A Rainy Saturday in Berlin

While we had been blessed with beautiful, warm weather, we weren't so lucky on Saturday. It was overcast and lightly drizzling throughout the day. My bright pink raincoat (the one I used in NYC) came in handy along with my backpack cover to keep my items safe.

Our first stop was the Topography of Terror. This is not a memorial, but a museum, as our tour guide was quick to point out. The building stands on what use to be the headquarters of the Gestapo and Secret Police (also known as the SS and it wasn't really secret). The point of the exhibit is to document what the perpetrators did during the Nazi reign and the consequences.

When you walk in, you're greeted with a white and slate gray floor and walls. You immediately feel chills and there is also a stateliness of the place. After checking our bags, our tour guide arrived to show us around. He was an excellent docent and we actually looked at the exhibit backwards. He was quick to point out the problems of photographs. We had to question who took the photograph and what was missing. He had us deeply analyze a photo of a mass killing and it was fascinating to watch the gears in everyone's heads turn.

The tour ended up being two hours long. While excellent, it didn't give us much chance to explore the exhibit on our own. We got about twenty minutes and I tried to take in as many photographs and documents as I could. The group reunited and we had lunch at Curry at the Wall. It was a hopping place, mainly used my tourists and I had the chance to try a curry wurst. Basically it's sausage with ketchup and curry powder. Tasty. It was still raining and so we ventured onward.

The group made a quick stop at Neue Wache. It's a statue of a mother and her dying solider son. This statue sits on top of a tomb of a forgotten solider and a victim of a concentration camp. It sits in a mostly enclosed area except for an open circle directly above the statue. We've been told that in the winter, snow falls on the statue and it's left like that. This site has been dedicated to the victims of tyranny and war.

Our final stop was the Deutsches Historisches Museum. The purpose was to see Diversity Destroyed, an 2013 exhibit about the Holocaust. This coincides with the 80th anniversary of the Nazi rise to power (1933). As well as this central exhibit, there are statues placed throughout the city. This exhibit reviewed much of the information we have already heavily discussed while in Berlin, but the valuable primary sources really excited me. Once our guide was done explaining things, we got the opportunity to view the rest of the museum.

The museum is to showcase German history. Once again, there was so much to cover. I was content with simply wandering and looking. This museum, architecture and feeling wise, felt like the Louvre, Musee D'Orsay, and the Met combined.

By this point, we were all tired and cold. Professor Keenan treated us to coffee and a treat at a local coffeeshop. We chatted about what impressed and disappointed us the most thus far and if we had any ideas about the topic of our final paper.

Warm and happy, it was back to our hotel to freshen up and then ate at an authentic German restaurant. Once full, we went back to the hotel to catch up on our journals and get some sleep.

Another day in Berlin

It probably won't surprise you that I have been go-go-go since I've landed in Berlin. And once again, this post will be short and sweet. We have today (Saturday) and tomorrow in Berlin before we hop on an airplane for Krakow. I'm hoping on the plane ride I can write down some more posts and fill in the holes I know I'm leaving.

Anywho, yesterday we had breakfast in our hotel and then Julie arrived and we were off! Our first stop was the Jewish Memorial Berlin. The architecture of this building is particularly interesting and works well to evoke emotions and critical/deep thinking. This museum not only contained artifacts from the Holocaust, but also an extensive look of Jewish history. We only had two hours to explore, which definitely was not enough time. But of course, more on this later.

We nabbed lunch on the street (I had a falafel) and then headed to the Otto Weidt Museum. Weidt was the boss of a brush making company and mainly employed the deaf and blind. As WWII progressed, he became a safe haven for blind Jews and also illegally housed a few families in the various nooks and crannies of his house/factory. Unfortunately, most of his employees were taken away and put in Theresienstadt Ghetto, which was considered to be a "better" place to be, even though that was a lie. He did his best to smuggle in food and supplies to his workers through cleverly worded postcards. A few of his workers did survive and one particular survivor was the one who helped really get this museum off the ground (it originally started as a college project and not meant to last).

