Today marked our first full day of traveling in Berlin. We arrived at the airport, passed through security, and I got selected for a random/passport check for the third time during our travels! Arriving at the bus, we have the first glimpse of the city of Berlin through the windows of our chartered bus. The first thought was not the one I was ready to see. I felt as if we were in the midst of a run down neighborhood with graffiti marking each square foot. But from this first glimpse, I learned that you should not judge a book by its cover. As we proceeded into the city center, the graffiti started becoming less and less of sight to be seen, but rather we started to see a town with history. We approached multiple buildings filled with the finest cars like Mercedes, Audi, and Rolls Royce. Then, we passed buildings that seem to have stood the test of time throughout all of the hardship that Germany has faced in the many decades that proceeded this moment. The one that seems to have the most impact from then to now is the Berlin Wall. This piece of history has stood as a divide of nations as well as a tale of weary that seems to have lost touch with our countries today.
This wall was the divider of East and West Berlin during a time of Soviet ran communism and the bureaucracy ran government structure of the other nations. We toured the Berlin monument that provided an in-depth look on the stages of the creation of the wall, the reasons for building the wall, the impact of the culture, and the ultimate demise of the wall. I personally didn’t remember much about the Berlin wall from class, but this was a surreal experience to see the wall up-close so I could truly feel the affects of the wall, how it was structured, and the massive burden it placed on the citizens of Berlin. We learned about the individual stories of the 140+ people that lost their lives trying to jump the wall and return back to West Germany. This whole experience was eye opening to all of us especially with the current times of walls being proposed all throughout the world. These walls are barriers to everyone that prevents us from having constructive conversation about how to make positive changes in the world. The tour guide made a valid point to all of us , that no matter where we are in the world, we should learn from what happened in Berlin and make sure we do not continue that once again.
All in all, our first full day in Berlin was filled with great food, great memories, and we are all looking forward to what more amazing history Berlin has in store for us… just after a little sleep!
Cheers,