POP QUIZ! The name of this blog post, who said it and from where? (Answer at the bottom..)
So again, I'm going to go ahead and warn you now. You might want to go get a lite snack, or a cold beverage, and get comfy. This could be a long post.
So, yesterday I returned from BERLIN! First off, that city is incredible! It has such a fun and cool vibe to it, and it is hands down, one of the most, all-around beautiful cities I have ever seen. And obviously, not to mention is BEYOND rich in history! I left Bonn for Köln Hbf (Hauptbahnhof, or "main station") on Thursday morning. After my 4 and 1/2 train ride or so on the ICE train, I finally arrived to Berlin Hbf. Berlin's hauptbahnhof in itself is something to see. It's a new structure that was built to be opened for the World Cup in 2006 (the year Germany hosted). It's said to be the most modern train station in all of Europe, and although I haven't seen all of them, I would definitely agree. The place was enormous and so nice. Bertus wasn't able to get off work to come with me, so when pressed to try and find a place to stay I opted to try to find someone to stay with so that I would have other people around etc. I had directions from Ben, the guy I was staying with, to get on a S-bahn ("S-Bahn" in Berlin = Schnell Bahn, or "fast tram"... not Straße Bahn like it does in most cities). After about 3 stops I arrived to one of the cities main stations, Alexanderplatz, which is famous for it's enormous media tower. At that station I then transfered to the U8, or 8th line of the subway system and took that for several stops. I finally got off at Hermannstraße and was picked up by my host for the weekend, Ben. We walked to his apartment that he shares with 4 other (2 other boys and 2 girls) where I was able to finally drop all of my bags. I probably got there and settled at around 6 or so. I sat around and talked to Ben for awhile (he is a German student living in Berlin, but originally from München). He told me how he had 2 other "CouchSurfers" there that weekend as well (that's how I found this guy/a place to stay while in Berlin = www.couchsurfing.org), a girl from Bristol, England, and another girl, 23, from Colombia. Caitlynn (the Brit) and Catalina (the Colombian) showed up a little later and we all ate something real quickly and then made some plans to go out that night. Next thing I knew, it was already about 10pm (it was still light out), so Ben told us girls, that if we wanted to go out as well, it might be a good idea to start getting ready and everything. We all took turns showering and getting ready and then the 4 of us, plus one of Ben's roommates, Sharee (btw, I have NO clue how to spell his name, so that could be wrong..) who is originally from Iran, all headed out of the ubahn. Berlin is a massive city, the largest in Germany (about 4 million people), and it's public transportation is above excellent. However, with it, getting from one side of the city would take you a good hour. So after changing trains once, and being on the ubahn for about 25 minutes or so, we finally came to the stop we wanted and got off and headed for a really cool bar that was on a channel running through east Berlin.
The bar was pretty cool, but I didn't really feel like drinking or anything, so I only had 2 beers. We weren't there for too long since Caitlynn, Catalina and I were pretty tired. While there, a group of SUPER annoying 19 year olds were sitting next to us. They were so loud and obnoxious, I was seriously embarrassed when I heard them speaking English. Next thing I know 2 of the guys are sitting with us asking where we were all from etc. He told me he too was an American and that he was on a "EuroTrip" (btw, I basically wanted to shoot this kid in the face). Well, turns out, the guy isn't from the US at all. He was born and raised in Hong Kong to his Taiwanese mother and his American father (he also told me he has never lived a day in the States). But here he was, being obnoxious as HELL and telling everyone he is from Staten Island, NY. I then proceeded to yell at him and ask him to A, stop acting like a raging asshole (the guy was making Third Reich jokes, and while that is all fine and fun and whatever when your friends, but to do it loudly at a bar... IN F'ING BERLIN is a completely different story), and also to B, stop telling people he was an American, when he definitely was not, and that he is basically just making us look worse that we already do. (For all you other Americans traveling abroad, you obviously know what most people think of us..) Seriously, this kid was like, the most obnoxious person I have ever met, and I just couldn't deal with his bullshit. Looking back, I feel a little guilty for being such a bitch, but hey, he needed to hear it from somebody.
