Hi Everyone!!!
So it’s been a week since we got back from the crazy capitol city, Berlin. (Delayed post, sorry bout it.) Our trip to Berlin was with our group from AIB and was considered our “class” for the week…. so that’s definitely not anything to complain about! This trip was filled with all sorts of lessons. Not only did we learn about the history found here, (which is endless and so full) but we also learned about the importance of the way that we treat others around us. This city was definitely one that we found hard to get excited about because it is so marked by it’s past, but there is an appreciation for the things we saw that we will never forget and will always be thankful for. We took off to this city the night after Kelsey’s 21 bday… (which was a story of it’s own….) But here’s a few photos to share with everyone we love!
Her first “Universally Legal Beer!” Finally in the big girl world.
The Aftermath….. Enough said……
After a 5 hour train ride and much needed nap, we finally arrived in Berlin in the afternoon. Our program planners didn’t waste any time for our educational excursion to begin, and quickly after arriving to this massive city, we hopped onto a bus with our now favorite tour guide, and toured some major sites in the city.
The Reichstag, Berlin’s parliamentarian building
Beautiful Jewish Synagogue
Berlin Wall. This photo shows a little piece the tragedy that this wall represents. The writing on this section of the wall says
“To: Astrid, Maybe someday we will be together.”
Although Berlin is definitely a city with a lot of action and much to look forward to in the future, they are also a city scarred by their harsh past and broken by the pieces of history that they will never forget. This city is a perfect example of how each action has a consequence, and though the wall came down decades ago, there are still scars and tensions that will never disappear. This wall basically created one of the largest prisons in the world, as the people were kept inside away from their loved ones and from freedom and opportunities. At first glance, Berlin seemed to be a city of depression and cynicism, making it hard to appreciate… but we quickly realized the beauty in the mess of this place. There is bravery found here, and a peace in knowing that history only repeats itself when we forget what has happened.
Section of the Berlin Wall that is now used as free space for street art. It is constantly changing and being re painted over by different artists all around the city.
Brandenburg Gate
cool pieces of the wall standing in an open market area
Memorial for the Murdered Jews. At this site, there are endless amounts of these cement blocks spread out over a block of the city. The blocks form rows and a kind of grid system that you can walk in and out of, and the vast amount of these cement pieces gives you this eery feeling about what a terrible time the country of Germany once faced because of most people’s fear and inability to do what was right. (More on this subject later) This memorial is also 100% free of grafiti and art, showing just how much the people of Berlin and Germany respect this memorial. (After all, literally every square inch of the rest of the city is painted up.)
After our city bus tour, we stopped as a group at probably THE BEST pizza place we have ever eaten at in our entire lives. That is not an exaggeration. Seriously the best. Wish we remembered the name, but the pizza was so good it makes it hard to remember anything other than it’s goodness.
The girls at dinner
True bliss
Go ahead….. take it all in. All it’s glory and goodness….. HOT DAMN THIS PIZZA ROCKS. ok, we’re done now.
Day 2 of Berlin started out with a Street Art tour. This whole concept of “street art” was so weird to digest, because where we come from this would be totally unacceptable and considered vandalism. Yet, in this area of the world, crazy talents are displayed on the sides of basically any building, bridge, wall, door… you name it, there’s paint on it. Check it out!
Entry way to this entire ally filled with art… so cool!
Example of a “Paste-up” piece. Not all of the art is painted directly onto the walls. Much of the artwork is actually large print outs that are pasted up onto the wall and then either covered later with more artwork, or taken down later on.
Wall art of Anne Frank. This piece is one of the only pieces in the ally way that no artist has ever covered to repaint. The rest of the walls are ever changing and filled with new art on a weekly basis, but this section has never faced change since her face has been painted here.
Following the art tour, we went and found our seats at the “short film” screening of the Berlinale Film Festival.
This festival is a huge deal! There are flims showcased featuring star actors and actresses such as Matt Damon and George Clooney, who were actually in Berlin for the festival. Many other actors and actresses were also in attendance at the festival, but sadly we didn’t get any sneaky star pics!
Our class got to have a question and answer session with a few of the short film producers. It was neat to see so many producers and designers from different countries that came together to have their different work shown at this festival.
Later that night we took a trip up to the top of the glass dome in the Reichstag. This dome is really cool because the mirrored structure in the middle actually reflects what is going on down under the dome in the parliament room, a symbol of holding the government accountable for their decisions, as the citizens can “see them in action.”
On the third day of our trip, we visited two design firms. The first was an advertising firm, and the second was the studio of Tomas Saraceno, the artist responsible for the cool instillation we got to climb in Dusseldorf a few weeks ago. So cool!
The group at our picnic lunch after enjoying “Donners,” a common lunch item in Germany. (Which I think is actually a Turkish based meal but whatever, it’s common here and it’s delicious.)
Our fourth and final day in Berlin was spent at the Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp, just outside of Berlin. The overwhelming feeling of walking up to the camp gates while knowing that at one point innocent people had walked that same path was something we will never forget. The actions and treatments that happened in these terrible camps all across Germany during the WW2 time period are so hard to wrap your mind around. Why did no one say anything? Why did the people safe from the camp walls in their neighborhoods right next door not revolt? These thoughts filled our minds as well as confusion and sadness, realizing that a little bit of bravery and love for humanity could have changed a lot of things. We must always treat each other with kindness and love.
This gate says “Hard work will set you free,” which Nazis laughed at, knowing that nothing these people could do would set them free because they were “born this way.”
Bunk room where up to 500 prisoners could be held
Toilet area of the bunks
View of the fence that prisoners would have had to get through to escape. Electric wires, barbed wire, and two other walls bordered the camp. Not to mention, there was a tower with full view of the camp filled with guards with machine guns that would watch your every move if you got anywhere near the rocky area that bordered the fence and the camp.
After a long and tired few days in Berlin, it’s safe to say that this city and it’s sites will change you. The importance of how we treat one another, regardless of race, religion, and nationality is highlighted through these dark places. We must move into the future with love and acceptance for others each day.
So…. Go out and love everyone, people! Because LOVE WINS!
ok we’re done with our hippie spiel now….
LOVE AND MISS Y’ALL! more excitement to come in the next few days.
XOXO,
Kelsey & Laura
passports&ponytails 