Beautiful Berlin

The Brandenburg Gate: former city gate and one of the symbols of Berlin

The Reichstag: site of the German Parliament

The Neptunbrunnen shows Neptune, the God of Sea.
This is one of the oldest and most beautiful fountains in Berlin

Saturday, October 13

The perks of staying 3 weeks in a City means you get 3 weekends! Unlike in the US, weekends in Europe are more laid back and relaxed. As Advance Team intern, I expected my days to be so full up to the weekend! Luckily, Birte feels that personal education and field trips are as important as logistical preps for the cast (cross our fingers we get everything done). So, my host family decided to take Birte and I to Berlin, which is about 1.5 hrs away from Prenzlau.

The adventure started on the road. To get to Berlin, we had to pass through the world famous German Autobahn. Wikipedia refers to it as a "nationally coordinated motorway" - simply put: Germany's freeway system. How is it different from other freeways? The Autobahn has been labeled by National Geographic as the "fastest freeway in the world" because they have no general speed limit. The recommended speed limit though, is 13o kph. My host dad said a lot of people (especially Chinese) go to Germany just for the chance to ride in the Autobahn.

From what I have seen in National Geo, my first reaction to my ride through the Autobahn was, "What? This looks like a normal freeway." - Nope, cars don't go whizzing by (maybe one or two whizzed by, but I guess in every part of the world you get a few daredevils) -- but still, driving through was an experience. The roads were so smooth and the way to Berlin cuts through a thick forest with color-changing leaves (let me repeat that I love, love the autumn leaves). There was even a bridge exclusive for animals to cross from one side of the freeway to the other. If you wish to learn more about the Autobahn, this site mirrors my thoughts - plus a lot more accurate information: http://gettingaroundgermany.home.att.net/autobahn.htmhn.htm

Hooray again for Wikipedia: Berlin is the capital city and one of the sixteen states of the Federal Republic of Germany. With a population of 3.4 million in its city limits, Berlin is the country's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the ninth most populous urban area in the European Union. Located in northeastern Germany, it is the center of the Berlin-Brandenburg metropolitan area, comprising 4.9 million people from over 180 nations.

Probably the most interesting part most people know about Berlin is the famous Wall that separated West Berlin (Western Allies: US, UK and France) from East Berlin (Soviet Union) for 28 years. 1989 marked the fall of the Berlin Wall , leading to the reunification of Germany in October 1990. I might as well give you again the website for the interesting story of the Berlin Wall at : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlin_wall

Let me say that I have never been interested in so much history (ever... I just subconsciously memorized my way out of elementary, high school and college history). Traveling with Up With People makes me wish that I had paid more attention. History is so engaging and interesting, and I know that it is never too late to hone this newfound interest.

Walking along the East Side Gallery of the Berlin Wall gave me a sense of wonder and sometimes severe goosebumps thinking about how it was to live in a violent, divided country. I can almost feel the terror of getting killed when escaping, or even hearing the cheers of the crowd when the wall finally fell. Ah, it was just so interesting for me! The picture below shows what they call the "death strip" where thousands died trying to escape East Germany.


Berlin is a busy city with so much history that it is impossible to walk around without wonder and awe (especially if it is your first time and you came with a purpose!) . We also passed a huge memorial for the casualties of the Holocaust (another very interesting subject for me, I have read a lot of books based on the Holocaust even before UWP) which I felt was cleverly done. It was very symbolic - just a labyrinth of blank grave-like structures. I was also able to see many memorials of people who died in the wars and also sculptures about the concentration camps.


I also saw the "United Buddy Bears" (http://www.united-buddy-bears.com/)-- the bear is another symbol of Berlin, and the United Buddy Bears are symbols of peace and unity. These are fiberglass bears painted by artists from all over the world. I absolutely fell in love with them :-) Apparently, these are the "Minis" and the original big bears are having their world tour.

These are the Golden Buddy Bears, which symbolizes the Golden Rule. The wording of the “Golden Rule” in different languages is distributed on two bears. According to the website, this further symbolizes that nobody can live on his or her own, that other people belong to our lives and that our behavior towards other people has consequences.

And look, a Philippine Buddy Bear! The plaque says it was painted by Filipino artist Pierre F. Patricio - that is the Philippine Eagle on the bear's tummy.