Day 8

Today we started off at 8:30, however, a German lightly hit our bus with their car so we had to wait about 40 minutes until we were free to go. We had a bus tour of Berlin with our tour guide William. We loved William!! He was 30, from Australia, and had a girlfriend. When he said he had a girlfriend, about 7 girls in the back of the bus sighed at the same time!! William talked to us about the history of Berlin and Germany, but especially the conflict between East and West Berlin. The Berlin Wall was put up in 1961. At first it was just a barbed wire fence separating the two parts of Berlin. People could easily walk over it to get to the other side. Slowly over time it started becoming higher. When they put up the concrete wall, it only took 12 hours. Where the Berlin Wall memorial is, right next to it is the remains of the Gestapo buildings that were destroyed after the war. Then we went to Checkpoint Charlie. This is where the Americans were stationed at the border of West Berlin. You could take pictures with the “soldiers” at the check point… but they are just actors. Around this square was a KFC, Domino’s, Mc Donald’s, and a Starbucks. A little way to show how this was the American checkpoint. The Soviet’s side was a bigger check point because more people wanted to leave East Berlin, not so much the West.

What William told us was to imagine going out on a Saturday night with your friends. You stay out really late, and it’s time to go home. You start heading to your building, and now there’s a barricade not allowing you in. You literally could not go home. You would have to stay at your parents or grandparents house. Many people’s families became split because of the new border. One true story is of a bride’s parents not being able to go to her wedding. They dropped flowers from their window to give to her, but couldn’t attend. How awful is that?

After Checkpoint Charlie, we went on a river cruise on the River Rhine. We had a more up close look at some of the historic buildings.

Then it was our free time until we went to dinner. Connor, Sasha, Zack, Ione, Daniel, Chance, and I went to a Indian restaurant for lunch. Curry is really popular because of the immigrants who came here. The restaurant didn’t say it was an Indian restaurant, and both Connor and I don’t like that kind of food. However, it was DELICIOUS. I had a 2 course meal of an omelette and chicken with spinach. The spinach on the chicken looked like curry and all the ingredients really went well together.

We then walked to the chocolate factory down the street called Rausch. They had many sculptures of Berlin made out of chocolate and they also had a chocolate volcano.

Then Connor and I went to the holocaust memorial. There are 2711 concrete slabs that are all 7 ft 10 in long and 3ft and 1 in wide. They are all different heights, however. I think this memorial was made to showcase many different things. When you are walking through, you can’t see other visitors at the memorial coming and can barely hear them. It is hilly as well which makes you not know what is coming next. It is a powerful memorial and has so many messages throughout.

Next Connor and I went back to the Brandenburg Gate where the big menorah was lit. We had a photo op there during our tour this morning, so here is me before and then when it’s lit.

We met two Orthodox Jews there that night. They were from Miami, but studied in Paris. We were talking about how a menorah was literally in the place where Hitler stood. It is also the biggest menorah in Europe. They gave us jelly donuts which also are a famous snack for Hanukah.

We then walked around the Christmas market in Postdamplatz. They played a Brad Paisley country Christmas song in Germany! We laughed so hard 🙂 We met everyone and headed to dinner at Maximilians.

Today was extremely fun learning about Berlin and getting to have some time on our own.

Tomorrow, some of us are going to the Jewish Museum or the Egyptian Museum in the morning. I’m going to the Jewish Museum.

I can’t wait!