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Okay so to bring you all up to speed. We are staying in Berlin for one last night at this place called Jetpack Eco Lodge. No one in this neighbourhood has ever heard of it so when I was a little rushed and didn't take the address down properly, only the reservation number, we were basically screwed. We made it to the area and then asked about 10 people for directions and no one knew of it. Finally we ran into this guy who had a backpack and he informed us that we were close and that they had rock band so we should play.
The first night we went on an adventure to find some food. There is an Esso gas station which we stopped at to get something fast and then chilled in a common area watching two movies with other folk.
Day one: Zoo. Both Ariane and I felt kinda sad there. We were with someone from JetPack who worked in a zoo in San Fransisco so we didn't really say too much but the animals all looked really sad. The enclosures seemed too small for them, there was not enough room to walk around. This experience just confirmed my belief that animals do not belong in cages. Then after the zoo we made our way to a meeting point for a free walking tour. Again, our guide was pretty fantastic. He knew so much info and was super pumped (because it was his last tour with the company). We saw part of the Berlin wall (it is nothing like you are expecting to see, kinda unimpressive but still important I think), went over Hitler's bunker (which is now a parkinglot...there is only a little info board to tell you about it which I think is perfectly fine...it is really symbolic to be like you aren't worthy of anything else in fact you are so unimportant that we don't care that people drive over where you cowardly committed suicide instead of facing any kind of consequence for your actions), went by Check point Charly (which was used back in the day to go between East and West Berlin), the Holocaust memorial, the place where there was a book burning, etc. We learnt that nothing in Berlin is real because it was all destroyed in the war and they just remake the buildings. The only things that were real were the old statues because apparently Hitler was a fan of art and protected them by putting them in a bunker. True story.
Day two: Went to parliament but the line was super huge and we decided to skip it. We went back to the wall because there was a museum or memorial type thing called the Topography of Terror. We spent a solid three hours in it. There was so much information and it was all really interesting while being a very somber subject. It was really hard to listen to parts of testimonies of officials and soldiers saying what they did was not their fault or that it was all Hitler's fault. umm, no. He didn't do it all alone. Take responsibility for your part. And it was really scary to hear how some of this stuff sounds really similar to what we say today. When will we learn mang? Afterwards we made our way to the East Side Gallery which is of the wall. The paintings on it are not the original ones but they are done by the original painters. Interesting. It is the largest outdoor unsupervised gallery apparently.
Day three: Went to Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp just outside of Berlin with a tour group. Once again our guide knew his stuff. This particular camp was a work camp and when it was first opened it was not used for Jewish individuals but rather for econmical reasons. The labourers were enemies of the state (like communists) and it wasn't until a later date that Jews were brought into the camp for the simple fact of their religious affiliation. There were definately some really difficult moments during that visit. It brings to light such a dark side of human existance. Like it doesn't make sense. It is times like this that we have to really look hard to not lose faith in humanity.
Now we are just going to chill for the evening. Both Ariane and I are exhausted and we have to wake up at 6:30ish tomorrow morning to catch our train to AMSTERDAM whaa.
- comments
Collette Hey Jenna, So glad to read your post. I was starting to wonder if you had collapsed from the heat or something... LoL. The news have been reporting record heat in Germany. The 2 of you are seeing so much...doing so much...you will have to talk non-stop forever when you get back, just to tell us all about it. Sounds like a lot reaching your core. I think these travels will have much to do in further defining the "real" you. Matante Gilberte's saying "Good girls go to heaven, bad girls go everywhere". You are proving her wrong...good girls can go everywhere too. Keep it good in Amsterdam okay!!LOL :) Keep looking, touching, thinking, reading, listening, dreaming. Stay safe. Take lots of pictures. Know that I love you.
Môman Hey! Je suis contente d'avoir de vos nouvelles!!! Le plus de monde qui prendront conscience de la guerre, le moins de guerres il y aura. Mais certains ne voient que leurs intérêts et d'autres ne voient qu'à travers les yeux de leur ignorance. Vous serez les ambassadrices de ce que vous voyez de vos yeux et ressentez dans votre âme. Bonne route et bonne aventure! T'aime ma fille. Môman xx
tante Clemence ahhhh...les atrocities des guerres!!!et des camps de concentrations!!!ce fut terrible!!!!!. C'est a esperer que les generations futures apprendront la tolerance, la communication et la charite, suite aux erreurs commises dans l'passe et au manque de respect pour la vie d'autrui. hEUREUSE que tu puisses "voir" avec tes propres yeux et "imaginer", seulement imaginer tout c'qui a pu arriver! Quelle aventure!!!Je t'envie vraiment!!! Hugs ma belle!! carry on!!!
Amanda S. Wow - that sounds really intense. You're learning sooo much!