It's just a hop to the left.

I just double-checked my calendar to make sure only a week had passed since midterm break. For some reason, it feels like so much longer . . . even though the fact that we are this far into the semester is also a shocking feeling. I can't quite grasp time here. And what with losing daylight savings and it getting dark tonight at 5, I'm just stuck in some strange little Berlin warp. Which is fine with me, just strange.

This week was also quite a full week. Wednesday, we went to see Swan Lake at the Deutsche Oper. After a bit of a wardrobe malfunction, I arrived just in time to meet the group for the ballet. And while I tried to like it and enjoy the movements of the dancers and the juxtaposition of the colors, I don't think ballet is my thing. Yet I experienced it and for that I am grateful. In December I have a ticket to The Magic Flute and I'm hoping I enjoy that more. At least they'll be speaking.

On Thursday the UMD group went to Wittenberg to tour Martin Luther's hometown, or at least the town he lived in for much of his adult life. It was a tiny, cute little town and it was hard to believe we were still so close to Berlin. It was so different--almost like going back in time. We went inside Castle Church, the church he posted his 95 Theses on, and even though the church had been almost entirely rebuilt since Luther stood inside it, it was still pretty neat to see. We then saw St. Mary's Church, which was where Martin Luther preached and where the reformation began, and the Wittenberg University and Martin Luther's house. I was born and raised Catholic, but I am not strictly religious--more than that, I enjoy history. I not only appreciate Martin Luther's hatred of the indulgences and general greediness and corrupt behavior of the papacy at the time, but I also appreciate how this act of religious disobedience CHANGED THE WORLD. I would never have gone to Wittenberg had it not been required for class--it wasn't really on my to-do list--but I am glad I got to see it and think about how the world has changed since.

The next place we went would've been on my todo list not because it was enjoyable or pretty, but because of its world-changing magnitude also. Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp is located right outside Berlin and housed many of Hitler's political opponents from Berlin as well as Jews, Gypsies, Poles, and the other groups he deemed unworthy to be a part of his ideal Germany. What surprised me firstly was how close it was to Berlin. We often, as Americans born well after WWII, wonder how Germans could've let this happen in their country. And we learn a number of . . . what's a good word to put here . . . reasons? excuses? WWI decimated the country and the Treaty of Versailles stripped Germany of its dignity and resources. The Great Depression hit. Hard. A charismatic leader stepped forward promising jobs and a way out while also placing blame on someone else. Then of course fear--I can't step forward or I'll get locked up too. While I don't know if the little suburban streets looked anything like they do today, but we passed through little neighborhoods walking from the train station. I understand fear and mob mentality--I just don't understand how one could go to sleep at night and possibly look out their window onto a concentration camp. But I guess what could that person have done?

Sachsenhausen is still bleak and horrible looking, even when it is filled with just somber tourists. I couldn't imagine it while in working order. I was also surprised at the size of it. I was told it was a smaller camp--nothing like Auschwitz in size or murdering capacity. But it was still a huge enclosed space of land, with places where bunkers were marked so one could attempt to imagine what it was like 80 years ago. While I am glad I got to see this and take in the history of the place, it was a rough Friday afternoon.

Birthday, Bier, and Snow!

This week, I celebrated a number of things. Like everyone else, I was stoked for the end of midterms. I had three in a row on Thursday--none of which were cake walks--and spent the next two days watching That 70's Show and preparing for my bigger celebration--a visit from a friend from home and my 24th birthday, in order of importance. Bright and early Sunday morning, I picked her up from Tegel and thus began our long week of tourist-ing both in Berlin and in Munich.

It was fun to be able to show someone new what little I have learned about Berlin and Germany so far. We of course went to the Brandenburg Gate and the Reichstag and a number of other monuments and museums--the Deutches Historiches Museum is amazing, as was the Berliner Dom and the Jüdiches Museum. But you can find all these in a guidebook--what I really showed her was a love of the Ampelmann.