The sun was starting to rise (it was about 3:30am... in Berlin in the summer, the sun is seriously completely up by 4/4:30 in the morning because of how north they are. It's weird), and we were all tired, so we headed back to the apartment to crash.
Friday morning I pried myself off one of the couches at around 9:30 to get started on my first "real" day in Berlin! I left the apartment and headed again for the Hermannstraße ubahn stop. There was a lot I wanted to see, which was scattered all over the big city. My only plan that morning was to take the ubahn to Alexanderplatz, where I was sure there would be some sort of tours meeting. Well, my big brain was right, and I was able to get a ticket for a "hop-on, hop-off" roofless tour bus for only 10 Euro. It was such a gorgeous day that I quickly went to the second level to find a seat in the sun :) Leaving Alexanderplatz, which is home to the famous Berlin media tower (the tallest structure in Europe, 2nd only to the media tower in Moscow),the Rotes Rathaus, and Mary's Church, which was built in 1270AD back when Alexanderplatz was still the Medieval center of Berlin, we then headed for the famous street of Unter Den Linden. Everything seems to be on this street, it's not only where a big major area of shopping and restuarants are, but also where the Deutsches Historisches Museum is, the Berliner Dom (which is breathtaking!) and at the end of it, you have the well-known Brandenburger Tor. So we drove along this where I was able to take a bunch of quick pictures and then it was off to the next part of the city. The bus tour was nice though, because it helped me get my bearings of the city, so that I could go back and re-visit the places I really wanted to see later. After the Brandenburger Tor, we headed for the Reichstag, which is the German Parliament building. From there we headed towards the Victory Monument which is in the center of the Tiergarten, and directly parallel to the Brandenburger Gate in the opposite direction (it was down this strip, from the Brandenburger Tor to the Victory Monument that all the military parades etc. took place). Unfortunately, the Victory Monument is under construction until next summer, so I guess I'll just have to go back to Berlin in the summer of 2011 ;) After this we looped around to find ourselves in another really popular shopping area, but also home to the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtnis-Kirche, or the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial. This is a church that was completely destroyed from the Allied bombings of Berlin, but after the war the people decided they wanted to leave it standing the way it was, instead of knocking it down/re-building it. It now stands as a reminder of some of the consequences of war. From this area I hopped back onto the bus and headed for Checkpoint Charlie, where I again got off to explore. Checkpoint Charlie is the famous former checkpoint between East and West Berlin. Right down the street from Checkpoint Charlie was an exhibition called the "Topography of Terror" which was a small museum located on the rubble of the former SS Headquarters, and the exhibition was all about the SS.. needless to say, it was extremely interesting and I definitely made a point to spend some time in there. After that I waited for the next bus to come around again and boarded. I stayed on the bus now until I was dropped off back at Alexanderplatz and decided to walk back to some places of interest. First I headed back for Unter Den Linden, to pass by some of the amazing buildings there again, and to head for the Brandenburger Tor. The Brandenburger Gate is definitely not as big as you wold imagine it to be. In pictures and whatnot, you would think it is this huge structure. But in reality, it's not too terribly big. But it's still impressive all the same. From there I walked through the Tiergarten towards the Reichstag. By this time it was probably almost 5:45 or so, and was exhausted. I made it to the Parliment building and decided to rest on the lawn in front for a bit. Well.. that rest turned into about a 30 minute "power nap". But honestly, it felt amazing, and was exactly what I needed. After my nap, I realized that I was pretty hungry from the day of not eating anything. I decided that, with no real plan in mind, I would just wonder until I found something that looked like it would hit the spot. After walking for a while, I hit the jackpot and found myself in a little nook of Berlin, sitting down to eat outside at "Tex-Mex Cantina". Now of course, Mexican food here doesn't quite compare to what we can get in the States, but this place is still the closest I have found so far in Germany. It was really delicious and I ordered a chicken burrito (finally!) and a Berliner Pils (their popular regional beer... which, btw, has NOTHING on Kölsch!) After finally eating, I headed back to the Berliner Dom to just sit and watch the sunset. Now it was beginning to get dark