The time we spent in Berlin and Prague was very different ... from the weather to the bar scene. I enjoyed both cities but you can't really compare the two. Berlin was devastated after World War II and the rebuilding of the city took part mostly in the 50's and 60's. What this means is that the Berlin architecture is, well ... not spectacular. Granted, more modern buildings are being built and the reconstruction of previous structures have also helped the overall look of the city.
A bit of the city architecture - near our hotel
It was incredibly interesting to see the path the Berlin wall took around the city. Keep in mind that Berlin is nine times the size of Paris (says my guidebook) and extremely expansive. Both East Berlin and West Berlin grew out and with the fall of the wall in 1989 the city became one again, one HUGE city. This was another one of the huge distinctions between our first few days and our time in Berlin. The city has a really great public transportation system and DIS arranged for us to have welcome cards which entitled all of us to travel freely. The problem was that there was a transportation strike! Luckily the S-Bahn (one of the train lines) was running and we were able to get around ... but it meant at times that we had to get on the bus and sit through traffic instead of using the metro.
The first evening we had a guided bus tour of the city. We hadn't arrived until nearly 4pm so it was dark towards the end of the tour. Our guide was really hilarious, as we passed a big banana phone (B&O) like sculpture he told us that, "That was a gift from France, they didn't want it" adding, "No, really". This was when we sort of did a speed trip through Berlin ... and you can probably imagine how big the city really is considering we had a 3 hour driving tour. Wow.
We did get out and take pictures at the wall and a few other stops along the way.
The East Side Gallery - The Wall
West -- East
A wonderfully crooked shot --Brandenburg Gate
The next day was our final academic visit. I was in the group that went to Bayer Schering Pharmaceutical. It was really interesting to hear about their strategy and product lines. In my Global Business Strategy class last week we had a guest speaker with a Danish biotech which had spurred my interest in the industry. That afternoon we bussed it out to the Olympic stadium. This was a really great trip and we had a fantastic tour of the stadium. It was so interesting to understand how the architecture was typical of the Nazis, which seat the Chancellor sits in and to see the locker rooms. We had a bit of blue sky as well!
List of winners - including Jesse Owens four gold medals
VIP Room
For dinner we went to the new trendy district of Berlin and had a nice dinner. The only problem was that they seated all of us in the smoking room and it was extremely smoky. One of the girls asked to be moved because she was allergic to the smoke, I decided to sit with her as I had a nasty cold and was really bothered by the smoke. It was also a really great way to sit and chat with her one-on-one. We even had our own candle : )
After dinner I was tempted to just head back to the hotel and rest up, but hey ... what's a few hours ... : ) I headed to a really neat bar that had originally been a department store in the 30's and 40's and then after near devastation during the war was transformed into an art gallery, music venue and bar. It was INCREDIBLE. We got there early enough to have our own table and realized that there would be a live band. It wasn't until the band came out -British 5 piece with a violin! - that I decided staying out was the best decision I could have made.
The deconstruction of a Russian building -
in order to rebuild the original palace
I even felt slightly better when I woke up : ) Maybe just happier after such great music!
We had a trip to the DDR museum or the German Democratic Republic museum. This was a neat museum designed for total integration. It meant that we were supposed to touch everything. We were even encouraged to get into a car, turn on the engine and rev it! I was kind of unable to get past the thought, "but, I'm in a museum" ... and had a hard time touching anything : ) but it was really neat and our tour guide had lived in the former Eastern Germany until he was 16. One of the more interesting things we learned about life in the GDR was that it was very common for families to go on holiday to nude beaches. Ok, to each his own.
A typical GDR living room
Our lunch was at the German Parliamentary building, the Reichstag, and I have no idea how DIS managed to get a group of 40 of us into this really posh restaurant on top of the building regularly frequented by the parliamentary members. It was pretty great. It also meant that we skipped the long entrance line which was halfway down the front lawn ... kind of a VIP treatment. Afterwards we explored the dome which had been recreated postwar and is a really interesting meld of modern and historical design.
View from atop the Reichstag
Taking a group shot
I had to stop and think just now, how many days was I in Berlin? We saw an incredible amount in so little time.
Right, that afternoon I went on the optional tour to the Jewish Museum. I really liked the new exhibit which was very simplistic and powerful. The permanent exhibit was just a little overwhelming and I had a hard time sifting through a thousand years of Jewish history, but it was definitely interesting.
This is from an exhibit documenting a family fleeing to Valparaiso, Chile!
A church partially destroyed during the war
& it's modern additions
I spent the rest of the afternoon and evening walking around on my own. After having been in group settings all week it was very peaceful and relaxing to just explore and go at my own pace. Of course it meant that I got lost, a lot. But eventually I made I did make it back to the hotel : ) after a trip to the Galeries Lafayette (shopping!), a few more tourist sites (Checkpoint Charlie) and a beautiful sunset.
The Reichstag again ... I was lost, turned around and whoa it's the Reichstag!
Last on our agenda was a trip to the Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp. I was very glad to have seen the site and I learned a lot from the audio guides DIS provided us. I had no idea that the camp was used during the sixties for Soviet use and was surprised to find that very few pieces survived from the 30's and 40's.
The gate for prisoners - "Work Liberates"
We dropped off half the group who continued their travels from Berlin and headed back towards Copenhagen. Our ferry between Germany and Denmark was delayed two hours and it meant a late arrival but I was just so happy to get into my bed last night! I think I slept off my cold and have spent the entire day uploading pictures and preparing for China!! Only a few hours until I head to the airport!
A bit from Eddie Izzard --
But back in the 60s, though, back in the 60s, President Kennedy became the President of the United States of America, and he we went to Berlin, stood on the Berlin wall and he said, "People of Berlin..." (hearty American)” People of Berlin." I can't do an impression of President Kennedy, so this is... James Mason playing him... (imitates Mason) “ People of Berlin, I have come to you to tell you something about the American states. I sound a bit like God, don't I? Yes. But I have come to say to you that every free citizen of the world is a citizen of Berlin. And I wish to say to you, 'Ich bin ein Berliner.' " And the crowd went wild!
Trouble is, "Ich bin ein Berliner" means "I am a donut," and... This is true, and this is what he said, he said "I am a donut!" And, as I say, 70% of how you look, 20% of how you sound, only 10% is what you say. He said "I am a donut" and they went wild! Because "Ich bin Berliner" is "I am a Berliner." But "Ich bin ein Berliner," is - that's the name of a donut they have there.
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