Berlin Part 2

Day 7

Friday we visited the Topography of Terror, a museum located just feet from a large remaining piece of the Berlin wall. This museum gave a great history from the early 30’s all the way to the end of the war. It also did a nice job of incorporating the significance of the wall. We went around in groups and chose some sections that we found interesting. We then gave short 2-5 minute presentations on the section we chose.

After our presentations we were given a two-hour break. A few of us went to grab some Mexican food for lunch. After some fajitas we met the group at the New Synagogue, which was really not a synagogue. We learned that the synagogue burned down during the war and was never rebuilt. Some of the synagogue was still standing and they built a museum inside. After a tour through the museum, we took our tour outside. We stopped at some familiar sites and talked some more about the Stolpersteine (Stumbling stones).

After the tour, we went back to our doner shop and got some falafel. We met up with one of Ryan’s friends and we all grabbed a drink. We hung out for a few and then headed back home.

Day 8

Saturday we spent a few hours at the Center for the study of Anti-Semitism at the Technical University. The lecture was very informative and we learned about the various groups that still exist in Germany. After the lecture, some of us went to grab sushi. We decided to go back to our flats so we could do some work on our papers that were due Monday. We met up with Ryan’s friend again, headed back into the city and ate at a really great place with fresh made pizzas and salads. My salad was amazing!

Day 9

Sunday was our first official day off in Berlin! A few of us went to the Flea Market that is very well known in Berlin. To say the market was huge would be an understatement. We spent two hours walking around and didn’t even get to half of the booths. Ryan got some German marks and some photos and I got some jewelry and photos as well. We were going to walk more but it was very hot. We figured we needed some lunch so we headed back into the city and ate at the same pizza and salad place. My salad was amazing once again. After we were stuffed we went home to work on our papers some more. We finished up our papers and went back into town to grab some Thai food. We went home to work on our presentation and called it a day.

Day 10

Monday we started the day off with our presentation. They lasted about an hour and a half. It was really great to hear about all the various sites that people visited. We gave a great presentation and then we were given the afternoon off. A few of us headed out for lunch and stumbled upon a great Greek restaurant. We had complimentary ouzo shots and I ordered grape leaves and eggplant. Then all of us ordered Greek yogurt with honey and walnuts and were then served complimentary watermelon. Overall it was a great dining experience. We finished up just in time to head home and relax before our 4:30 dinner date with the other dialogue group that was in Berlin. We went to a restaurant that served the largest pizzas in Berlin. Unfortunately, I can’t eat pizza and I was still very full from lunch. However, it was nice to sit and relax for a few. We headed home around 7 and a bunch of the kids from the other dialogue came over to our flats for some drinks. We hung out for a while outside and got to know each other. After a few hours we all branched off. Ryan and a few others and I went back to our salad place for a late night snack. We headed back home to try to get some sleep.

 

Day 11

Tuesday we had the morning off. A few of us headed out for a walk and to grab some Korean food. Lunch was amazing and we were so glad we finally found a Korean place. We then met the rest of the group at the Office against right-wing extremism. This was a great extension to our meeting we had on Saturday. It was nice to see the side that helps to deal with these conflicts. The meeting lasted about an hour and a half and we were then given the afternoon off. We headed back to our neighborhood to take a short break before dinner. We did some packing and then headed out to meet Greta (our favorite tour guide) for taco Tuesday. The place we went to was so great!! They had delicious margaritas and 1 euro tacos. A bunch of us hung out there and chatted with Great. Natalie and Veronica met us for a little bit and then we all headed back home. We had a great last day in Berlin and an amazing 11 days. It will be sad to leave, but I am so excited to see Poland.