at close to 10 or so, so I thought it best to walk back to Alexanderplatz and catch the next ubahn back to the apartment. By the time I got back to the appartment it was a little after 11pm. I arrived there to see Caitlynn and Catalina sitting outside the door. Apparently, they had been there since a little before 10. Ben (and none of his roommates?) weren't home, which meant none of us could go inside. Luckily, Ben came home at around 11:30, so I didn't really have to wait much or anything. But I felt so bad for Caitlynn and Catalina, who had waited out on a dirty street for a good hour and 1/2. I was pretty tired at this point, and was planning for another big day out on Saturday, so all I really wanted to do was to do go to bed (especially from still not having a super good nights sleep the day before). Caitlynn left already to meet up with on of her British friends at a club in East Berlin, so now it was just Catalina, Ben, Ben's roommate Sharee (again, no clue how to spell his name) and I. I told them all that I was pretty exhausted but they all wanted to go out. Catalina begged me to go out with them (since she didn't want to be the only girl alone with them etc.) so I agreed and went and got ready. The four of us sat around drinking some beers playing a game until we decided it was finally a good time to leave. (Ben had said that most people don't leave to go out, and most places don't even get to be "fun" until well after midnight). So we headed for the Ubahn, and it was already 2 in the morning! Ridiculous. We ended up at the same place we were the night before and the sun was already coming up by the time we got there. While there, the 4 of us got into conversations about each of our home countries, with I think most of the focus on me, since they were all eager to hear about what it's REALLY like in the US, not just want they are told from the media etc. We only stayed for another hour or so, since (especially) Catalina and I were pretty tired. We left at around 4 in the morning to head back to the house. We decided to walk a little further to get on the S-Bahn instead of the Ubahn because Ben said it would be faster. Well, we didn't end up actually getting back to the apartment until after 5am and I wasn't in bed asleep until atleast 6. Which sucks, considering I wanted to originally be up and out of the house by 11 or so. (Which of course didn't happen). I got up on Saturday still exhausted from the day before at around 11:30. If you had read one of my previous posts, I said how I really wanted to visit the Haus der Wannsee-Konferenz. However, that was before I found out that it would be relatively easy for me to travel about an hour outside the city to the former Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp, which is now a memorial site and museum. I decided that with my last full day in Berlin, it was more important for me to go there than the Wannsee-Konferenz villa (although I really want to see it--I guess I just have another reason to go back to Berlin).
I left the apartment that morning pretty later than I wanted to, thanks mostly to the lack of good sleep from the night before. I left around 1pm and headed for the Ubahn. I took the Ubahn to, once again, Alexanderplatz and got off to grab something small to eat. Then I got back on the ubahn and rode it for 3 more stops to Friedrichstraße where I then changed to get on the S-Bahn towrds Oranienburg. The stop for the Sachsenhausen Camp was at the last stop on the S1; Oranienburg; a small town an hour outside of bustling Berlin. After my S-bahn ride, I stepped out into the sunshine and proceeded to follow the signs toward the "Gedenkstätte und Museum: KZ Sachsenhausen". It was about a 20 minute walk from where the train let me off, and it all seemed very surreal to me. I was on my way to a former Nazi concentration camp that is settled smack in the middle of an everyday town/neighborhood. I couldn't help but think what it must feel like for some of the people living there. Haunted to say the least. I bought a small ice cream cone for 1 Euro and continued on my journey until I finally spotted the high outer walls of what could only be what I was looking for, the camp at Sachsenhausen. After the train ride from Berlin center, and the short walk, I didn't arrive to the main entrance until a little before 3pm (and Sachsenhausen closes daily at 6, and I knew I would need at least 3 hours to really explore, so I was going to be cutting it close). I went to the front information desk and asked for a audio tour in English, based on the tips I had read on the internet. I paid the 3 Euro for the device and had to give them my drivers license as collateral. I then walked over to the donation box I saw and threw in 5 Euro (Sachsenhausen does not charge entrance, and as a lover of history, I always try to donate to sites/museums' upkeep when I can) I then was handed my headset and a site map and headed out once again into the gorgeous sunshine.
