This is an amazing city with a crazy amount of history. Today we were hosted by the German Foreign Office for a discussion relating `Germany Today´. It is apparent that Germany is dealing with an immigrant population much like California is. There are 3 million Turks living in Germany and Berlin has the third largest Turkish population in the world. We had lunch at the International club following the talk, which is where I took this photo. That's the Berlin Cathedral behind me on the right, which was the imperial church.
Following the visit at the Foreign Office, we went to a concentration camp called Sachsenhausen. We where lead on a tour by the lady that serves as both the curator and the head of the research department. It was surreal to see and walk in the areas where the Nazis tortured their victims. We had the perfect person to lead the tour for a bunch of history teachers, there were things
that she discussed that I've never heard before.After dinner, a couple of us walked from the Victory Column to the Brandenburg Gate and then to Check Point Charlie. The Victory Column celebrates the German victories over the Danish, Austirans, French in 18oos. Brandenburg Gate is one of the original gates for the city, which later became important during the Cold War. Check Point Charlie was a major crossing point from East to West Berlin during the Cold War. It was also the site where people congregate and then was opened to allow access to the West when the wall came down.
Curt,
ReplyDeleteSounds AMAZING! Only two days and look at all you have accomplished! Will keep reading for more info and to live vicariously through your Europe experiences. What is up with that bike from day one? Is it a bike or like a dune buggy? Were they actually riding/driving it in the streets? Would love to hear what you didn't know about the concentration camps considering you've been at this a while, it must have been really good stuff. Take care!
Ashley
Ashley:
ReplyDeleteIt was a six person bike and everyone had to cooperate to drive it. They were riding it through the streets. It was super cool.
As for the camps, I never realized that the camps that were confiscated by the communists were changed into prison camps to help with the socialist experiement. As a matter of fact, I new that they were in communities, but this one had houses down ewach side of the street that the prisoners had to walk down daily to and from the camp. Just amazing.