After that tour, it was on a train for about a half hour ride. Our final destination was the Wannsee Conference House and the spot most known for the "Final Solution" (the total destruction of the Jews). There we had the most informative and opinionated tour guide who did an amazing job. There were so many fascinating aspects of this museum. I had several favorite parts, but I most particularly liked listening to translated trial transcripts of Reinhard Heydrich, who took notes at this 90 minute meeting. I could have spent a lot of time there, but unfortunately, the museum was closing and we had to go.

The group took the train back and then split up for dinner. Most of us went to place nearby and then got to navigate transportation back to our hotel. Lucky for us, I love mass public transportation so despite not knowing much German, we got back safe and sound.

As you can read, another busy day. Need to grab breakfast before heading out again! Much more to come!!!!!

Trekking Around Berlin!

Hello readers! As I discovered in England last year, Internet is harder to come by in Europe. Add this to the fact that our group left Cedar Rapids on Wednesday around noon and arrived in Berlin at 7 AM on Thursday. But we didn't sleep and instead, roamed around Berlin, taking in the sites. Needless to say, we were all pretty tired last night.

While I have several great blog post titles and stories running through my head,I'll just give you a quick overview first. I'm writing this post in the Wifi lounge of my hotel and need to grab breakfast before we take off for more memorials at 9 AM Berlin time.

Yesterday, we got off the plane and met up with our guide, Julie. Brian and I got a little separated from the group (more to come but don't worry, we're all fine, and it's actually pretty funny now!) and then we checked in at our hotel.

From there, we grabbed breakfast at a place nearby and got to attempt some German. It's funny because I want to speak French and French phrases keep bouncing around in my head. Luckily, Julie was there to help us out.

We then met up with our tour guide, Rick, who took us on a three hour walking tour of some of the major memorial sites in central Berlin. We saw the Reichstag (the parliament building for the German government), the memorial to the Russian Soviets killed in WWII, especially during the Battle of Berlin (the final battle in Berlin in 1945), the Memorial to the Roma and Seniti, the Memorial to the Homosexuals, the location where Hitler's bunker once was and where he eventually killed himself, and the remains of the train station where Berlin Jews were taken and sent off to work camps, concentration camps, and death camps.

The group thanked Rick and returned to our hotel to freshen up before heading out for dinner. After dinner, Julie took us to an area with pieces of the Berlin Wall and lots of picture, text, audio, and visual pieces to help better understand what the Berlin Wall was all about. It was fantastic.

And there you have it, a brief overview. I'll try to write more later today with more information. But moral of this post: I'm safe in Berlin, having a good time, and learning a lot!!

Glad to be BACK

Hello readers! I've returned to Cedar Rapids and man, does it feel good!

Yesterday, my dad, sister, and I made the trek to Coe just in time to see graduation. Mother Nature decided to only be windy yesterday so while it was a little chilly, the ceremony could still be outside, which was nice. So great to see so many familiar faces and many of them moving onto go do amazing things. Later that afternoon, I was able to move into some temporary summer housing since I'm taking off for Europe on Wednesday. Lucky for me, I get to stay in the same apartment I lived in this fall.

Today I had my first May Term class with our professor and the nine other students. It was a good first class and I'm ready to take off for Europe. Also made an appearance in Admissions and cannot wait to be there full time this summer!

More to come later this week! Get ready for another Hailley adventure!!!

Hailley Update!

Well hey there readers!

So I think I've finally settled back into Midwest life. I still walk across the street like a New Yorker and ache to ride a subway, but other than that, it feels good to be back in Wisconsin. I've made a few trips to Coe, my most recent one to attend the Leadership Convocation. It was nice to see so many familiar faces and celebrate all the great leadership we have on campus. President Phifer gave the keynote speech and stressed the importance of having a vision when being a leader. His message was moving and for me, a message that extends past my years at Coe to all my future endeavors.

AND, in TWO weeks, I'll be on a plane headed for Berlin! Woah, time seems to be FLYING by. Still working on my packing list. On top of that, I'm working on pulling the rest of my things together so I can move back to Coe. I am really excited for this summer and then my senior year!

I just wanted to check in, say hello, and let you know more regular blogging will begin once I'm back on campus and off to Europe.

Happy May!