We also went to München for a whirlwind two days of tourist traps and mountain climbing. I won't bother to post a picture of the Glockenspiel--voted the second most disappointing tourist attraction behind the Atomic Clock in Prague, only because that one is four minutes longer. While Kayleigh loved its four out-of-tune songs playing at the same time while little men poorly jousted or danced about the plague, I thought it was a little cheesy. However, it fit perfectly into the landscape of Munich. I caught myself wondering when the cheesy kitsch would end, but then I remembered--this is where it all started. I was not in Busch Gardens or Epcot or Helen GA--a town near my grandmother's housed designed like a town in the Alps--I was actually in Munich, where it all began. And as you would expect, it was much more an endearing town then the rip-offs back home can really capture. There are tiny buildings everywhere and old-style churches and two town halls--no skyscrapers anywhere downtown. While Munich, like Berlin, was decimated after WWII, a law was passed in Munich that all the buildings in the downtown area have to look similar to the old buildings and be below a certain height and in the old style. There is no Potsdamer Platz here--their version of moving on after the war was trying to recapture and commemorate what was destroyed, and they had the time to do so. Berlin so soon after the war was thrust into the Cold War in a way that perhaps Munich was not, allowing it to remain quaint.

Kayleigh made the comment that while Berlin reminded her of New York, Munich was more like Boston. It's interesting to note that my freshmen year in college I went to a school in New York while Kayleigh graduated from Boston University and spent her time abroad in Dublin. We're attracted to the same types of cities, even abroad.

In what many stereotype as true Bavarian fashion, we also went on a Beer Hall tour that evening. And I learned that it is in fact a true aspect of Bavarian culture. They love their beer, and not just during the end of September. We went to two beer halls, one of which being the Hofbrauhaus where Hitler made his first speeches (creepy), and a small brewery and restaurant. In Munich, brewery restaurants like the one we went to only sell that beer in house--no bottles, even in Munich, or even in a gift shop to be sold to the public. It is only available in the restaurant. Our guide took us around where they brew the beer and we nibbled on toasted barley, wheat, and took a whiff of some hops before enjoying our massive liters of beer.

Surprisingly, there was also snow in Bavaria. After a quick bus ride from Munich, Kayleigh and I were in about six inches of snow and staring at what must be one of the most beautiful landscapes in the world. The Alps are epic. I have never even seen the Rocky Mountains and only driven through pieces of the Appalachians--I never really knew I was missing anything glorious until driving out there. The castles we saw also were pretty intense too--Ludwig II, who may or may not have been insane (and maybe murdered!) built three castles in the Alps, two of which we saw. The first, Linderhof, was a smaller palace modeled after Versailles with rococo decorations and a grotto we couldn't get to which had electricity for his late-night theater productions. The second was magical. It has to be--it is the design for Disney's logo and Sleeping Beauty's castle in Disneyland. (Haha, bad joke, but I couldn't resist.) Neuschwanstein is built up a mountain near Ludwig's childhood home and was meant to be his fairytale Medieval castle. Throughout the castle rooms are scenes from Wagner's operas--my favorites were Tristan and Isolde in Ludwig's bedroom. It was most definitely worth the trek up the mountain and the stairs in the tower--and besides, I had to work off all that beer from the night before.

Sadly, classes have to resume, Kayleigh has to go back to work, and life has to start again. While in Munich I was very much the tourist--and often a cranky one at that, especially during the 10 minutes in front of the Glockenspiel--in Berlin I had the pleasure of showing someone what I knew already. Yes, Brandenburger Tor is a self-explanatory S-bahn stop, and yes, she had a guidebook and is very capable of tooling about the city by herself, but I like to think that because I knew something about the city, more than just the wall and the Hitler, we both had a more worthwhile and enjoyable time.

Happy Birthday to me. :-)

Midterms.

It's hard to believe that we are at midterm already. Not just because classes seem much more real and intense when you spend a weekend reading what you probably should have weeks ago. But it's wierd to think that our time here is half over--I leave the 12th of December, so a little over 2 months left.

