Berlin

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Since I last wrote, the sun has made an appearance in the English skies. This has brought out an array of pale English folk in singlets and skirts, complaining about the 22 degree heat! I tended to see things in a more positive light, so I made my way into the stunningly laid out Regent's Park and spent the day relaxing in the sun and wandering around Baker Street (of Sherlock Holmes fame). That evening I made our way to the Globe Theatre on the Thames to watch an excellent performance of Shakespeare's 'King Lear', which was the highlight of my time in England thus far. I particularly enjoyed the use of sound effects during the performance, which were all done using instruments and materials available during Shakespeare's times - it actually sounded like we were enduring a violent thunderstorm with gale force winds at one point during the play. With the exception of the aeroplanes flying overhead on their descent into Heathrow, it was like being transported back 400 years sitting in the open air theatre with the wooden floors and seating, within a building that has thatched roofing (which was banned in London after the fires, with the Globe Theatre being exempt). The minstrels who were playing as we took our seats also set the scene very effectively and it was great to see and hear the traditional instruments in use.

As you might be able to tell, I was beginning to enjoy my time in England a little more than I had done previously. Then, to my astonishment and considerable excitement, a teacher at my school discovered at the last minute that she would not be able to attend the school History trip to Berlin and, lo and behold, I was asked if I could be ready to go on the trip which was leaving the very next day. I jumped at the chance to visit a city which I had not visited previously and the school was so appreciative that I could go; I actually thought that they were doing me an enormous favour, but they saw matters the other way around - certainly a win/win situation. I thought that the five day trip would also enable me to get to know a group of students and staff in a more informal setting than one finds in the staid school environment. To top it all off, all of my expenses were covered and I had a hotel room with my own en suite!

The main focus of the trip was visiting locations, memorials and museums associated with the Nazi regime and the Holocaust. After having taught some books written by Holocaust survivors, it was an invaluable experience for me, as I gained a more enhanced insight into what the life and times were like for the people of Germany and surrounds in the 1930's and 1940's, from the merciless SS to the persecuted Jewish people. An experience that will forever stay vivid for me is our visit to Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp, which was the first purpose built Nazi concentration camp. Just walking the grounds was haunting, but seeing the gallows and the furnaces first hand made the visit a rather harrowing one. Some of the students simply broke down, letting tears openly stream down their young faces. It was like watching their innocence trickle down their cheeks, until all that was left was a stark realisation of the darkest aspects of humanity.

Another place we visited was the house of the Wannsee Conference, which is the stunning home where a gathering of SS, Gestapo and other assorted nice guys sat down over breakfast and discussed the 'Final Solution'. It was interesting to view the original transcripts of the conference, along with the invitations to attend. I was quite surprised to discover how young the people were who were at the top of the chain in the Nazi regime, with many of them being in their late twenties, through to some of the older ones being in their mid thirties.

Many of the other sites we visited were simply where buildings once stood, seeing as most of the city was reduced to rubble and had to be rebuilt. Some such sights were the location of the former Gestapo headquarters and Hitler's bunker. At the location of the burning of the books, which took place in a square opposite the university where the likes of Einstein, Karl Marx and the Brothers Grimm studied, there is an interesting memorial, in that it is viewed through a transparent section of the ground and when you look into the space on an angle, you can see a room of empty bookshelves, which is a poignant reminder of how much knowledge was lost.

The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe really has to be seen and walked through to fully appreciate its interesting and unique design. I was incredulous to learn, however, that the company who provided the anti-graffiti coating for the black cement blocks used for the memorial is actually connected to the company that produced the Cyclon B gas that was used in the extermination camps during the Holocaust! Not surprisingly, this revelation caused a few red faces and much controversy amongst those involved with the project.

When I first saw what remains of the Berlin Wall, I was amazed by how low it actually was. Even so, it was still far too high to climb, unless one had a ladder. Although, if a person did manage to scale the wall, there was then a second wall to overcome, with the space in between being called the 'Death Zone', or something like that, which border guards patrolled with guns at the ready. One man actually attempted to drive a truck through the wall, but the second wall also kept him at bay.

My favourite part of Berlin was probably the main street, Unter den Linden. It is a tree-lined street typified by open air cafes and the impressive Brandenburg Gate at one end. After a busy few days, I enjoyed relaxing with a coffee in the fading afternoon sunlight before getting back on the coach to head back to England. As a protest march set forth from under the Brandenburg Gate, I couldn't help but reflect upon the torch-lit marches of the Nazis that also began in the very same spot...

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Comments

[James]

Bummer about the holocaust and the camps and such, but ain't Berlin grand eh? Love it!