Germany is a country that has recently appeared on my list of must visits. I have recently become intrigued by the culture and history that surrounds Germany. Being German, and yes, so far all the places that I want to visit have been part of my ethnic makeup, the history of all that has happened has continued to gain a huge perspective in my mind.
My great grandparents moved to the US from Germany right after World War I. In the US, they tried hard to further themselves from their ancestry. During World War II and after they pretended that they were not German. They decided to claim they were Irish. They’re last name was Schultz and they started to claim they were the O’Schultz, as if the O makes you Irish. My mom actually only found out they were born in Germany when my grandma stumbled across they’re birth certificates. I’m also German from my dad’s side, so I did always know I was German but it’s just a funny story that explains a part of my desire to visit Germany.
While the Holocaust was a horrible time in history and especially German history, the remnants of it are extremely fascinating. The concentration camps scattered across all of Germany will be horrifying but I feel that everyone needs to experience it. Everyone needs to see how bad it was and how far the world fell. It should be a constant reminder that everyone is a person and no one should ever be treated like that.
Another stop that I need to see, is the remains of the Berlin Wall. The crumbling of this wall represents the end of the Cold War and Soviet domination. The Berlin Wall is another dark part of German history but the history behind it is exciting. The separation of West and East Berlin is a crazy thing to even think of now. There is also, the Berlin Cathedral. The Berlin Cathedral is so beautiful and I think I would spend a whole day just staring at the architect of the building and still not notice everything. The time and effort spent building it is crazy.
Honestly, I don’t know why I want to visit Germany. Is it to fulfill my wish of visiting every country in the world (where I won’t die) or if it is because of my ancestry but I do know that it is a must stop when I eventually visit Europe. Maybe it will be a quick two day trip or maybe it will be a long three week trip but I do know that I will enjoy every minute of it.
The pictures you use are always so pretty! I totally get what you mean about knowing the history of Germany rather than just sweeping it under the rug. Also, your mom not knowing about being German is so funny.