Good-bye Berlin

It was sad when we finally had to leave Berlin. I had an amazing time during the trip. I meet so many amazing people, learn lots of new things and took away an experience that I would never forget. Though the last day of flight back was alittle crazy at times overall it was a perfect month and something I would never forget. All I have to say is good-bye "Bear-lin"

A Day of history

On the last day class we split up I stayed in Berlin to see the Berlin City museum and the one museum that we didn't see from museum island earlier in the trip. The City museum was very interesting and give a great overview of the history of the city. The showed old models of the city, buildings and what it was like in the city during WWII and during the wall.

Afterwards we went to the museum which had mostly religious artifacts though out history. There were a lot of pictures and statues of the virgin Mary and child. (sadly my camera died and I don't have any pictures) We also went to the new Synagogue not far from the Museum. It was mostly destroyed during the war then rebuilt afterwards. They had a small exhibit of the history of the Jews in the area and then we climb to the top of the dome in the Synagogue.

The Soviet Memorials

One the last Tuesday we went to the Treptower Park and saw the giant Soviet memorial built in the park. The memorial was a reminded of how the Soviets had won the war and beat the Germans. It was also built so they would never forget who saved them from Hitler and the Nazis. The memorial its self takes up a large area of the park

On our last day we finally got to see the Soviet Memorial in the Tiergarden. This memorial was built very quickly after the Soviet's took the city of Berlin. They took the stones from Hitlers chanselor building and was built in order of the fallen soviet soldiers. Once the wall went up this memorial ended up on the west side of the wall.

The Cold War

On the last few days of the trip we took a look at all the different housing projects that both the east and west sides of Berlin built. The west tended to build building that stood out and made a name for themselves. Some of the building were built close to the wall so the east could see them better and know the kind of statement they were trying to say.

The east stuck more to housing that looked all alike on the outside. This was to follow the communist ideal that everyone would have the same thing.

On one of the last days we went to the old Check Point Charlie and the museum that is there. The museum is a tribute to the different ways people escaped across the wall and the hardships they face because the wall was up. We also went to the Berlin Wall memorial site. Here they have sections of the wall and the history of the wall in a park. They also still have a section of the wall and no man's land preserved. 

We also visited the Dutch Embassy designed by R.Koolhaas. The Embassy was very different and you are able to look completely though it and see the TV Tower. Because they have this view no one can build were it would block anyone from seeing it.

Three really big Churches

On the last two days of the excursion we went to see the three largest Cathedrals in Germany. The first stop was the Aachen  Cathedral. It is the church that Carlaman built part of . It later had two more sections added to it. The church still holds the bones of Carlaman.

Next we went to the Cologne Cathedral. It is the Largest Gothic Cathedral in Germany and one of the largest ever built. You are able to climb one of the towers in the cathedral which is 533 steps high.

On our way back to Berlin we stopped at the Magdeburg Cathedral. It was the last of the three big churches. There was alot of work going on in the outside and in the inside they were setting up for a big Chior concert that  was going to be on TV. We weren't able to see much of the church because of this. The art work inside the church was grand and amazing though. The big thing that does draws people to the church is that it holds the tomb of the Emperor Otto.