Berlin
I am sitting in Dunkin Donuts at Potsdamer Platz drinking a bad cup of Chai Tea in order to use the cheap internet.
I arrived in wild, wet, windy Berlin on Wednesday night. I have spent much of the last four days exploring the city on foot or visiting museums.
On Friday I walked around by myself for a while and got rather damp in the rain. To dry off I visited the Stasi (East German secret police) Museum, exhibits only in Deutsch but I could make out some stuff about secret cameras, police files and protests. There was something about the Beatles but I'm not sure why they featured. Later in the day I went to the Jewish Museum, which was multi-lingual and a museum of excellent quality. As some readers of this blog may know, I have an academic interest in genocide, and in particular responses to genocide including memorialisation, denial and post-genocide reconstruction of national identity. The experience of the museum was much different to reading books, and I was quite affected.
On Friday I went on a New Berlin walking tour of The Third Reich. It was excellent, the guide was an archaeologist and historian and really knew his stuff: details, global picture and historical context. It was incredibly windy and sleeting and so I got chilled for a second day in a row.
In my hostel room there were some Italian girls who woke me up late on Wednesday and Thursday nights after partying. On Friday night I joined the New Berlin pub crawl and checked out some of the famous Berlin nightlife. I thought I was having a late night but when I got home to the hostel at 1:30 everyone else in my dorm was still out partying, except for one guy in his fifties who was about to head to bed. So the Italian girls woke me again later Friday night.
I did not meet the Italian girls due to our differing schedules.
Yesterday went on another walking tour and also checked out the Reichstag and the Schloss Charlottenburg. I now have a cold as a result of multiple days of getting chilled so spent this morning in the Pergamon Museum with its amazing displays of ruins from Asia Minor. Tomorrow I head to Dresden. This afternoon I queued for nearly an hour for a train ticket (no student or youth discounts - disgraceful!). The guy serving me spoke almost no English and I think my German was worse, so I hope it works out.
I like Berlin. It has a great feel and in terms of its history it is the most interesting place I have ever visited.
I had a glimpse of sunlight a few days ago, which was nice. I am thinking of going to Spain in January, both for sunlight and so I can take home some memories of the Alhambra ...
I arrived in wild, wet, windy Berlin on Wednesday night. I have spent much of the last four days exploring the city on foot or visiting museums.
On Friday I walked around by myself for a while and got rather damp in the rain. To dry off I visited the Stasi (East German secret police) Museum, exhibits only in Deutsch but I could make out some stuff about secret cameras, police files and protests. There was something about the Beatles but I'm not sure why they featured. Later in the day I went to the Jewish Museum, which was multi-lingual and a museum of excellent quality. As some readers of this blog may know, I have an academic interest in genocide, and in particular responses to genocide including memorialisation, denial and post-genocide reconstruction of national identity. The experience of the museum was much different to reading books, and I was quite affected.
On Friday I went on a New Berlin walking tour of The Third Reich. It was excellent, the guide was an archaeologist and historian and really knew his stuff: details, global picture and historical context. It was incredibly windy and sleeting and so I got chilled for a second day in a row.
In my hostel room there were some Italian girls who woke me up late on Wednesday and Thursday nights after partying. On Friday night I joined the New Berlin pub crawl and checked out some of the famous Berlin nightlife. I thought I was having a late night but when I got home to the hostel at 1:30 everyone else in my dorm was still out partying, except for one guy in his fifties who was about to head to bed. So the Italian girls woke me again later Friday night.
I did not meet the Italian girls due to our differing schedules.
Yesterday went on another walking tour and also checked out the Reichstag and the Schloss Charlottenburg. I now have a cold as a result of multiple days of getting chilled so spent this morning in the Pergamon Museum with its amazing displays of ruins from Asia Minor. Tomorrow I head to Dresden. This afternoon I queued for nearly an hour for a train ticket (no student or youth discounts - disgraceful!). The guy serving me spoke almost no English and I think my German was worse, so I hope it works out.
I like Berlin. It has a great feel and in terms of its history it is the most interesting place I have ever visited.
I had a glimpse of sunlight a few days ago, which was nice. I am thinking of going to Spain in January, both for sunlight and so I can take home some memories of the Alhambra ...
posted by Lee at
3:00 am
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