Berlin!

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So Berlin thusfar has been fantastic. The weather has been fairly warm for this time of year (50-60) and the leaves are changing beautifully. The Tiergarten, the largest park around, is great for strolls through a forest. They are keeping us thoroughly busy here, with classes in History and Literature. We have watched films like Cabaret and All is Quiet on the Western Front, read some interesting pieces of Goethe and poetry, gone to the German Historical Museum, German Resistance Museum and Holocaust Memorial. We are headed to Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp, a Berlin Football game, Dresden (a baroque city destroyed in the war) and the Jewish Museum this week. Had an interesting tour on spies today, and a great one on the Third Reich last week.

The history of Berlin is quite fascinating. As an essentially brand new city (90% destroyed in WWII bombings, then bad Soviet architecture in the East) means glass is everywhere, symbolizing transparency in government. We have been able to go to the world famous Berlin Zoo, and saw a huge vigil for Knut (the polar bear)'s trainer, a man who took Knut in when his mother rejected her a few years back as a cub. The trainer died a few weeks ago, there were people crying at the site, and Knut seemed to be searching the crowd for his human companion, even though Knut weighs quite a few hundred pounds now. Otherwise, the zoo was great!

Potsdam, the stomping grounds of Prussian kings, was a long day, but we got to see life outside of Berlin, walk through an immaculate and huge Versailles-like garden called Sanssouci (without worry) and see a palace that was the vacation spot for royal friends (enormous of course). Went to a flea market on Sunday and found the leather briefcase I have been looking for throughout Europe! It looks as rugged as I was hoping, and I talked the seller down from 30E partially because it need some stitching, and partially because the highest German number I can count to is zwanzig (20), which I just kept repeating until the deal was made.

Lots of complicated interests with a post-war culture, and I am glad to see the effects of WWII have been remembered, but the Germans have moved on. I think that the physical reminders of separation and death throughout the city are appropriate memorials to the Nazi and East/West systems that should never have risen. But we are learning how and why ithey did, and I am taking notes on things to watch out for in an authoritarian government, should the election in November go awry. (I sent my absentee ballot in, no worries!)

All for now, pics to follow eventually.

Ian

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