German Parliament and .... Hygiene??

*Written 1/3*

After recovery Sunday from New Years Fiestmila, we were greeted bright and early Monday morning with a gray, rainy Berlin tour. The tour was fantastic, despite the dreary conditions. I feel like we blazed a trail across much of Berlin, and learned so much more. We saw the statues of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels (the kings of socialism), the sculpture to honor all victims of Tyranny (Mother with Her Dead Son pictured left), a huge piece of the Berlin Wall still left intact in its original position, and the commemorative monument to all Jews killed in WWII. There was so much history behind each one of this locations, trying to absorb it all made a person feel like a sponge being filled beyond capacity. Later that day, we were able to tour the Reichstag Parliament Building, where German political officials make decisions of current legislation. It was a very grand building, fixed with high level of security and a dome that stretched far atop the roofline of Berlin (allowing for a great view). As boring as politics and government proceedings usually are, it was unique being able to see and sit in the buildings were action takes place. Even seeing the advanced voting decision method where Germans will walk through one of three doors to cast their vote; labeled either Yes, No, or Abstained. As you can see, very complicated. The next day, we went to the German Hygiene Museum located in Dresden. Hygiene you ask? So it's all about deodorant and body wash right? Not really, it is more like the German Biology Museum. Basically their study of the history of the body and how the knowledge of the functions and anatomy has progressed with time. Honestly, as a Biomedical Engineer it was a fascinating place to go to and tour. Viewing the different displays and exhibits really made certain aspects and processes shine in a different light so to speak. It was a great place to go and see how we, as a society, learned about the body and how our knowledge on different subjects changed over time; sometimes this change was minimal, but in some situations it could almost be as stark a contrast as night and day between what was theorized and what is know known as fact.