First off, let me explain the long hiatus in blogging. During the last few days I spent in Berlin, after Dr. Stehle's class ended, I went through a kind of love-hate relationship period with blogging, and began to keep a private journal. However, now that I am in Salzburg and have a bit more time for odds and ends, such as blogging, I have decided to start again; before moving ahead, though, I will outline my last days in Berlin and the time I spent in Slovenia. Also, with regard to the relative lack of pictures on this blog, you can refer to my blog for Dr. Stehle's class if you would want to see more photos.
Wednesday, May 20, was the last day of tours in Berlin, and Thursday (the 21st) was a relatively low-key day for me. I went with some of the others to the enormous technology store in Alexanderplatz in the morning before going back to the hostel in the early afternoon to meet Dr. Stehle for our final meeting (and the only time we spent in the classroom!). We took the tram to the Hackescher Markt, something that seemed to be quite routine by now, and then walked to Monbijouplatz, where the Max Kade Meeting Room was. All I have to say about that is that if classrooms were that nice in the US, no one would ever want to graduate! We were provided with free sandwiches, desserts, and drinks, as well as treated to an atmosphere resembling a conference room more than a classroom. For this final meeting, we discussed our disparate thoughts about Berlin, both relating to the academic side of things (what we studied during the semester) and more personal experiences (interacting with Berlin's culture). Afterwards, we all went back to the hostel and relaxed for a while before we went out for our final group dinner; after dinner, we hung out together back at the hostel, as our group grew close over our ten days together, and no one really wanted to be on their way in the morning.
Nevertheless, Friday the 22nd was departure day for most people, although a few of us were left in Berlin. That morning, Chelsea, Elise, and I went to Kaufhof in Alexanderplatz, where they bought souvenirs and I made an impulse purchase of a historical fiction novel written in German, which will hopefully encourage me to keep improving my reading level. After returning to the hostel to drop off our purchases, the three of us split up, and I went back to Kaufhof to have lunch in their cafeteria before beginning my individual explorations. From Alexanderplatz, I took the S-Bahn to Friedrichstrasse and then changed lines to travel to Potsdamer Platz, from where I walked down Stresemannstrasse to Niederkirchnerstrasse and the Topographie des Terrors. Situated on the former Prinz-Albrecht-Strasse (now Niederkirchnerstrasse), which was the site of Gestapo headquarters during the Third Reich, the Topographie des Terrors (Topography of Terror) tells the story of how the Gestapo gained power in Nazi Germany, the complicated organization of the Gestapo, and its activities in the occupied countries. Originally developed as a temporary exhibition for the 750th anniversary of Berlin's founding in 1987, the Topographie des Terrors was so popular that it gradually became more permanent, until a modern exhibition building was opened in 2010, which houses the indoor permanent exhibition. An outdoor exhibition, running alongside the excavated foundations of Gestapo headquarters, tells the story of Berlin and the Gestapo (although much of the information is repeated from inside). In front of the complex, a preserved stretch of the Berlin Wall runs, and on the other side of the street are the former Preussischen Landtag (Prussian State Parliament) and Goering's Aviation Ministry. Overall, I felt that the Topographie des Terrors was a really excellent exhibition, partially because it was so specifically focused on the Gestapo and so could tell a concise story in contrast to the other pillars of the Memory District in Berlin: the Jewish Museum and the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. After spending several hours at the Topographie des Terrors, I walked up Wilhelmstrasse, the former governmental center of Imperial, Weimar, and Nazi Germany. Despite all of the history of Wilhelmstrasse and all of the world-changing decisions made there, the only major original building is Goering's enormous Aviation Ministry, now home to the Ministry of Finance. After the destruction of World War II, most of Wilhelmstrasse had to be rebuilt and now seems more residential than governmental; indeed, it was too near the wall (and had too many bad connotations) to be significant for East Berlin, and since reunification, the government quarter has symbolically shifted to be near the Bundestag, the symbol of united German democracy. Having reached Pariser Platz and the Brandenburger Tor, I got a snack and sat in the Tiergarten for a while before returning to the hostel. There, I met up again with Elise and Chelsea, and the three of us went to dinner at a crepe restaurant just a few tram stops up Kastanianallee from our hostel. There, I tried a gallette, which is a crispy sort of pancake stuffed with various fillings; mine had ham and cheese. My first real foray into French food (other than crepes) was a success, as the gallette was quite tasty!
