Ich bin ein Berliner

Hallo!

Wow, it has been an even longer break between blog posts this time. It is amazing how fast time flies when you are having fun. I had initially written this entire post but then my tablet decided that it would be awesome and crash forcing me to perform a factory reset and lose everything that I had written while during one of our previous train rides. Oh well. Now on to more interesting topics, our adventures in Berlin!

We were forewarned by our tour guide, Mira, that when coming to Berlin not to expect a pretty city like all of the ones we had been to prior but that it was really rather ugly. This is indeed the view that we got from the windows of the train as well as during our bike tour throughout the city - a lot of gray and graffiti covered buildings. However, thinking about the fact that the city was basically leveled during the second world war and then subsequently divided into an East and West Berlin it is understandable that it will not have the charm and beauty of the the other German cities that received significantly less damage. Even though the buildings of the city were not all that aesthetically pleasing there was so much history around every corner that it was still an amazing place to visit. The entire city has this mixture an eery and depressive remembrance of the horrors that once took place along with a sense of hope and joy for the future.

The next morning after our bike tour we left the main city and went to an area outside of Berlin called Bad Saarow where we visited and took a tour of a horse clinic associated with the University of Berlin. At this clinic they focus mainly on reproductive medicine and we got to watch a couple ultrasounds of some mares. They were checking to see if they were in estrus and it was really neat to watch and learn about what to look for. They also showed us some ultrasound images they had taken the other day on a mare that was 65 days pregnant and got to learn how to differentiate the sex of the foal. Along with this while we were touring the facilities we got to see a group of Warmblood foals playing in the fields, and they were so adorable.  Afterwards we took a walk through the woods to a restaurant located on the lake. While we were eating outside we got to watch sailboats just drift along, it was so relaxing and just a wonderful time. After a great pasta dish and a glass of wine Mira told us that we had to speed walk back to the bus stop otherwise we would be late, and of course, upon getting to the bus stop we ended up having about an 8 minute wait.

The next day we went and took a tour of Sachsenhausen, one of the first concentration camps to be built. I had a lot of mixed and strong emotions while walking around the area and the impression it made up on me is something that will stay with me for the rest of my life. On the iron gates, directly under the watchtower, leading into the camp are the words Arbeit Macht Frei which translated means "Work Makes You Free". In the early days of the concentration camps this saying had some truth to it, if you kept your head down did what was asked you had a chance to get free. Of course later on many of these people ultimately ended up back in a concentration camp for one reason or other and then even if you worked hard it was unlikely you would ever leave and if you did it was often to go to someplace worse. One of the places that really hit me hard was when we walked to what little remained of Station Z and saw the double-walled foundation of the rooms where thousands of people were systematically shot or even the gas chamber that took their lives to only be dragged by other prisoners to the crematory. This area was named Station Z because the gate where you entered was A so in order to exit you had to go through Station Z. We also walked through the old medical buildings, now turned into an exhibit on medical practices and experimentation, and by the end of these rooms I was literally sick to my stomach of the horrors that took place. And to think it was done by medical professionals and highly educated people just makes it all that more difficult to swallow. Overall, this was a life changing experience and even though I had known about all of this happening before hand just being in the place where it all happened makes it all that more real.

After the tour of the concentration camp we headed back into the city for a visit of the "Bundestag" or the German Parliament Building. Here we were able to climb the glass dome top of the building and learn more about how Parliament functions. The view was very pretty and you could even see the Brandenburg gate from above.

On Monday after returning from our free weekend trip to Prague we went and visited the Anatomy Building of the Veterinary School as well as took a guided tour of the Jewish Museum. We took a tour of the anatomy building with one of the Veterinarians that work there. It was really cool to see the collection of specimens that they had on display so the students could use them at any time to study.

In our tour of the Jewish Museum the guide talked a lot about the architecture of the building and how the building in itself was a piece of art and used to tell the story of the Jewish people in Germany. I'm certain if we didn't have a guide to help explain the architecture and how it merged with the rest of the museum I would not have gotten as much out of the experience. I really enjoyed this museum and it was very well done, I wish we had more time in our schedule to explore it further. One exhibit in particular that I found fascinating was off in a corner and not obvious. As you approached all you could hear was the sound of metal clanging together and I wasn't sure what to expect as I turned the corner. Inside were thousands of metal faces and you were encouraged to walk across them to explore the entire area. This particular part was to represent all of the thousands of Jewish people that were killed in wars.

Our last day in Berlin consisted of a visit to the Leibniz Institute for Zoo & Wildlife Research as well as the Natural History Museum. At the institute we got to learn about a lot of the different research projects they have going on there as well as their dedication to help with conservation efforts. We also got to learn how to use a blow dart and even were given some to practice with. I missed on my first shot and then actually managed to hit the target on my second attempt although still not on a part of the animal that would have allowed for tranquilization. There were some parts of the Natural History Museum that I found interesting but overall I was not all that impressed. I imagine some of this had to do with the fact that I have been to the one in New York City which is amazing and makes it hard for a lot of the smaller ones to stack up. One room I really liked was where they had floor to ceiling shelves full of different specimens that had been collected. I liked that they had this on display for the public because normally you can only see these type of collections if you go behind the scenes to areas where they perform research.

I really enjoyed my time in Berlin. It is an amazing city with a ton of history. There is so much to explore and I feel to fully understand everything there is to this city would require more time and hopefully someday I can come back.

Until next time,
~Rebecca