backtracking

Ok, so it's been a while and lots has happened in the last week. So I'll do my best to work my way back.

We just got to Amsterdam this afternoon. But the last 4 nights were spent in Berlin. Our first day there, we did a full day tour of the city. Our guide was named Terry Brewer. He's a former British naval officer, who has been a diplomat all around Europe for over 40 years. He has been in Berlin for the past 27. So he was witness to the events of the Berlin Wall - he was even in attendance as a British Ambassador for the removal of Checkpoint Charlie.

His tour was excellent and he was able to give a lot of firsthand knowledge on a lot of sights. It was a long tour - almost 10 hours - but well worth it. We saw the Jewish Synagogue, the Reichstag, a school for young, Jewish girls that was raided during the war, Museum Island, the remains of the Wall, the former site of Hitler's bunker, and about a million other things that I can't remember right now.

His tour was so good, that we went back two days later for another one of his tours. This time, we did the west part of Berlin, including the Olympic Stadium and it's Bell Tower. There we learned a lot about the 1936 Olympics, the propaganda, and the brainwashing of 'Hitler's Youth'. Quite astonishing. Then we went on the visit the British Cemetery and then to a town called Spandau.

Spandau is acutally a part of Berlin, since 1920. It lost it's independence and was forced to become part of Berlin in order for the city to protect itself on the west side, in the area that was not protected by lakes.

The day in between Terry's two tours, we took off on our own and visited Berlin's TV Tower, Potsdammer Platz, and then the Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp, about an hour outside of the city.

Sachsenhausen was a model concentration camp, after which many other camps where designed like. It was not a camp for mass murders, like Auschwitz where many people were sent to gas chambers, but rather most people died out from the work conditions and the effects of malnutrition and the strenuous life they were forced to live. I felt quite a chilling and odd sensation while I was visiting the place. The barracks were set up in a triangular yard, in a semi-circle, all facing the role call yard. They used to hang people in the middle and force everyone to watch. The 8-foot, brick wall was topped with barbed wire and another 3 or 4 layers of it preceded the wall. Gravel was groomed to show any traces of foot steps. Officers were supposed to immediately shoot anyone who stepped near the wall, and they were even compensated for their efficiency and speed at which they reacted. Sometimes, prisoners would run themselves into the wall in order to get themselves killed.

I have always been interested in the war and the events following it, but never have I truly appreciated what happened until I visited Berlin. It never really felt so real reading it from a textbook. While the city has undergone a mass reconstruction since 50% of the city was destroyed, many of the marks from the war can still be seen. Bullet holed buildings stand next to modern buildings and the contrast is not only visually pleasing, but so much a statement in itself.


Prague
Before our trek to Berlin, we spend 3 nights in Prague. I was very surprised to find out the extensive history of the city. I had always heard it was a beautiful city, but never really knew to what degree. A lot of cobblestone streets allow you to make your way through the new and old towns. The Charles Bridge leads you to the Prague Castle, which feels more like a small town in itself.

It feels so long since being in Prague and I can't remember a lot of the details at the moment. But we really enjoyed our stay there. It's a great city.