EL DE house, which was the Cologne Gestapo headquarters during World War II. There were prison cells below the building that has inscriptions written by the prisoners who passed through. It was easier than I expected to put myself in their shoes, which made the prison extremely sad and creepy. The museum also demonstrated the rise of the Nazi party and the individuals who attempted to stand up to the overpowering military control. It was particularly sad that a government could strike fear into the hearts of an entire nation so quickly, to the extent that people betrayed neighbors, family, and friends to protect themselves in the eyes of the Gestapo. You could also draw parallels between the writings and propaganda of the nazi government and our attitudes as Americans toward Muslims-once we develop mistrust towards a large group of people, we're that much closer to developing the same mindset as that of WWII Germany, albeit not as extreme. This was incredibly eye opening.
We had a great new years, we travelled to Berlin by train and went to the 1.2 mile festival behind the brandenburg gate! It was packed.... We had currywurst, German beer, sang along to the covers of American songs, and counted down the new year in german! The walk around the city afterwards was crazy, there were a million firecrackers being shot off in the streets. Sunday was a free day in Berlin, so we explored the city, visited a film museum, ate crepes, and watched a movie in German. Such a good weekend!
Today was a four hour tour of Berlin, which was packed with a ton of history. It was great to hear the detailed stories that accompanied the sights we saw the day before. My favorite was the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe; it was beautiful, and yet gave you a deep feeling of helplessness as you wander through claustrophobic alleys of dark grey, concrete blocks that rise gradually to tower five feet above your head. We visited the Reichstag as well, which gave us a great view of the city and displayed an interesting juxtaposition of the prewar and postwar architecture. Until next time!