Journey to Potsdam

Sanssouci Palace in Potsdam. Former summer residence of Frederick the Great, King of Prussia. The name translates to "without worry".

The view from the top of Sanssouci.

Orangery Palace in Potsdam.

Ruinberg, near Sanssouci Palace.

The view from the backyard of Sanssouci Palace. It reminded me of the house I'll be moving into in Gainesville.

Laurie gets attacked

At the Carnival of Cultures Parade today, Laurie and I raced to the front of the parade to get a good, unobstructed angle. Little did we know it would result in this...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AsSTHaU5wNQ

Yesterday, a few of us went a little outside of Berlin to visit Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp. As soon as we entered, an oppressive feeling of sadness overcame us. There were images of death and torture everywhere we went inside. Between gas chambers, autopsy (experiment) tables, crematoriums, and neck shot rooms, the two hours we spent inside were as depressing as anything I’ve experienced.

For dinner, the whole group went to a restaurant where garlic was the centerpiece of each meal. The smell of garlic hit me in the face as soon as I walked in, and I still smell it.

This weekend is the Carnival of Cultures here in Berlin, which is a multi-cultural street festival. The streets of Kreuzberg were packed with people shopping, dancing, and drinking. We’re headed back today to see the parade that closes the fesitval.

At the concentration camp, rocks were placed to represent the dead. We assumed they chose rocks instead of flowers because rocks will last forever and won't wilt or die like flowers.

The toilets in the barracks.

That's exactly what it looks like.

I was shocked to find a prison inside the camp. Isn't the whole camp a prison?

The Carnival of Cultures in Kreuzberg.

Lots of photos (now with captions)

A memorial at "Station Z" in Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp. It was nicknamed "Station Z" after the last letter in the alphabet, because the building was an inmates last stop.

The execution trench leading up to "Station Z".

All of Berlin in one photo: graffiti, modern architecture, green grass, and public transportation.

The path we saw a rabbit run across.

The Real Berlin

After seeing the Frieda Kahlo exhibit this afternoon, Natasha and I decided we weren’t content with going back to the hotel. We set out without looking at a map, with no directions, and no idea where we wanted to go. It turned out great. Walking south from Postdamer Platz we found a soccer complex with Middle Eastern children playing (they were very good) then found a small park in the middle of a sea of buildings. The city seems to be constructed so that just as the tall buildings become overbearing, a park shows up out of nowhere. Most surprisingly, a small rabbit jumped out of the bushes and ran across our path.

We knew were in a good spot when our American appearance drew many strange looks. We quickly found a large park with a playground filled with small children. Since it’s Friday and the sun was out, many couples were enjoying a Beck’s or Berliner while sitting on the rolling hills.

After a few hours of walking, we decided it was time to look at a map. Apparently we had walked farther than expected and were on the outskirts on the city. While walking around aimlessly, we stumbled upon a hole-in-the-wall gelato shop. The only flavors we recognized were Mango and Vanilla, since the rest was in German. Needless to say, it was amazing and shortly thereafter we found a U-Bahn station to take us home.

It was nice not worrying about seeing the famous sites of the city for once and simply walking. I feel like I saw more of the real Berlin today than any other day. We saw children getting out of school, adults getting off work, and everyone drinking beer. It seemed like today we saw what it was like to live in Berlin, away from sightseeing and tourists.

After spending the last few days in Berlin, I’ve noticed a strong connection between the past and the present. On the bike tour yesterday, our guide told us about the trend of using old factory buildings for new purposes. For instance, an old East Berlin egg-cooling factory is now Universal Music’s Berlin headquarters. While Berlin is a relatively young European city, old factories abound in downtown, their walls covered in graffiti.

On the bike tour, we spent a good amount of time in Kreuzberg, a district in West Berlin. Kreuzberg is known for attracting a large community of punks and pacifists who took advantage of West Germany’s incentive program which allowed West Berliners to avoid mandatory military service by moving to districts in West Berlin, such as Kreuzberg. Today, the district is still known for its rebellious, artistic auroa, which is evident by the many art studios and record stores. In fact, Kreuzberg is where Shamuel and I walked into a record store and started talking to one of the owners, an Italian native who moved to Berlin to pursue music. After a brief conversation, he agreed to be the subject of my story.

We’ve talked to many Berliners who moved to Germany from all around the world, including two men from Kosovo who work in an Italian restaurant, and an American from New Orleans who owns and operates a Creole and Cajun restaurant, complete with jazz, free German lessons, and films projected onto a large screen.

It’s clear that Berlin has a unique vibe that draws people in and makes it very hard to leave.

The first full day in Berlin

Two days ago, back in Florida, it was too hot to go anywhere but the beach and the pool. Now, here in Berlin, that weather (and lifestyle) seems light years away. Although our scheduled bike tour through the city was postponed a few days due to rain, it didn’t stop us from exploring the city. We ventured into the heart of what was downtown West Berlin, which Professor Freeman said still looked much like it did when he was in high school. After a visit to Europe’s largest department store (over five floors of shopping!), we visited an old bomb-out church. The contrast between the modern architecture and neon lights of the city against the church’s crumbling facade was remarkable. Left with only minimal restoration, the church was a grim reminder of the past.

However, many people in the city weren’t admiring a church, but rather beer and soccer (or should I say futbol?). Today happens to be the championship game between two rival German teams, and judging by the amount of inebriated fans, nothing matters more. I thought Gainesville on game day was crazy, but this is on another level. We assumed we were near the stadium due to the roar of the crowd, but it turned out the stadium was miles away and the roar we heard was just crazed fans chanting in the train station.

We continued on to an outdoor flea market where the vendors weren’t too keen on 12 students taking photos. Some of us went to Mercedes-Benz World where I drooled over cars I’ll never own. The day’s journey ended with a stop at a coffee and desert restaurant where our wet jackets and backpacks were severely out of place and the seven of us taking photos of our deserts drew much attention. The forecast for the next three days is cold and rainy, but no one really cares. A room temperature Berliner Pilsner will certainty warm us up!


Two drastically different towers in Berlin.


All I saw were Policemen joking with fans who were drinking beer. Gainesville police, take a lesson.




Mercedes World had palm trees, water, and fake sand. I felt right at home!