I began my European adventure in
Berlin, the capital city of Germany. I had so many fantastic experiences in
this city that it is difficult for me to pick a specific place that I liked the
best. In these blog posts about the cities we visited, I will be talking about
the city’s geography, my favorite academic experience, my favorite
extra-curricular experience, and recommending a place to eat for future
travelers.
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| Walking Through Tiergarten |
An aspect of the geography of Berlin
that I was fascinated with was the emphasis placed on having green space within
the city. This was most prevalent when we walked through the massive
Tiergarten. I am from a small town, but I have traveled to larger cities in the
United States before. Usually in larger cities I miss the trees and grass of
the countryside. Unlike these cities, Berlin seems to have made a commitment to
keeping large green spaces within the city. While we were walking through the
Tiergarten it felt like I could be visiting any forest back home in Wisconsin.
This land would be prime real estate if were developed, but the people of
Berlin chose to keep it as a park and the government agreed. I found it
refreshing to have such a large, relaxed, natural environment in the middle of a
modern city.
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| Jewish Museum |
My favorite academic experience in
Berlin was our visit to the Jewish Museum. I thought this museum was done very
well. It is laid out in three different axis: the Axis of Exile, the Axis of
the Holocaust, and the Axis of Continuity. The Axis of Exile focused on the
experiences of Jewish individuals who were forced to leave their homes and
resettle in new places. The Axis of the Holocaust highlighted the Jewish experience
during the Holocaust. The Axis of Continuity was my favorite and by far the
longest axis of the three. It detailed the history of the Jewish people
throughout time. Instead of focusing solely on the tragedy of the Holocaust and
more recent Jewish history, these exhibits detailed the early through modern
history of the Jewish people. This included both their contributions to society
as well as the many struggles they faced throughout time. I thought the entire
museum was excellently done. The architecture of the museum was incredibly
interesting. The windows were not designed to really function as windows in the
building, but to look almost like scars on the outside of the building. It was
one of the most interesting examples of modern architecture that I have ever
seen. The Jewish Museum was an amazing experience.
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| Scars on the Building: Jewish Museum |
My favorite extra-curricular experience
was my trip out to Olympia Stadium. Home of the 1936 Olympics, this historic
stadium was a place that I was very interested in visiting. I took the metro
out to Olympia Stadium with one of my classmates and a professor. The metro
stop was conveniently located on Jesse Owens Lane. I imagine that the street’s
name is a more recent change. The stadium was only a few blocks down the
street. The building was rather imposing and an excellent example of Fascist architecture.
There were several large Fascist statues around the stadium that represent
strength. We walked to the main entrance, but were unable to take a tour
because there was a concert going on in the stadium. However, we were able to
see the front of the stadium as well as the Olympic Rings. As a history student
I was excited to be able to visit such a historically significant place during
my free time. If I ever return to Berlin I hope to be able to take a tour of
the stadium.
Finally, I will recommend a place to
eat for future students and travelers. Berlin is famous for a type of sausage
known as currywurst. They even have a currywurst museum. I must confess that I
tried currywurst and I did not care for it. It was sort of like a bratwurst
covered with a slightly spicy curry sauce. However, I would still recommend
that any travelers try this Berlin specialty. Eating the food of a city is part
of the cultural experience. For currywurst, I would recommend the small fast
food restaurant where I got mine, near Alexanderplatz. Simply called Currywurst
Express, this restaurant specialized in currywurst and French fries. It was a
relatively cheap lunch and I was able to try one of the cultural foods of
Berlin.
References:
Berlin.de.“Tiergarten,” Accessed July 13, 2014.
http://www.berlin.de/orte/sehenswuerdigkeiten/tiergarten/index.en.php.
Jüdisches Museum Berlin. “Jewish Museum Berlin.” Accessed July 13, 2014.
Berlin.de.“Tiergarten,” Accessed July 13, 2014.
http://www.berlin.de/orte/sehenswuerdigkeiten/tiergarten/index.en.php.
Jüdisches Museum Berlin. “Jewish Museum Berlin.” Accessed July 13, 2014.
http://www.jmberlin.de/main/EN/homepage-EN.php.
Olympiastadion Berlin. “Olympiastadion.” Accessed July 13, 2014.
http://www.olympiastadion-berlin.de/en.html.
Picture
References:
1.
Emily
Herkert, Berlin from the Victory Column,
May 31, 2014, Berlin, Germany.
2.
Emily
Herkert, Walking Through Tiergarten,
May 31, 2014, Berlin, Germany.
3.
Emily
Herkert, Jewish Museum, May 30, 2014,
Berlin, Germany.
4.
Emily
Herkert, Scars on the Building, Jewish
Museum, May 30, 2014, Berlin,
Germany.
5.
Emily
Herkert, Olympia Stadium, May 31,
2014, Berlin Germany.
6.
Emily
Herkert, Currywurst Express in
Alexanderplatz, May 29, 2014, Berlin,
Germany.
