Ich bin ein Berliner (not the jelly donut)

From the time we got to Berlin I knew I would like it. While it is quite different because of the eclectic mix of old and new, it has a certain atmosphere that is very cool. We began getting to know Berlin by taking a bike tour with our awesome tour guide, Ryan. He took us to "museum island" and explained so much to us. It was particularly interesting because he not only gave us the history of the city but he also provided the present public opinion of the future of Berlin. I like how a lot of the architects chose to restore but not cover up the history on the buildings. The "patchwork" look of many of the buildings gave it a certain charm and also reminded you that war happened here, and there might be some scratches but Berlin is still standing.

He then took us to a parking lot. It was very confusing at first until he explained that we were standing on top of the bunker that Hitler had spent his last weeks in before committing suicide. Something like this would seem to have a bigger impact on tourism and the city but it was filled and covered and made into a parking lot as if to figuratively show that he doesn't deserve anything built to commemorate anything about him as well as to deter Neo-Nazis. Then, not even two blocks away was a giant memorial for the jews that were murdered in the Holocaust. This consisted of over two thousand blocks that were individual in their size and shape but yet still anonymous in that none of them were marked. Ryan explained that it symbolizes the evil of the war because from the outside you can't tell how deep and dark it is in the center until you get too far in. 

Our next stop was the memorial for the disabled victims of the T-4 Nazi program. We learned about this in class but it was so powerful to see the memorial and the accounts of actual people. After that we biked to the Brandenburg Gate which was covered by a very large and obnoxious bubble for a traditional Asian music festival. Cool. 

The next day we boarded a train with Ryan (again) to Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp which was about 30 minutes outside of the city. We walked the same path that thousands of others walked from the train to the camp. Ryan explained that many of the existing structures were no longer there from either purposeful destruction or simply neglect. However, the medical buildings were still there and we walked through the place were autopsies took place and also the cellars were bodies were stored. It was very difficult to see all of this and realize that humans did this to each other. We walked through the medical museum and read about all of the various conditions that were endured as well as some of the medical experimentation that took place. We then walked to the building that served as the "extermination and cremation." Ryan explained that not nearly as many people were gassed at Sachsenhausen, but rather shot while they thought their height was being measured. How anyone could justify that is beyond me. I can't comprehend how the soldiers actually believed they were doing the right thing. Next we stopped at the memorial and the kitchen before making our way to the Jewish houses. There were so many bunk beds, with three racks, crammed into a room and the bathroom was very small and people were expected to all use one room in a short amount of time. After wandering through the conjoined museum we went to the "prison" where political prisoners and people of importance stayed. These conditions were sometimes much nicer than the rest of the camp and somtimes much worse. This is where Stalin's son was kept before Stalin refused to negotiate with the Nazis and his son was killed. After that cheerful day we returned to the train station before making our way to the East Side Gallery. This was a very long peice of the original wall that has been covered in paintings of all kinds, however, many of the paintings and famous graffiti was covered with 'tags' and other graffiti making it not as good. 

It was a very interesting first few days in Berlin and can't wait to share what happens in the next couple of days! The time is flying by and its already August!