Saturday the 23rd marked the first day that I was completely alone in Berlin, as Elise and Chelsea left in the morning. After saying goodbye to them, I walked from the hostel to Museumsinsel, where I got in touch with my inner flaneur and wandered around for a while, simply soaking up the architecture and the scenery. Along the way, I listened to a few classical music street performers and scoped out boat tours of the Spree. Around lunchtime, I walked down Unter den Linden toward Friedrichstrasse to visit the Ampelmann store and have lunch. After lunch, I walked back toward Museumsinsel and rested my feet for a while in the Lustgarten before deciding to be spontaneous and take a boat tour along the Spree. I am very glad of my (not typical) spontaneity, as the boat tour (though quite chilly) was very interesting, as I got a whole new perspective on Berlin from the water. Especially in the government district, I realized how close many of Berlin's most important buildings are to the Spree, including the Reichstag. After my boat tour returned me to Museumsinsel, I walked back to the hostel, where I relaxed, had my final dinner from the Back-Factory across the street, and packed my suitcases for the next part of my journey.
Auf Wiedersehen, Berlin!
Nevertheless, Friday the 22nd was departure day for most people, although a few of us were left in Berlin. That morning, Chelsea, Elise, and I went to Kaufhof in Alexanderplatz, where they bought souvenirs and I made an impulse purchase of a historical fiction novel written in German, which will hopefully encourage me to keep improving my reading level. After returning to the hostel to drop off our purchases, the three of us split up, and I went back to Kaufhof to have lunch in their cafeteria before beginning my individual explorations. From Alexanderplatz, I took the S-Bahn to Friedrichstrasse and then changed lines to travel to Potsdamer Platz, from where I walked down Stresemannstrasse to Niederkirchnerstrasse and the Topographie des Terrors. Situated on the former Prinz-Albrecht-Strasse (now Niederkirchnerstrasse), which was the site of Gestapo headquarters during the Third Reich, the Topographie des Terrors (Topography of Terror) tells the story of how the Gestapo gained power in Nazi Germany, the complicated organization of the Gestapo, and its activities in the occupied countries. Originally developed as a temporary exhibition for the 750th anniversary of Berlin's founding in 1987, the Topographie des Terrors was so popular that it gradually became more permanent, until a modern exhibition building was opened in 2010, which houses the indoor permanent exhibition. An outdoor exhibition, running alongside the excavated foundations of Gestapo headquarters, tells the story of Berlin and the Gestapo (although much of the information is repeated from inside). In front of the complex, a preserved stretch of the Berlin Wall runs, and on the other side of the street are the former Preussischen Landtag (Prussian State Parliament) and Goering's Aviation Ministry. Overall, I felt that the Topographie des Terrors was a really excellent exhibition, partially because it was so specifically focused on the Gestapo and so could tell a concise story in contrast to the other pillars of the Memory District in Berlin: the Jewish Museum and the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. After spending several hours at the Topographie des Terrors, I walked up Wilhelmstrasse, the former governmental center of Imperial, Weimar, and Nazi Germany. Despite all of the history of Wilhelmstrasse and all of the world-changing decisions made there, the only major original building is Goering's enormous Aviation Ministry, now home to the Ministry of Finance. After the destruction of World War II, most of Wilhelmstrasse had to be rebuilt and now seems more residential than governmental; indeed, it was too near the wall (and had too many bad connotations) to be significant for East Berlin, and since reunification, the government quarter has symbolically shifted to be near the Bundestag, the symbol of united German democracy. Having reached Pariser Platz and the Brandenburger Tor, I got a snack and sat in the Tiergarten for a while before returning to the hostel. There, I met up again with Elise and Chelsea, and the three of us went to dinner at a crepe restaurant just a few tram stops up Kastanianallee from our hostel. There, I tried a gallette, which is a crispy sort of pancake stuffed with various fillings; mine had ham and cheese. My first real foray into French food (other than crepes) was a success, as the gallette was quite tasty!
Saturday the 23rd marked the first day that I was completely alone in Berlin, as Elise and Chelsea left in the morning. After saying goodbye to them, I walked from the hostel to Museumsinsel, where I got in touch with my inner flaneur and wandered around for a while, simply soaking up the architecture and the scenery. Along the way, I listened to a few classical music street performers and scoped out boat tours of the Spree. Around lunchtime, I walked down Unter den Linden toward Friedrichstrasse to visit the Ampelmann store and have lunch. After lunch, I walked back toward Museumsinsel and rested my feet for a while in the Lustgarten before deciding to be spontaneous and take a boat tour along the Spree. I am very glad of my (not typical) spontaneity, as the boat tour (though quite chilly) was very interesting, as I got a whole new perspective on Berlin from the water. Especially in the government district, I realized how close many of Berlin's most important buildings are to the Spree, including the Reichstag. After my boat tour returned me to Museumsinsel, I walked back to the hostel, where I relaxed, had my final dinner from the Back-Factory across the street, and packed my suitcases for the next part of my journey.
Auf Wiedersehen, Berlin!