Outside of the main entrance building lay a huge metal map of what the camp looked like from between in 1944/45. I listened to the audio tour point out some key places on the map that allowed me to better get a sense of direction while I was there. I then left and headed down "Camp Street" which is the same way former prisoners were brought to the gates of the camp. Along this walk were signs posted with pictures and quotes from former prisoners of life in the camp. All were incredibly moving, with the one that touched me the most being: "Das kann Man gar nicht begreifen, dass Man plötzlich frie ist." -Zvi Steinitz (which means: It is impossible to grasp that you are suddenly free". Walking down Camp Street, I passed a row of large buildings. Listening to my audio tour, I was informed that they were the former work factories that many of the prisoners at Sachsenhausen were forced to work at to produce a wide variety of things to help with the war effort. As approached the entrance to the command headquaters and the prisoners camp I saw behind me what was left of a large green building. Again, listening to my audio tour, I found out that the prisoners referred to this structure as "The Green Monster" and it was the SS Troop Camp, just on the outside of the camp. I was now through the first entrance to the camp and found myself in a large atrium. There is now a new museum in this area, along with signs posted of where the former command house and headquarters used to be located. I now walked across the cobble stone flooring toward the main prisoner entrance at "Tower A". It was a very eerie experience walking toward the large intimidating structure with its clock tower at the top and the large iron gates that were marked with the infamous camp motto of "Arbeit Macht Frei" ('work makes you free'). After slowly entering and trying to even remotely take in what it means to pass through these kinds of gates, I was standing in a semi-circle of what was once the "roll call area". It was here where the prisoners were called to line up 2-3 times a day. From this spot I could see almost the entire camp, because almost all of the buildings have since been removed except for a few. The camp itself was originally designed in a triangle formation, until that proved to not be able to contain the growing number of prisoners, and then extra "small camps" were added on. Looking out from the Roll Call Area, like a fan, were 4 rows of where the barracks--where the prisons were housed--were land out. These 4 rows, plus the addition of the "small camp" later, gave Sachsenhausen a grand total of 68 barracks in all. Walking away from the main prisoners gate and further into the camp, I came to the back of the roll call area where the site of the former gallows is located. It was here that prisoners were hanged/executed in front of the other prisoners to act as a deterrent for other offenses/escape attempts. The SS would put up a Christmas Tree in the same spot during December. Running along the back of the roll call area is also remnants of what was the "shoe-testing track". The track was laid with a number of different surfaces in 1940, and prisoners that were being punished were sent to "test-out" the materials that would be used to make army boots, often for hours on end. From here I walked toward the middle of the camp where 2 buildings were still standing. One was the old prisoners' laundry room (which was used in extremely rare occasions to wash the clothes of the prisoners) and the other, directly adjacent from it was the prisoners' kitchen. It was here where prisoners would peel the rotten potatoes that would later become their small ration of "soup" (basically a part of potato in boiled water). This was a special building, and it had been turned into a small museum of sorts where I was able to browse through the countless items that were found or given to the Camp, and also gave an outline of the happenings of Sachsenhausen. After spending about 45 minutes in the old kitchen, I walked back into the beautiful June sun and headed toward the very back point of the camp where a large obelisk was a erected as a memorial. On it at the top were the same triangle patterns that the prisoners had to wear. However, they are not all accounted for, because the Soviets, who are the ones that created the memorial, didn't believe in homosexuals, and therefore, did not honor them. Also, at the base of the memorial is a sculpture of a Soviet soldier helping two prisoners in a depiction of the Soviet liberation of the camp on April 22nd, 1945. (Let it be noted though, that in this sculpture, the two prisoners that are being helped by the Soviet, look to be normal, healthy human beings because the Soviets felt that to make the sculpture look like they really had when they arrived was "unappealing"... which of course, is ridiculous.)
**more update soon!
ANSWER to the Pop Quiz: Indiana Jones to his father, Dr. Jones, in Indiana Jone and the Last Crusade! DUH!
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