Since I couldn't get a hold of my speaking partner Claudia this weekend, I spent the time instead doing what I probably would have done, had I been in Maryland. I studied. I procrastinated. I saw an English movie in probably the nicest movie theater I have ever been in. I even had a giant soda and candy. It is strange that after only a few weeks here, life has slowed down enough to feel like I am living here, not just trying to absorb every museum in sight. When I was in London, we didn't get to cram in quite as much as I wanted to see, yet we were staying with actual Londoners. They took us to a pub, gave us great directions, and took us on a super scary car ride on the wrong side of the road. In that way, I think we got a better view of actual London, as opposed to just medieval castles and tourist spots. Mind you, the Tower was awesome. But just as awesome was being able to see a part of what the city is like to those who are lucky enough to live in it.

Next weekend, my friend Kayleigh is coming to Berlin for my birthday/midsemester break. Not that I am by any means an expert on Berlin, but I do have some places in mind, I know what to look for, and I know vaguely where things are located. While we are of course seeing the Brandenburger Tor and eating Currywurst, we will probably also do something that doesn't scream Berlin. And I think that is perfect. You can't get to know a city in a whirlwind week of museum hopping and list checking--sure, check off that you saw the Berlin Wall from the Bucket List, but we're getting to see more than that too.

Deutscher Wein und deutscher Sang.

I've worked in restaurants for about 8 years now and for the most part, I've never had a Fourth of July off. From my understanding, however, it is mostly barbecue, beer, and fireworks. And a lot of the same was used to celebrate German Reunification, just on a much larger scale. Brandenburger Tor and the Tiergarten were packed with people everywhere, eating sausages and drinking and rocking out to the random music on one of 2 stages. It went on for a long and wasn't particularly German themed--I got Paella (delicious too) and a couple large glasses of sangria, before I indulged in my bratwurst. In the United States I can understand how a celebration of our independence from England can be so lacking in celebrating independence--we've had 234 years to celebrate. The US has been a world power for almost everyone's lifetime and imagining ourselves as less than that, much less as a colony of another country, seems far off and far fetched. We take independence for granted.

Germany is in a much different place, historically. Most of its citizens can remember, some more vividly than others, a time in which there were two Germanys. Those who can't remember that I'm sure at least have parents, teachers, neighbors, someone who does and probably has opinions about it. And while the scene at the Brandenburger Tor was one of a huge party, the few hours in front of the Reichstag were not quite as carefree. A number of videos showed footage from 1989-1990 and Helmut Kohl received a standing ovation from the crowd when he was introduced. Skydivers with German Flag parachutes jumped down behind us, a German choir sang--in both English and German--and the night closed with the crowd singing the national anthem with the German Flag waving on the Reichstag and fireworks. Even though I didn't understand most of what was going on, it was a pleasant evening, and one I was glad to be able to witness while here.

Cheers.

Instead of taking a nice leisurely weekend to relax after Paris, I went to London . . . the city in Europe I was most looking forward to seeing. And it was amazing. I am a bit obsessed with British history--especially Tudor era, gotta love a scandal--and poor Kate probably put up with all my super excited rambling and random facts while looking around the city. Especially at the tower of London, where we went to first. It was amazing--especially because it just blends into the landscape. The White Tower on the inside was built by William the Conquerer sometime soon after 1066, and the whole thing was finished by the 1250s. I had a particular desire to go here, more than anywhere else, because of Anne Boleyn. There is a glass memorial to the seven people executed inside the Tower itself and Anne is buried inside a chapel directly behind there--I know this is horribly morbid, but I was so excited to get to be there and I even spent the very few minutes on my phone to send a text to my mom about where I was standing. While Notre Dame and Versailles were beautiful and Sans Souci was interesting and relevant to where I am living now, London was always my dream city to visit--English majors unite.

