A Tourist...

On Tuesday I had the day off so I decided I would be the typical tourist and check out the major sites!

I started the day with the Reichstag, which is the German government building. The Reichstag fire in 1933 allowed Hitler to put into effect emergency measures eliminating representative government in Germany. It has a glass dome that has a circular ramp inside winding up to the top viewing deck where I had some incredible views of the city. The glass dome was completed in 1999 and not only gives you a clear view of the city but also a clear view into the plenary chamber. The dome is supposed to represent transparency and accountability of the government to the people. Other than the more-than hour-long wait to get into the building it was a great (free!) experience.

After the Reichstag, I wandered down Unter Den Linden, the heart of Berlin. Apparently there was a meeting of the foreign ministers in Berlin on Tuesday so there were Polizie EVERYWHERE. Condoleezza Rice was in town and staying at the famous Aldon Hotel. That is the same hotel that Michael Jackson hung his baby over the balcony awhile back.

I then went to the Holocaust Memorial (officially known as the National Memorial to the murdered Jews of Europe). I had gone here on my first day here but had not gone into the museum part of the memorial. It was a sobering experience. It’s not that I wasn’t aware that more than 6 million people died such horrific deaths but I have never been so confronted by it. I highly recommend this museum to anyone who ever comes here. There are only five rooms but each of them had a major affect on me. The first room gives a detailed account of the condition of Jewish life in Europe between 1933 and 1945. The next room has 12-15 glass displays on the floor with letters, postcards, and diary entries of various people during WWII. Along with each artifact is a description of who they were and what happened to them by the end of the war. The 3rd room was the hardest for me. It was large monuments to 12-15 Jewish families with detailed descriptions of that families origins, their role in the community prior to the war, and a list of family members who did or did not survive WWII. For most of those families, there were never more than a couple survivors. The 4th room had 4 large screens and a speaker that named every recorded victim of the Holocaust along with various pieced of information of that persons life and death. On the wall it says you will have to sit there for 6 years, 7 months and I can’t remember how many minutes in order to hear every name. Finally, in the last room there are pictures of all the memorials around the world dedicated to Holocaust victims. It was truly an experience I will never forget…

After the Holocaust Memorial I wandered back to Unter Den Linden and just strolled down the street taking in the sites. There are many really amazing buildings and parks. Some highlights were Humboldt University (Albert Einstein was a professor there!), and the public library (Alte bibliothek), which had the most beautiful courtyard and tall ladders that go up the bookshelves that you can actually use to retrieve books!! However, I would have to say that the highlight was Nikolaiviertel specifically, Nikolaikirche Platz. It was the most magnificent little square in the city. It had a beautiful church in the centre (Nikolaikirche) and was surrounded by pastel-facaded town houses, quaint shops and many cafes. I felt like I really was in old Berlin…

By the end of the day I was quite exhausted and was in bed earlier than any other night since my first night here but it was a wonderful day. I also, of course, had beer and wurst for lunch :)

Sorry for such a long post…hope you all lasted through the whole thing!

Missing you all and sending my Love,
Jenn (ifer)

PS - I also found a great Birkenstock store and think I need 2 pairs of new sandals (excessive?)....I might even need 3...definitely excessive? I'm being serious...