Prague here I come! The 5 hour train ride was one of the prettiest things I have ever seen. It reminded me of a mix between southern Idaho and Hood Canal, but 100x prettier. On the train, we met another group from the states (they were from North Carolina). I did not get the homework done that I would have liked to because I spent most of my time looking out the window. Hopefully I will find some time soon. Upon arrival, I have discovered that Prague is the prettiest place I have ever seen. I do not wish to ever leave. Ever. Walking around the center near our hotel we discovered the beauty and witnessed a proposal, so romantic. Dinner was traditional Czech food. I had beef goulash with dumplings which was really good. We ... read more

I can tell that the trip is starting to get to me; last night I had a dream about being at a funeral. I don’t like thinking about death any more than this trip requires. But we woke up to snow so that made me happier. We started off the day by heading to a neighborhood on a street renamed Einbahnstrasse, which consisted of mostly Jewish families before the war and before they were all deported. The people that now live in the neighborhood have decided to buy these things called stumbling stones, which are metal plaques that are placed on the sidewalk in front of the house that the Jewish family lived in in remembrance of each person. It was thought-provoking to try and think about what life was like back when they lived in ... read more

Today started off as a very emotional day and continued to be one. I woke up from a dream where I was crying in the dream and I am pretty sure that I was crying while I was sleeping. It was very upsetting and I just couldn’t shake the feeling. We visited our first camp today: Sachsenhausen. It was a sad experience but not as sad as I had imagined. Our group ended up joining up with a walking tour and had a tour by an older man named Nigel. He was a Scotsman that enjoyed making fun of the Americans and was able to keep the experience from being extremely depressing, although he told us some things that were very depressing. To get to the entry gate, we walked down a path that many victims ... read more

So we went to the Jewish Museum and Memorial today and i had my first real reaction to something we have seen. Here is my blog for the museum: Visiting the Jewish Museum and Memorial is definitely something that I will never forget. I learned a lot and felt an uncanny closeness with the victims of the Holocaust. Walking in, I expected the experience to be a lot like the experience I had in Washington D.C. Holocaust Museum but it was nothing close. When I look back on the Holocaust Museum I remember the videos and photographs but when I look back on the Jewish Museum and Memorial I will remember the feelings and connections I felt. Learning about the architecture of the building made me appreciate the museum and memorial even more. When we first ... read more

Today was the first day visiting something related to the Holocaust. We went to the Wannsee House where the Wannsee Conference was held (where they planned out the execution of all of the victims). It was very informative and gave a lot of insight into how the upper officials thought throughout the war. It wasn’t very upsetting or anything, just informative, which was nice. It was also my first time on the U-Bahn which was cool. I must say that Berlin is a very pretty city and the area that we were in has some of the biggest houses I have seen. They were very cool. After coming back, it was exploring some more and crepes for dinner. We will see what the birthday brings tomorrow. ___________________________________________________________________________________________ So, an impromptu night explore lead to three hours ... read more