I´ve been in Berlin for the last ten days and I´ve found it to be both charming and a little too big at the same time. I´ve met some wonderful people from all over the world, some Australians, South Africans and Canadians, just to name a few. The hostel here was a very comfortable place to be and all the guests were very friendly with one another. It reminded me of home.
I went to several museums here over the last week and a half. They were all pretty amazing, especially the natural history museum. The thing I think I liked most, however, was the Reichstag. As you walk towards this huge building, you can´t help but feel the gravity of where you are. I looked up at the pillars in front of the south entrance and imagined them covered in fortifications, swarming with German troops, who were ready to die for their Führer. I have said it many times on this trip already, but I still say that I don´t know what I would do if I was in their position. Both then and at the beginning of the war. It would be so hard to starve and starve and have no hope, and then hear a man saying that he can feed you, give you work, and make your country great again. Hard to think about.
One other cool thing I did while I was here was I went on a free walking tour with a girl from New Zealand named Christi. The tour was titled "alternative Berlin" and it was a tour of street art, graffiti, portions of the Berlin Wall and a few squats where artists just took up residence and just started painting, sculpting, and making rings and other jewelry in the early 90s. It was a really cool tour and the squats were sweet to see (we actually went inside to see little make-shift galleries) I enjoyed seeing their art and their communities.
I´ll be heading to Hamburg today for five days and then on to Cologne for another five. Berlin has been good and I´m looking forward to the next few cities as well.
Love you guys,
-Samwise Greenhill
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Yay Sam! Sounds like your having a grand time. The alternative tour sounds really cool! I understand how you feel about the Reichstag. When we went to places like it, I was always provoked to deep thought. Echo says "Yeeeeeeeeeahhhhhhhheeeeeh" Stay well.
ReplyDeleteHey Sammy! Good to hear about Berlin! Did you find any fun coffee shops there, or was it all museums? I like the sound of the alternative tour...I think that I might like something like that a little more than the normal tours.
ReplyDeleteYeah, that definitely does put the German people in a more reasonable light. Most people would do most things for food and shelter! In a sense, can't blame 'em! (Especially after the reparations of WWI!)
I just love you a lot and am glad I had the privilege of growing up with you at the end of the 20th century in little old Manhattan, KS.
ReplyDeleteIt's great to hear about the depth of your travels, I think it helps a lot of us realize the enormity of this world; and specifically in this post: the events that came about at the beginning of the 20th century (not that long ago no?)
Thanks for keeping in touch in order to catalog your travels, as well as keeping big brother worrying types appeased.
Ich liebe dich ;)
Hey Sam, that tour sounds awesome.
ReplyDeleteI love street graffiti.
sorry I haven't checked up on you in a while, wedding stuff is all getting finalized.
Stay safe, or at least moderately so.
Noah