I was not disappointed, even when some other plans fell through--Westminster Abbey closed super early on Saturday and contrary to what I was told, there is no platform 9 3/4 in Kings Cross (we looked.) Wandering the city was super enjoyable and most of the big landmarks are within walking distance. We started at Picadilly Circus, saw the Big Ben, Parliament, Westminster Abbey, the London Eye and ended at a pub in the center of London with fish and chips and steak and ale pie. Kate's friend lives in Blackheath, near Greenwich, and we got a great view of the skyline of London and as an added bonus stood next to the spot that marks the split between the hemispheres. Definitely wasn't on my todo list, but it was a beautiful day and a beautiful view.

Its strange coming back to Berlin this time, mostly because its starting to feel like a strange city again. As nice as it was to have that week in France, especially in the beginning when we still barely know each other, and as glad as I am that I got to go to London and see buildings I have been obsessed with seeing for the last decade, I feel as if I was just starting to get a grip on Berlin before all this happened. Whatever German I knew at that point, all 3 sentences, is harder to access then it would've been had I been here that whole time.

Before I left for this semester, I was reading blogs from other students abroad--trying to find a clever name for this blog, among other things--and one of the things I read was that you shouldn't spend all your free time traveling. Sure, take advantage of the opportunity, but don't forget where you are. I think the next few weeks will be a focus on just that--Germany, and Berlin. I don't want to leave here wishing I had done more things, seen more things, learned more German. I want to order a meal in a restaurant, or from a Kebab stand (why can't we have this in DC?!?) and not have the person immediately switch to English. While I feel like that in particular will take time to accomplish, I will be in Germany the entire month of October--now's the time to start practicing. Ich möchte ein Döner Kebab bitte!

An American in Paris.

Before going into this blog, one should know something: I never had any real desire to go to Paris. It's unbelievable, I know, because Paris was once the center of the world, and is still a cultural powerhouse. And it's beautiful. And while I hoped to get there one day, if FU-Best's field trip hadn't been to Paris, I would not have gone while in Europe.

However, looking back on my week in France, I was pleasantly surprised by Paris. Mind you, at first I was not--the trains were hot, crowded, and would occasionally lose power while in motion and stop, and Paris is sooo expensive and full of tourists and annoyed Parisians. (I would be annoyed with all of us too.) And like any other vacation, the first day I got a horrid sunburn, complete with sunglass voids and a necklace line. Dirk even made skiing gestures through the window the next morning. Thanks for that.

Yet Notre Dame Cathedral was awe-inspiring and humbling--both the mass on Sunday and climbing the tower a few days later. As cheesy as I thought the Eiffel Tower would be, in person it is gigantic and at night, beautiful. I went to the Louvre, and while I knew it would be awesome, it really, really was. Of course we saw the Mona Lisa and Madonna on the Rocks, but there were so many other paintings there that I love that I didn't know were going to be there--Raft of the Medusa by Gericault, The Death of Sardanapalus and Liberty Guiding the People by Delacroix, and the statue Cupid and Psyche. The last place I saw in Paris was the Louvre, and what a send-off. All my unpleasant or ambivalent attitudes towards Paris were drowned out by glass pyramids and oil paintings.

Normandy was awe-inspiring in a different way, and I was definitely more excited about going to Normandy then to Paris. I've always been a history buff, and World War II history is what brought me to Berlin in the first place. Both my grandfathers fought in WWII and my Uncle Ralph fought on D-Day--being able to walk on Omaha Beach was amazing, and also humbling. It was one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever been on, which I think is appropriate--after all that happened there, it should be turned into something natural and serene. The beach deserves it, as do the men who died there.

