Far away from EVERYTHING in Berlin
Trip Start
Sep 08, 2008
1
20
40
Trip End
Dec 16, 2008
Berlin,
Germany
Friday, October 24, 2008
Well, Berlin is a fascinating place! It is so very interesting to be in a city with such recent history, but also with such crazy, extreme things happening here! We've seen the pieces of the former Berlin Wall, been on yet another free walking tour, visited the Tiergarten, Potsdamer Platz, The Brandenburger Tor, Unter den Linden, the Ku'damm, the Reichstag, Bebelsplatz, and much more! We've been lucky and had glorious weather for our time here. Unfortunately, it's still late October, so this means chilly winds and low temperatures, despite the sun.
Yesterday, like I said, we went on another free walking tour, which showed us many of Berlin's points of interest. It is interesting to see the different architecture, particularly in East Berlin, or at least, the buildings that remain from before 1989. Much of the city has been revitalized in the last twenty years and you really can't tell where the former division is, in most cases. Anyhow, we were very awe-struck by much of what our tour guide (Ashliegh) had to say.
Today was even more powerful as an experience: we went north to Sachsenhausen, a former Nazi concentration camp, in fact, one of the first and largest. It was a huge complex and it is very difficult to imagine what life there must have been like. Everything is all green grass and trees and well-maintained now, except for the museum areas, so it's hard to put it in a real context. We were able to see the former prisoners' barracks and the remains of the crematorium, as well as other random buildings. It was quite the experience.
Tomorrow, we are off to Dresden! We have a hostel near the city centre! Yay! Finally!
Take care everyone!
Wayne