After another 15 hour bus ride back to Berlin, I was completely relieved to be back. To be back home. What an interesting thought, that my tiny apartment in Berlin could feel like home to me. Maybe its because I got to go to bed after an incredibly long bus ride and use the internet at length, but I think it's also something more, and it might help to explain how I felt about the two cities. Paris was definitely a tourist city, and I acted like a tourist. I don't speak French either--too bad we didn't go to Spain, where I might have been of use to someone--but I didn't really try to learn. I spent all my time at major landmarks, trying to cram an entire city into 5 days, and then an entire war into 2 days. Berlin has a different feel to it. I'm taking my time, attending school, ordering by number at the Asian food shack around the corner from the apartment, even though the man always points to double check my horribly American-accented German, while throwing in some museums and landmarks. Its nice to be able to live in a city completely foreign to you and attempt to learn from experience, as opposed to cramming a guidebook into a week. Not that I am knocking vacationing by any means--I spent one day in Rome a few years ago and the few hours spent in the Vatican were awesome and I am glad I got to have them. Yet it is definitely a nice and new experience to have time to spend and time to form an opinion.

Whoa.

After a week has gone by, I still find myself overwhelmed by all the history here. I still feel like a tourist, which I actually don't have a problem with. Just because I have an apartment, need to grocery shop, and can public transit like a German-speaking pro doesn't mean I don't want to see everything in my guidebook and cram my camera full of pictures of cheeseball traps and harrowing monuments alike.

After a relatively uneventful first week of class, which felt so normal and home-like, we went to Potsdam. We went to Cecilienhof first, which is where the Potsdam Conference was held at the end of World War II. Going through the tour, the German tour guide nonchalantly talks about where Stalin sat, his secret door, Churchill's girth, the flags on the walls, Truman's office--these people were here. They walked these halls, used these offices, sat in those chairs. Whoa. I wish I could have taken pictures just to have proof that I was in the same room that the conference was held and the world was settled, so to speak, after being destroyed during the war. And if that wasn't enough, we then went to Sanssouci, Frederich the Great's summer palace.

Sanssouci, roughly translated to "no worries", is beautiful. Gold rococo walls and paintings everywhere and a marble domed sitting room--intense. The garden was the best part, in my opinion. It was so extravagant! Our guide said there are 75 gardeners and they probably need more to trim all the trees and save the fig trees during the winter. Around a large fountain down a fig tree-covered hill were 10 statues of Greek gods and goddesses--decadent. And beautiful. Maybe its partially because I focus so much on English history in college--I love me some Henrys--but I forget that Germany, or Prussia to be exact, has this kind of history too. I make the claim that it is also overshadowed by the modern history of Germany, at least for me. A large part of the reason I chose to come to Berlin was that modern history--WWII, the Cold War, the Berlin Wall, David Hasselhoff--but it was pleasantly refreshing to wander around beautiful palaces and think that there is more to this country then Hitler and Stalin and what they did to it.

I, however, could not escape wanting to see WWII memorials. This afternoon Elly and I went to see the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, which is near Brandenburg Gate. The memorial is not as spelled out as the Soviet War Memorial with the weeping mother and the soldier smashing the swastika. But I don't think that's what this memorial was going for, and I don't think it is any less effective. The large square is filled with 2,711 concrete slabs of varying sizes and it is part of the landscape of the city. I think that is what I found most striking--it isn't in the middle of a field with one entrance and exit. Instead, you can enter it from any point and wander as you choose. People were sitting on the blocks, laying in the sun, eating. Children, and a few 30 year old men, were playing hide-and-seek. I am not saying I know what this memorial means, but I think part of it is that it is part of the city, just like the Holocaust is a part of Germany and its history now. It was not meant to draw attention to this horrible aspect of German history, but to commemorate and keep moving forward.

Both because I am still in cheesy tourist mode and because we weren't that far, Elly and I then went to Checkpoint Charlie. I love that it is still an intersection. If I ever drive in this city, I will go out of my way to drive through Checkpoint Charlie, just because for so long people could not. It was exactly what I expected--crowded, expensive, and there was a McDonald's on the corner. I love how in this city one can start at a memorial as somber as the Holocaust Memorial, pass through the Topographie des Terrors, and end at something like this, where you have to pay 2 euro for a pic with some fake soldiers. In one afternoon, you can run the gambit of Berliner history. Whoa.